Data transfer between first and second databases

• US 9,361,350 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Ramineni, Navin Kumar, Nachnani, Pawan, Madhavan, Rajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Amresh
• Application Number:
  US12/732,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/612
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation

Abstract

To facilitate data transfer between two databases, a transfer machine accesses both databases and finds matching records. The transfer machine determines and stores a match status of a record in one database. The match status indicates whether the record corresponds to at least one of the records in the other database, and if so, which record or records in the other database correspond to the record. If the match status indicates that the record matches a record in the other database, the transfer machine determines which record is current and updates the other record. If the match status indicates that a record has no match in the other database, the transfer machine adds a copy of the record to the other database.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, by a transfer machine, a first database hosted by a first machine in response to a request identifying authorization data, the first database including a first plurality of records, the first plurality of records including a first record that includes a first data field of a data type from a plurality of data types per record, the data type corresponding to the request;

accessing, by the transfer machine, the authorization data identified in the request, the authorization data representing an authorization by a user to transfer data between the first database and a second database hosted by a second machine communicatively coupled to the first machine via a network, wherein the authorization data represents the user'"'"'s credentials and defines the user'"'"'s scope of access to the second database, the second machine being remote with respect to the first machine;

accessing, by the transfer machine, the second database using the authorization data, the second database including a second plurality of records, the second plurality of records including a second record that includes a second data field of the data type from a plurality of data types per record;

determining, by the transfer machine, match statuses of the first and second records based on the first data field of the first record and the second data field of the second record, the match statuses being indicative of whether the first record corresponds to a least one of the second plurality of records or the second record corresponds to at least one of the first plurality of records, the match statuses comprising a fuzzy match, the determining of the match statuses being performed using a processor of the transfer machine;

storing, by the transfer machine, the match statuses of the first and second records, wherein each match status is a data record that is stored separate from the first record and the second record, the storing including storing a copy of the match status on each of the first machine and the second machine;

determining, by the transfer machine, which record in the first database and in the second database is most current for at least one pair of corresponding first and second records based on a comparison of a first timestamp indicating when the first record was last updated and a second timestamp indicating when the second record was last updated;

identifying, by the transfer machine, the first record for updating the second record in response to a determination that the first timestamp is most current; and

identifying, by the transfer machine, the second record for updating the first record in response to a determination that the second timestamp is most current.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the authorization data from a client machine of the user;

wherein;

the authorization data includes authentication data of the user;

the authentication data authenticates the user to the second machine for access to the second database; and

the client machine is communicatively coupled to at least one of the first machine or the second machine.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the match status of the second record indicates that the second record does correspond to the first record;

the first data field stores first data of the data type; and

the method further comprises

causing the second machine to write a copy of the first data into the second data field.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

a client machine of the user transmits a request to update the second record using the first record;

the causing of the second machine to write the copy is responsive to the request; and

the method further comprises

receiving the request from the client machine.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:

the second data field stores second data of the data type; and

the method further comprises

determining that the first data is current and that the second data is not current.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the match status indicates that the second record does not correspond to any of the first plurality of records;

a client machine of the user transmits a request to copy the second record to the first database; and

the method further comprises;

receiving the request from the client machine; and

causing the first machine to add a copy of the second record to the first database.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the match status of the first record indicates that the first record does not correspond to any of the second plurality of records; and

the method further comprises

causing the second machine to add a copy of the first record to the second database.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein:

a client machine of the user transmits a request to copy the first record to the second database;

the causing of the second machine to add the copy is responsive to the request; and

the method further comprises

receiving the request from the client machine.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving a search query from the client machine; and

providing search results in response to the search query;

wherein;

the search results include a reference to the first record; and

the causing of the second machine to add the copy is based on the reference to the first record.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a first summary of the first database;

generating a second summary of the second database; and

providing the first and second summaries to a client machine for presentation at the client machine.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein

at least one of the first summary or the second summary is based on a parameter selected from a group consisting of:

a first number of records that have a particular match status;

a second number of records determined to be current;

a third number of records determined to be not current; and

a fourth number of records updated during a period of time.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the match status of the second record is a first match status;

the second plurality of records includes a third record having a second match status;

the first match status indicates that the second record corresponds to the first record;

the second match status indicates that the third record corresponds to the first record; and

the method further comprises;

determining that the second and third records are duplicate records.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

determining the match status includes at least one of:

determining that first data stored in the first data field is identical to second data stored in the second data field, whereby the match status is determined to be an identical match;

determining that a similarity score calculated based on the first data and on the second data transgresses a similarity threshold to indicate a correspondence between the first and second records, whereby the match status is determined to be a fuzzy match;

or

determining that the similarity score does not transgress the similarity threshold, whereby the match status is determined to be unmatched.

14. A system comprising:

a processor-based application, which when executed on a computer having one or more processors, will cause the one or more processors to;

access, by a transfer machine, a first database hosted by a first machine in response to a request identifying authorization data, the first database including a first plurality of records, the first plurality of records including a first record that includes a first data field of a data type from a plurality of data types per record, the data type corresponding to the request;

access, by the transfer machine, the authorization data identified in the request, the authorization data representing of an authorization by a user to transfer data between the first database and a second database hosted by a second machine communicatively coupled to the first machine via a network, wherein the authorization data represents the user'"'"'s credentials and defines the user'"'"'s scope of access to the second database, the second machine being remote with respect to the first machine;

access, by the transfer machine, the second database using the authorization data, the second database including a second plurality of records, the second plurality of records including a second record that includes a second data field of the data type from a plurality of data types per record;

determine, by the transfer machine, match statuses of the first and second records based on the first data field of the first record and the second data field of the second record, the match statuses being indicative of whether the first record corresponds to a least one of the second plurality of records or the second record corresponds to at least one of the first plurality of records, the match statuses comprising a fuzzy match, the determining of the match statuses being performed using a processor of a machine, wherein a most current record in the first database and in the second database is determined for at least one pair of corresponding first and second records based on a comparison of a first timestamp indicating when the first record was last updated and a second timestamp indicating when the second record was last updated,

identify, by the transfer machine, the first record for updating the second record in response to a determination that the first timestamp is most current, and

identify, by the transfer machine, the second record for updating the first record in response to a determination that the second timestamp is most current; and

store, by the transfer machine, the match statuses of the first and second records, wherein each match status is a data record that is stored separate from the first record and the second record, the storing including storing a copy of the match status on each of the first machine and the second machine.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the match status indicates that the second record corresponds to the first record;

the first data field stores first data of the data type; and

the system further comprises

a transfer module to cause the second machine to write a copy of the first data into the second data field.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

a client machine of the user transmits a request to update the second record using the first record;

the transfer module is to cause the second machine to write the copy in response to the request; and

the system further comprises

a reception module to receive the request from the client machine.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the match status indicates that the second record does not correspond to any of the first plurality of records;

a client machine of the user transmits a request to copy the second record to the first database; and

the system further comprises;

a reception module to receive the request from the client machine; and

a transfer module to cause the first machine to add a copy of the second record to the first database.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the match status of the first record indicates that the first record does not correspond to any of the second plurality of records; and

the system further comprises

a transfer module to cause the second machine to add a copy of the first record to the second database.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

a client machine of the user transmits a request to copy the first record to the second database;

the transfer module is to cause the second machine to add the copy in response to the request; and

the system further comprises

a reception module to receive the request from the client machine.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

accessing, by a transfer machine, a first database hosted by a first machine in response to a request identifying authorization data, the first database including a first plurality of records, the first plurality of records including a first record that includes a first data field of a data type from a plurality of data types per record, the data type corresponding to the request;

accessing, by the transfer machine, the authorization data identified in the request, the authorization data representing an authorization by a user to transfer data between the first database and a second database hosted by a second machine communicatively coupled to the first machine via a network, wherein the authorization data represents the user'"'"'s credentials and defines the user'"'"'s scope of access to the second database, the second machine being remote with respect to the first machine;

accessing, by the transfer machine, the second database using the authorization data, the second database including a second plurality of records, the second plurality of records including a second record that includes a second data field of the data type from a plurality of data types per record;

determining, by the transfer machine, match statuses of the first and second records based on the first data field of the first record and the second data field of the second record, the match statuses being indicative of whether the first record corresponds to a least one of the second plurality of records or the second record corresponds to at least one of the first plurality of records, the match statuses comprising a fuzzy match, the determining of the match statuses being performed using a processor of the transfer machine;

storing, by the transfer machine, the match statuses of the first and second records, wherein each match status is a data record that is stored separate from the first record and the second record, the storing including storing a copy of the match status on each of the first machine and the second machine;

determining, by the transfer machine, which record in the first database and in the second database is most current for at least one pair of corresponding first and second records based on a comparison of a first timestamp indicating when the first record was last updated and a second timestamp indicating when the second record was last updated;

identifying, by the transfer machine, the first record for updating the second record in response to a determination that the first timestamp is most current; and

identifying, by the transfer machine, the second record for updating the first record in response to a determination that the second timestamp is most current.

21. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein:

the method further comprises;

generating a first summary of the first database;

generating a second summary of the second database; and

providing the first and second summaries to a client machine for presentation at the client machine;

at least one of the first summary or the second summary is based on a parameter selected from a group consisting of;

a first number of records that have a particular match status;

a second number of records determined to be current;

a third number of records determined to be not current; and

a fourth number of records updated during a period of time; and

the determining of the match status includes at least one of;

determining that first data stored in the first data field is identical to second data stored in the second data field, whereby the match status is determined to be an identical match;

determining that a similarity score calculated based on the first data and on the second data transgresses a similarity threshold to indicate a correspondence between the first and second records, whereby the match status is determined to be a fuzzy match;

or

determining that the similarity score does not transgress the similarity threshold, whereby the match status is determined to be unmatched.