System and methods for management of cloud application extensions

• US 9,733,921 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetSuite Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NetSuite Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Saenz, Mariano Nestor, Ghassemzadeh, Elham, Williams, Douglas H., Mehta, Suhas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Jr., Lewis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hebert, Theodore
• Application Number:
  US14/602,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 717171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for managing the deployment of extensions to the functionality of a multi-tenant data processing platform. A computing system, such as a multi-tenant distributed computing platform, may have multiple business related applications installed on the platform that are used by one or more users/tenants to perform business related functions. Developers may create and implement “extensions” to such applications, and make those extensions available to tenants/users of the platform. Such extensions may provide an enhancement to the underlying application, such as by introducing new or improved functionality, a new or improved user interface, new or improved reporting capabilities, etc.

Claims

1. A multi-tenant data processing system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to execute one or more business related data processing applications installed in the system and accessible by a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system;

a data storage element accessible by a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system; and

a platform extension manager executable by the one or more processors and configured to permit a user to control a process for an extension to an element of the multi-tenant data processing system, the platform extension manager configured to;

generate a user interface configured to;

receive an identification of an extension or an upgrade to an extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system from the user, the extension or the upgrade to the extension corresponding respectively to each of one or more tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system;

receive an identification of a version of the extension or a version of the upgrade to the extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system from the user;

receive from the user an identification of one or more accounts associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system to which the selected action is to be applied, the identification of the one or more accounts excluding at least one of the tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system, wherein each account has different sets of actions; and

based on the identified account, receive from the user a selection of an action to be applied to the identified version of the extension or to the identified version of the upgrade to the extension;

perform one or more validation tests as needed to determine the acceptability for performing the selected action on the identified version of the extension or the identified version of the upgrade to the extension;

based on the received identification of the extension or the upgrade to the extension, the received identification of the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade to the extension, and the received identification of one or more accounts, determine a status of installed, upgraded, rollback or not installed for applying the action to the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade corresponding to each of the one or more identified accounts, the status of the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade indicated in the user interface;

determine a deployment process configured to achieve the selected action for the version of the extension or for the version of the upgrade based on the determined status for the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade corresponding to each of the one or more identified accounts;

receive from the user a command to implement the deployment process; and

implement the deployment process.

2. The multi-tenant data processing system of claim 1, wherein the business related data processing applications installed in the system include one or more of an enterprise resource planning (ERP), a customer relationship management (CRM), or an eCommerce application.

3. The multi-tenant data processing system of claim 1, wherein the extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system is one of an extension to a user interface, an extension to one of the business related data processing applications installed in the system, or an extension to a reporting function of the multi-tenant data processing system.

4. The multi-tenant data processing system of claim 1, wherein the user selected action is one of a validation operation, an installation operation, an un-install operation, an update operation, and a roll-back operation.

5. The multi-tenant data processing system of claim 1, wherein the deployment process further comprises a first deployment process applicable to a first account and a second deployment process applicable to a second account.

6. An apparatus for operating a multi-tenant data processing system, comprising:

an electronic data processing element;

a set of instructions stored on a non-transient medium and executable by the electronic data processing element, which when executed cause the apparatus to;

generate a user interface configured to;

receive an identification of an extension or an upgrade to an extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system from the user, the extension or the upgrade to the extension corresponding respectively to each of one or more tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system;

receive an identification of a version of the extension or a version of the upgrade to the extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system from the user;

receive from the user an identification of one or more accounts associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system to which the selected action is to be applied, the identification of the one or more accounts excluding at least one of the tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system, wherein each account has different sets of actions; and

based on the identified account, receive from the user a selection of an action to be applied to the identified version of the extension or to the identified version of the upgrade to the extension;

perform one or more validation tests as needed to determine the acceptability for performing the selected action on the identified version of the extension or the identified version of the upgrade to the extension;

based on the received identification of the extension or the upgrade to the extension, the received identification of the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade to the extension, and the received identification of one or more accounts, determine a status of installed, upgraded, rollback or not installed for applying the action to the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade corresponding to each of the one or more identified accounts, the status of the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade indicated in the user interface;

determine a deployment process configured to achieve the selected action for the version of the extension or for the version of the upgrade based on the determined status for the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade corresponding to each of the one or more identified accounts;

receive from the user a command to implement the deployment process; and

implement the deployment process.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the user selected action is one of a validation operation, an installation operation, an un-install operation, an update operation, and a roll-back operation.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system is one of an extension to a user interface, an extension to one of the business related data processing applications installed in the system, or an extension to a reporting function of the multi-tenant data processing system.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the deployment process further comprises a first deployment process applicable to a first account and a second deployment process applicable to a second account.

10. A method of operating a multi-tenant data processing system, comprising:

providing a platform extension manager configured to permit a user to control a process for an extension to an element of the multi-tenant data processing system, the platform extension manager configured to;

generate a user interface configured to;

receive an identification of an extension or an upgrade to an extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system from the user, the extension or the upgrade to the extension corresponding respectively to each of one or more tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system;

receive an identification of a version of the extension or a version of the upgrade to the extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system from the user;

receive from the user an identification of one or more accounts associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system to which the selected action is to be applied, the identification of the one or more accounts excluding at least one of the tenants of the multi-tenant data processing system, wherein each account has different sets of actions; and

based on the identified account, receive from the user a selection of an action to be applied to the identified version of the extension or to the identified version of the upgrade to the extension;

perform one or more validation tests as needed to determine the acceptability for performing the selected action on the identified version of the extension or the identified version of the upgrade to the extension;

based on the received identification of the extension or the upgrade to the extension, the received identification of the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade to the extension, and the received identification of one or more accounts, determine a status of installed, upgraded, rollback or not installed for applying the action to the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade corresponding to each of the one or more identified accounts, the status of the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade indicated in the user interface;

determine a deployment process configured to achieve the selected action for the version of the extension or for the version of the upgrade based on the determined status for the version of the extension or the version of the upgrade corresponding to each of the one or more identified accounts;

receive from the user a command to implement the deployment process; and

implement the deployment process.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the extension to the element of the multi-tenant data processing system is one of an extension to a user interface, an extension to a business related data processing application installed in the system, or an extension to a reporting function of the multi-tenant data processing system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the deployment process further comprises a first deployment process applicable to a first account and a second deployment process applicable to a second account.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the business related data processing application installed in the system include one or more of an enterprise resource planning (ERP), a customer relationship management (CRM), or an eCommerce application.