Systems and methods for alternative change processes for changes to data objects

• US 9,767,133 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Wong, Simon, Bellamane, Harish, Tang, Michael, Eberl, Stefan, Mehta, Twisha, Muthukrishnan, Venkatachalam, Adam, Abraham, Gitelman, Alex, Kao, Daphne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US14/066,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20140172889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 707756
• 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 alternative change processes for changes to data objects. A change to a data object is recorded, wherein the change is submitted to a first change process. The first change process is disabled. A second change process is asynchronously executed to process the change to the data object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for alternative change processes for changes to data objects, 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;

identifying, a change to a data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process, the alternative change process being written in customized code that is less efficient than a standard change process, and the standard change process being used to implement user modifications to the data object;

disabling the execution of the alternative change process;

recording the identified change to the data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process to a staging table;

setting a trigger to request a standard change process to asynchronously process the scheduled change to the data object by the alternative change process; and

executing one or more standard change processes to implement user modifications to the data object prior to executing the trigger, the execution of the trigger causing a reading of the staging table to perform additional modifications to the data object based on the identified change.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein executing the trigger comprises:

retrieving the data object and a second data object from the staging table, wherein the 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; and

storing a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date, the processor further carrying out the step of outputting the history object 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.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein retrieving the 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.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the steps further comprise:

retrieving a third data object and a fourth data object from the staging table, 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 carrying one or more sequences of instructions for alternative change processes for changes to data objects, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

identify a change to a data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process, the alternative change process being written in customized code that is less efficient than a standard change process, and the standard change process being used to implement user modifications to the data object;

disable the execution of the alternative change process;

record the identified change to the data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process to a staging table;

set a trigger to request a standard change process to asynchronously process the scheduled change to the data object by the alternative change process; and

execute one or more standard change processes to implement user modifications to the data object prior to executing the trigger, the execution of the trigger causing a reading of the staging table to perform additional modifications to the data object based on the identified change.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein executing the trigger comprises:

retrieving the data object and a second data object from the staging table, wherein the 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; and

storing a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date, wherein the steps further comprise outputting the history object 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.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein retrieving the 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.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the steps further comprise:

retrieving a third data object and a fourth data object from the staging table, 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.

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 alternative change processes for changes to data objects, the method comprising:

identifying a change to a data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process, the alternative change process being written in customized code that is less efficient than a standard change process, and the standard change process being used to implement user modifications to the data object;

disabling the execution of the alternative change process;

recording the identified change to the data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process to a staging table;

setting a trigger to request a standard change process to asynchronously process the scheduled change to the data object by the alternative change process; and

executing one or more standard change processes to implement user modifications to the data object prior to executing the trigger, the execution of the trigger causing a reading of the staging table to perform additional modifications to the data object based on the identified change.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein executing the trigger comprises:

retrieving the data object and a second data object from the staging table, wherein the 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; and

storing a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date, the method further comprising outputting the history object 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.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein retrieving the 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.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving a third data object and a fourth data object from the staging table, 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 alternative change processes for changes to data objects on a transmission medium, the method comprising:

transmitting code to identify a change to a data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process, the alternative change process being written in customized code that is less efficient than a standard change process, and the standard change process being used to implement user modifications to the data object;

transmitting code to disable the execution of the alternative change process;

transmitting code to record the identified change to the data object scheduled to be implemented by an alternative change process to a staging table;

transmitting code to set a trigger to request a standard change process to asynchronously process the scheduled change to the data object by the alternative change process; and

transmitting code to execute one or more standard change processes to implement user modifications to the data object prior to executing the trigger, the execution of the trigger causing a reading of the staging table to perform additional modifications to the data object based on the identified change.

17. The method for transmitting code of claim 16, wherein executing the trigger comprises:

retrieving the data object and a second data object from the staging table, wherein the 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; and

storing a history object, wherein the history object comprises the identifier, the field name, the first value, the first date, and the second date, the method further comprising outputting the history object 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.

18. The method for transmitting code of claim 17, wherein retrieving the 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.

19. The method for transmitting code of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting code to retrieve a third data object and a fourth data object from the staging table, 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.