Systems and methods for exporting, publishing, browsing and installing on-demand applications in a multi-tenant database environment

• US 9,740,466 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• 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): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US13/874,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 707802, 707781, 707803, 707783, 707999009, 707769, 707782, 707784, 707792, 707806, 709205, 709218, 709221, 709223, 709229, 713175, 713182, 717140, 717178, 717168, 717170
• 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

A computer implemented method of developing computer applications, the method comprising providing to multiple users access, over a network, to information on a data center, with a subgroup of the users having access to a sub-portion of the information that is different from the sub-portion accessible by the remaining tenants of the subgroup; and communicating with the data center over the network employing a computer system associated with a user of the sub-group to establish application functionality with the sub-portion that may be accessed, over the network, by additional parties authorized by the user. Also disclosed is a machine-readable medium and a data center, both of which facilitate carrying-out the steps of the method.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that are capable of being executed by a computer system to cause operations comprising:

receiving, by a multi-tenant database system and from a first user associated with a first tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a metadata package corresponding to an application, wherein the metadata package specifies a set of data associated with the first tenant within a database of the multi-tenant database system to be utilized by the application, wherein the metadata package further specifies a graphical user interface of the application to utilize the set of data associated with the first tenant;

receiving, from the first user, an indication that the application may be imported by users associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant;

registering the application in an application directory of the multi-tenant database system, wherein the application directory is accessible to users of a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant database system and includes a listing of one or more applications available for import by the users associated with the plurality of tenants;

receiving, from a second user associated with a second tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a request to import the metadata package; and

in response to the request to import the metadata package, allowing the second user to utilize the application with a different set of data associated with the second tenant.

2. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 1, wherein the application directory is accessible to the users of the plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant database system through a web browser.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise granting permission to at least one of the users associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant to edit the application.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving ratings of the application from one or more of the users associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the allowing the second user to utilize the application includes permitting the second user associated with the second tenant to import the metadata package.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein importing the metadata package includes:

detecting, for a first data object included in the set of data associated with the first tenant specified by the metadata package, a conflict between a name of the first object and a name of a corresponding data object included in a set of data associated with the second tenant; and

sending, to a user of the second tenant, an output indicative of the detecting.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a multi-tenant database system and from a first user associated with a first tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a metadata package corresponding to an application, wherein the metadata package specifies a set of data associated with the first tenant within a database of the multi-tenant database system to be utilized by the application, wherein the metadata package includes a definition for a plurality of tabs, each of which corresponds to a user interface for utilizing the set of data associated with the first tenant;

receiving, from the first user, an indication that the application may be imported by users associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant;

registering the application in an application directory of the multi-tenant database system, wherein the application directory is accessible to users of a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant database system and includes a listing of one or more applications available for import by the users associated with the plurality of tenants;

receiving, from a second user associated with a second tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a request to import the metadata package; and

in response to the request to import the metadata package, allowing the second user to utilize the application with a different set of data associated with the second tenant.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

creating, by the multi-tenant database system, the metadata package, including by;

receiving the definition for the plurality of tabs;

based on the definition, identifying one or more objects specified by the plurality of tabs; and

selecting the one or more objects to include in the metadata package.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the allowing the second user to utilize the application includes permitting the second user associated with the second tenant to import the metadata package.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the metadata package further includes a set of custom object definitions.

11. A method, comprising

receiving, by a multi-tenant database system and from a first user associated with a first tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a metadata package corresponding to an application, wherein the metadata package specifies a set of data associated with the first tenant within a database of the multi-tenant database system to be utilized by the application, wherein the metadata package further includes a data model of the application;

receiving, from the first user, an indication that the application may be imported by users of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant;

registering the application in an application directory of the multi-tenant database system, wherein the application directory is accessible to users of a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant database system and includes a listing of one or more applications available for import by the users associated with the plurality of tenants;

receiving, from a second user associated with a second tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a request to import the metadata package; and

in response to the request to import the metadata package, allowing the second user to utilize the application with a different set of data associated with the second tenant.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the allowing the second user to utilize the application includes determining whether the second user is permitted to import the application based on one or more user permissions associated with the second tenant.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the metadata package further specifies a graphical user interface of the application to utilize the set of data associated with the first tenant.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the metadata package further includes business logic associated with the application.

15. A method, comprising

receiving, by a multi-tenant database system and from a first user associated with a first tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a metadata package corresponding to an application, wherein the metadata package specifies a set of data associated with the first tenant within a database of the multi-tenant database system to be utilized by the application, wherein the metadata package further includes business logic associated with the application;

receiving, from the first user, an indication that the application may be imported by users of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant;

registering the application in an application directory of the multi-tenant database system, wherein the application directory is accessible to users of a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant database system and includes a listing of one or more applications available for import by the users associated with the plurality of tenants;

receiving, from a second user associated with a second tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a request to import the metadata package; and

in response to the request to import the metadata package, allowing the second user to utilize the application with a different set of data associated with the second tenant.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the multi-tenant database system from the first user associated with the first tenant, an updated metadata package corresponding to an updated version of the application;

registering the updated version of the application in the application directory of the multi-tenant database system;

receiving, from a user associated with the second tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a request to import the updated metadata package; and

in response to the request to import the updated metadata package, allowing the second user to utilize the updated version of the application with the different set of data associated with the second tenant.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the receiving the metadata package corresponding to the application includes receiving information specifying one or more categories associated with the application;

and wherein the registering includes listing the application in the application directory based on the one or more categories.

18. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a multi-tenant database system and from a first user associated with a first tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a metadata package corresponding to an application, wherein the metadata package specifies a set of data associated with the first tenant within a database of the multi-tenant database system to be utilized by the application, wherein the metadata package includes a set of custom object definitions;

receiving, from the first user, an indication that the application may be imported by users associated with one or more tenants of the multi-tenant database system other than the first tenant;

registering the application in an application directory of the multi-tenant database system, wherein the application directory is accessible to users of a plurality of tenants of the multi-tenant database system and includes a listing of one or more applications available for import by the users associated with the plurality of tenants;

receiving, from a second user associated with a second tenant of the multi-tenant database system, a request to import the metadata package; and

in response to the request to import the metadata package, allowing the second user to utilize the application with a different set of data associated with the second tenant.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the receiving the metadata package corresponding to the application includes scanning the metadata package for malicious functionality.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the metadata package further includes a definition for a plurality of tabs, each corresponding to a user interface for utilizing the set of data associated with the first tenant.