Field extensibility in a multi-tenant environment with columnar database support

• US 9,208,212 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Niehoff, Daniel, Schlarb, Uwe, Wilhelm, Georg, Figus, Daniel, Wachs, Daniel, Dehn, Rene
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THU NGUYET T
• Application Number:
  US13/717,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 707/803
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/221 Column-oriented storage; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

A multi-tenant environment can support field extensibility via extension tables. An in-memory, columnar database can store a core table being extended as well as the corresponding extension table. Transactional and analytical processing can be performed on the extension fields. A business-objects-based system can take advantage of the technologies to provide greater flexibility, security, and performance improvements.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a computing system, the method comprising:

receiving a request to add an extension field for a tenant to a business object node represented by a database table incorporated into a multi-tenant environment;

responsive to the request, adding the extension field to an extension table for the database table incorporated into the multi-tenant environment;

when processing operations on data associated with the database table, determining whether any extensions have been added;

responsive to determining that extensions have been added, performing a join between the database table and the extension field and performing the operations on the loin; and

wherein the extension table is associated with the tenant and the database table, and a name of the extension table incorporates an identifier of the node of the business object and an identifier of the tenant.

2. One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the request comprises a specified data type for the extension field; and

adding the extension field comprises adding a field of the specified data type.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the database table supports columnar layout.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the database table represents a node of a business object.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the database table comprises a business object node table corresponding to the business object node, which is one of a plurality of business object nodes for the business object; and

the method further comprises;

maintaining a one-to-one relationship between business object nodes and business object node tables in a database.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the extension table is isolated from other tenants.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to perform online analytical processing on a view of data comprising the extension field; and

fulfilling the request via the extension field.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein fulfilling the request comprises:

performing a join on the database table and the extension table; and

performing the online analytical processing on the join.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the database table and the extension table incorporate a same primary key.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

when adding a record to the database table, adding a corresponding record to the extension table when at least one extension field in the record has a value.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a reproducible name for the extension table that is unique across tenants in the multi-tenant environment.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

further responsive to the request, generating persistence functionality for the extension field.

14. A system comprising:

a multi-tenant environment providing access to transactional and analytical database processing services to customers via a cloud-based computing scenario, the cloud-based computing scenario comprising one or more processors and memory;

a database representing a node of a business object, wherein the database comprises a business object node table comprising records identified by a primary key;

an extension table associated with a tenant and representing one or more extension fields for the node of the business object, wherein the extension table comprises records identified by the primary key, thereby adding the one or more extension fields to the business object for transactional and analytical processing, and wherein a name of the extension table incorporates an identifier of the node of the business object and an identifier of the tenant;

when processing operations on data associated with the node of the business object, determining whether any extensions have been added; and

responsive to determining that extensions have been added, performing a join between the node of the business object and the extension field and performing the operations on the loin.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the extension table is a per-tenant, per-business object node table.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein:

the business object comprises a plurality of business object nodes; and

a one-to-one relationship between business object nodes and business object node tables is maintained in the database.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein:

the one-to-one relationship is supplemented by the extension table.

18. One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

for a business object included in a pre-configured software package, receiving a request to add a new field of a specified type to a node of the business object, wherein the node of the business object is persisted by an in-memory, columnar database;

responsive to receiving the request, adding the new field of the specified type to an extension table associated with the business object node;

receiving an indication of where input for the new field is to be received on a user interface;

when adding data to the database for an instance of the business object node, also adding corresponding data to the extension table for the instance of the business object node;

when processing operations on data associated with the instance of the business object node, determining whether any extensions have been added; and

responsive to determining that extensions have been added, performing a join between the instance of the business object node and the extension field and performing the operations on the loin.