System, method and computer program product for validating one or more metadata objects

• US 9,195,687 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Brooks, David, Tucker, Lewis Wiley, Jasik, Benji, Mason, Timothy, Bezar, Eric David, Wong, Simon, Chasman, Douglas, Tzuo, Tien, Hansma, Scott, Gross, Adam, Tamm, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TUANKHANH D
• Application Number:
  US13/485,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20120246120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2329 using versioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/50 Circuit switching systems, i.e. systems in which the path is physically permanent during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for creating, exporting, viewing and testing, and importing custom applications in a multitenant database environment. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to provide a vehicle for sharing applications across organizational boundaries. The ability to share applications across organizational boundaries can enable tenants in a multi-tenant database system, for example, to easily and efficiently import and export, and thus share, applications with other tenants in the multi-tenant environment.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method, the method comprising:

creating, by a first user of an on-demand database service, a package, defining at least an application, that references a set of one or more metadata objects, wherein the package includes;

profile information defining at least one group of users allowed to access the application,

user interface information defining a customization to a user interface, and

a flag set to indicate that customization of the one or more metadata objects is allowed;

editing the package;

verifying automatically the package; and

exporting the package for use by a second user of the on-demand database service, wherein the package including the customization to the user interface is accessible to the second user when the user is included in the group of users allowed to access the application;

wherein the verifying occurs prior to installation of the application;

wherein the package includes at least one of an object, a field, and a relationship.

2. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the verifying the package includes validating the one or more metadata objects.

3. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the package includes a package identifier.

4. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein dependencies for the one or more metadata objects are identified and included in the package.

5. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the verifying includes checking for missing components.

6. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the package is stored in a database.

7. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the package is stored in an on-demand database.

8. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the verifying includes validating.

9. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the editing includes deleting or adding items.

10. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the package includes at least one of the one or more metadata objects.

13. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the customization to the user interface includes custom tabs for the application.

14. The computer program product recited in claim 1, further comprising:

upgrading the package, including making changes to the package, by the first user; and

providing the changes made to the package to the second user.

15. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the package including the customization to the user interface is inaccessible to other users not included in the group of users allowed to access the application.

16. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein the second user uses a wizard to install the package, and wherein the wizard allows customization of the installation.

17. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein editing the package includes editing a field.

18. The computer program product recited in claim 1, wherein mappings between source specific references and values appropriate for the second user are defined for the package.

11. A method, comprising:

creating, by a first user of an on-demand database service, a package, defining an application, that references a set of one or more metadata objects, wherein the package includes;

profile information defining at least one group of users allowed to access the application,

user interface information defining a customization to a user interface, and

a flag set to indicate that customization of the one or more metadata objects is allowed;

editing the package;

automatically verifying the package, utilizing a processor; and

exporting the package for use by a second user of the on-demand database service, wherein the package including the customization to the user interface is accessible to the second user when the user is included in the group of users allowed to access the application;

wherein the verifying occurs prior to installation of the application;

wherein the package includes at least one of an object, a field, and a relationship.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor for;

creating, by a first user of an on-demand database service, a package, defining an application, that references a set of one or more metadata objects, wherein the package includes;

profile information defining at least one group of users allowed to access the application,

user interface information defining a customization to a user interface; and

a flag set to indicate that customization of the one or more metadata objects is allowed;

editing the package;

automatically verifying the package; and

exporting the package for use by a second user of the on-demand database service, wherein the package including the customization to the user interface is accessible to the second user when the user is included in the group of users allowed to access the application;

wherein the system is operable such that the verifying occurs prior to installation of the application;

wherein the package includes at least one of an object, a field, and a relationship.

19. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method, the method comprising:

creating, by a first user of an on-demand database service, a package definition that references a set of one or more metadata objects that describe an application, wherein the package definition includes;

profile information defining at least one group of users allowed to access the application,

user interface information defining a customization to a user interface; and

a flag, set by the first user, to indicate that customization of the one or more metadata objects is allowed,

distributing the one or more metadata objects for use by users of the on-demand database service;

providing access to the customization to the user interface to the group of users allowed to access the application; and

denying access to the customization to the user interface to other users not included in the group of users allowed to access the application.

20. The computer program product recited in claim 19, further comprising verifying the package definition, wherein the verifying the package definition includes verifying the one or more metadata objects.

21. The computer program product recited in claim 19, wherein the package definition includes a package identifier.

22. The computer program product recited in claim 19, wherein dependencies for the one or more metadata objects are identified and included in the package definition.

23. The computer program product recited in claim 20, wherein the verifying includes checking for missing components.

24. The computer program product recited in claim 19, wherein the package definition is stored in a database.

25. The computer program product recited in claim 20, wherein the verifying is performed in response to a user request.

26. The computer program product recited in claim 19, wherein the package definition is stored in an on-demand database.

27. The computer program product recited in claim 20, wherein the verifying includes validating.

30. The computer program product recited in claim 19, wherein the customization to the user interface includes custom tabs for the application.

31. The computer program product recited in claim 19, further comprising:

upgrading the package definition, including making changes to the package definition, by the first user; and

providing the changes made to the package definition to the users allowed to access the application.

32. The computer program product recited in claim 19, wherein a second user included in the group of users allowed to access the application uses a wizard to install the package definition, and wherein the wizard allows customization of the installation.

33. The computer program product recited in claim 32, wherein mappings between source specific references and values appropriate for the second user are defined for the package definition.

28. A method, comprising:

creating, by a first user of an on-demand database service, a package definition that references a set of one or more metadata objects that describe an application, wherein the package definition includes;

profile information defining at least one group or users allowed to access the application,

user interface information defining a customization to a user interface; and

a flag, set by the first user, to indicate that customization of the one or more metadata objects is allowed;

distributing the one or more metadata objects for use by users of the on-demand database service, utilizing a processor;

providing access to the customization to the user interface to the group of users allowed to access the application; and

denying access to the customization to the user interface to other users not included in the group of users allowed to access the application.

29. A system, comprising:

a processor for

creating, by a first user of an on-demand database service, a package definition that references a set of one or more metadata objects that describe an application, wherein the package definition includes;

profile information defining at least one group of users allowed to access the application,

user interface information defining a customization to a interface; and

a flag, set by the first user, to indicate that customization of the one or more metadata objects is allowed;

distributing the one or more metadata objects for use by users of the on-demand database service;

providing access to the customization to the user interface to the group of users allowed to access the application; and

denying access to the customization to the user interface to other users not included in the group of users allowed to access the application.