Systems and methods for data object change history

• US 9,535,941 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Bellamane, Harish, Muthukrishnan, Venkatachalam, Adam, Abraham, Gitelman, Alex, Kao, Daphne A., Wong, Simon, Tang, Michael, Eberl, Stefan, Mehta, Twisha
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/066,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707/756
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2474 Sequence data queries, e.g. querying versioned data

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for data object change history. A first data object and a second data object are retrieved, wherein the first data object includes an identifier, a field name, a first value, and a first date, and wherein the second data object includes the identifier, the field name, a second value, and a second date. A history object is stored, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date. The history object is output in response to a query which specifies the identifier, the field name, and a query date within a range of the first date and the second date.

Claims

1. An apparatus for data object change history, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

retrieving a first data object and a second data object, wherein the first data object comprises an identifier, a field name, a first value, and a first date, and wherein the second data object comprises the identifier, the field name, a second value, and a second date;

storing a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date in a history object table, the history object table comprising a plurality of history objects having the same identifier as the first data object and the second data object;

receiving a query that specifies the identifier, the field name, and a query date, the query date falling within a range of the first date and the second date;

comparing date values for the plurality of history objects to the query date;

retrieving only the stored history object in response to the query;

storing only the stored history object in temporary memory in response to the query; and

outputting only the stored history object in response to the query.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein retrieving the first data object and the second data object comprises retrieving a first plurality of data objects and a second plurality of data objects, and wherein storing the history object comprises storing a plurality of history objects.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steps further comprise:

identifying a data object as scheduled for an alternative change process; and

disabling the alternative change process, wherein storing the history object comprises asynchronously storing the history object.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steps further comprise:

retrieving a third data object and a fourth data object, wherein the third data object comprises the identifier, another field name, a third value, and a third date, and wherein the fourth data object comprises the identifier, the other field name, a fourth value, and a fourth date;

storing the history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the other field name, the third value, the third date, and the fourth date;

outputting the history object in response to a query which specifies the identifier, the other field name, and a query date within a range of the third date and the fourth date.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the history object further comprises a preceding value corresponding to the first value and another preceding value corresponding to the third value.

6. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein to be executed by one or more processors, the program code including instructions to:

retrieve a first data object and a second data object, wherein the first data object comprises an identifier, a field name, a first value, and a first date, and wherein the second data object comprises the identifier, the field name, a second value, and a second date;

store a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date in a history object table, the history object table comprising a plurality of history objects having the same identifier as the first data object and the second data object;

receive a query that specifies the identifier, the field name, and a query date, the query date falling within a range of the first date and the second date;

compare date values for the plurality of history objects to the query date;

retrieve only the stored history object in response to the query;

store only the stored history object in temporary memory in response to the query; and

output only the stored history object in response to the query.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein retrieving the first data object and the second data object comprises retrieving a first plurality of data objects and a second plurality of data objects, and wherein storing the history object comprises storing a plurality of history objects.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the program code includes further instructions to:

identify a data object as scheduled for an alternative change process; and

disable the alternative change process, wherein storing the history object comprises asynchronously storing the history object.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the program code includes further instructions to:

retrieve a third data object and a fourth data object, wherein the third data object comprises the identifier, another field name, a third value, and a third date, and wherein the fourth data object comprises the identifier, the other field name, a fourth value, and a fourth date;

storing the history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the other field name, the third value, the third date, and the fourth date;

output the history object in response to a query which specifies the identifier, the other field name, and a query date within a range of the third date and the fourth date.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the history object further comprises a preceding value corresponding to the first value and another preceding value corresponding to the third value.

11. A method for data object change history, the method comprising:

retrieving a first data object and a second data object, wherein the first data object comprises an identifier, a field name, a first value, and a first date, and wherein the second data object comprises the identifier, the field name, a second value, and a second date;

storing a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date in a history object table, the history object table comprising a plurality of history objects having the same identifier as the first data object and the second data object;

receiving a query that specifies the identifier, the field name, and a query date, the query date falling within a range of the first date and the second date;

comparing date values for the plurality of history objects to the query date;

retrieving only the stored history object in response to the query;

storing only the stored history object in temporary memory in response to the query; and

outputting only the stored history object in response to the query.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein retrieving the first data object and the second data object comprises retrieving a first plurality of data objects and a second plurality of data objects, and wherein storing the history object comprises storing a plurality of history objects.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a data object as scheduled for an alternative change process; and

disabling the alternative change process, wherein storing the history object comprises asynchronously storing the history object.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving a third data object and a fourth data object, wherein the third data object comprises the identifier, another field name, a third value, and a third date, and wherein the fourth data object comprises the identifier, the other field name, a fourth value, and a fourth date;

storing the history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the other field name, the third value, the third date, and the fourth date;

outputting the history object in response to a query which specifies the identifier, the other field name, and a query date within a range of the third date and the fourth date.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the history object further comprises a preceding value corresponding to the first value and another preceding value corresponding to the third value.

16. A method for transmitting code for data object change history on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code to retrieve a first data object and a second data object, wherein the first data object comprises an identifier, a field name, a first value, and a first date, and wherein the second data object comprises the identifier, the field name, a second value, and a second date;

transmitting code to store a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date in a history object table, the history object table comprising a plurality of history objects having the same identifier as the first data object and the second data object;

transmitting code to receive a query that specifies the identifier, the field name, and a query date, the query date falling within a range of the first date and the second date;

transmitting code to compare date values for the plurality of history objects to the query date;

transmitting code to retrieve only the stored history object in response to the query;

transmitting code to store only the stored history object in temporary memory in response to the query; and

transmitting code to output the only the stored history object in response to the query.

17. The method for transmitting code of claim 16, wherein retrieving the first data object and the second data object comprises retrieving a first plurality of data objects and a second plurality of data objects, and wherein storing the history object comprises storing a plurality of history objects.

18. The method for transmitting code of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting code to identify a data object as scheduled for an alternative change process; and

transmitting code to disable the alternative change process, wherein storing the history object comprises asynchronously storing the history object.

19. The method for transmitting code of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting code to retrieve a third data object and a fourth data object, wherein the third data object comprises the identifier, another field name, a third value, and a third date, and wherein the fourth data object comprises the identifier, the other field name, a fourth value, and a fourth date;

transmitting code to store the history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the other field name, the third value, the third date, and the fourth date;

transmitting code to output the history object in response to a query which specifies the identifier, the other field name, and a query date within a range of the third date and the fourth date.

20. The method for transmitting code of claim 19, wherein the history object further comprises a preceding value corresponding to the first value and another preceding value corresponding to the third value.