Methods and systems for managing files in an on-demand system

• US 9,977,788 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Meriwether, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US14/025,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20140082033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 707821, 707825-827, 707822, 707609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/17 Details of further file system functions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/18 File system types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for managing files in an on-demand system. One exemplary method involves a server obtaining an input value from a data input field of an electronic file that was generated based on a template that maintains an association between the data input field and a field of an object in a database. The method continues with the server storing the input value in the field of the object in the database based on the association. In one or more embodiments, an input value indicated by a graphical user interface element within an electronic file is mapped to a column of an object table in the database that corresponds to the field of the object associated with the data input field that corresponds to the graphical user interface element.

Claims

1. A method of managing files, the method comprising:

obtaining, by a server from a database, a template corresponding to an electronic document file submitted by a user from a client device via a network, the electronic document file being generated based on the template and the template associating a first data input field of the electronic document file to a first column of an object table in the database corresponding to a first field of an object in the database and a second data input field of the electronic document file to a second column of the object table in the database corresponding to a second field of the object in the database;

obtaining, by the server, a first raw input data value from the first data input field of the electronic document file and a second raw input data value from the second data input field of the electronic document file;

in lieu of storing the electronic document file, storing, by the server, the first raw input data value from the data input field of the electronic document in the first column of an entry in the object table in the database and the second raw input data value from the second data input field of the electronic document in the second column of the entry in the object table in the database based on the association between the first and second data input fields of the electronic document file and the first and second fields of the object defined by the template; and

after storing the first and second raw input data values in the object table;

generating, by the server, a notification including the second raw input data value from the second column of the entry in the object table in the database when the first raw input data value in the first column of the entry in the object table satisfies a notification criterion defined by a workflow rule; and

providing, by the server, the notification to another user specified by the workflow rule.

2. The method of claim 1, the template including a markup tag associated with the first data input field, the markup tag including a reference to the first column of the object table, wherein storing the first raw input data value comprises the server storing the first raw input data value in the first column of the object table based on the reference.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying, by the server, one or more validation rules to the first raw input data value prior to storing the first raw input data value, the one or more validation rules including validation criteria for the first field of the object, wherein storing the first raw input data value comprises storing the first raw input data value after determining the first raw input data value satisfies the validation criteria.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server, the electronic document file from the client device via the network.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising obtaining, by the server, the template from the database in response to receiving the electronic document file, the template including a markup tag associated with the first data input field, the markup tag including a reference to the first field of the object, wherein storing the first raw input data value comprises the server storing the first raw input data value from the first data input field in the first field of the object based on the reference within the markup tag.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising discarding the electronic document file after storing the first raw input data value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first raw input data value comprises receiving the first raw input data value from the client device via a web service communications session over the network.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving a marked up reference associated with the first data input field from the client device via the web service communications session, the marked up reference indicating the first field of the object, wherein storing the first raw input data value comprises the server utilizing the marked up reference associated with the first data input field to store the first raw input data value from the first data input field in the first field of the object.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the server, the electronic document file based on the template, the electronic document file having a file format indicated by the template and including a graphical user interface element corresponding to the first data input field; and

providing, by the server, the electronic document file to the client device via the network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server from a second client device via the network, an indication of the first field to be associated with the first data input field;

generating, by the server, a code segment referencing the first column of the object table in the database in response to receiving the indication; and

storing the code segment in the template in the database, wherein storing the first raw input data value comprises the server parsing the code segment to identify the first column of the object table and storing the raw input data value in the first column of the object table.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

storing the first raw input data value comprises storing the first raw input data value obtained from the first data input field in the first column of the object table in lieu of storing the electronic document file utilizing a markup tag associated with the first data input field; and

the first raw input data value is unencoded, unformatted, or does not include markup tags.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the notification comprises the server automatically generating a new report or updating an existing report in response to storing the first raw input data value in the first column of the entry in the object table.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the notification comprises the server providing the notification via a web feed in response to storing the first raw input data value in the first column of the entry in the object table.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the notification comprises the server automatically generating an email or message that includes the second raw input data value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second raw input data value comprises a name or contact information associated with the user of the client device.

16. A method of managing files, the method comprising:

generating, by a server, an electronic document file based on a template maintained in a database, the template identifying an association between a first data input field and a first column of an object table corresponding to a first field of an object in the database and a second association between a second data input field and a second column of the object table corresponding to a second field of the object, the electronic file including a first graphical user interface element corresponding to the first data input field and a second graphical user interface element corresponding to the second data input field;

providing, by the server, the electronic document file to a client device via a network, the first graphical user interface element being manipulated via the client device to indicate a first raw input value for the first data input field and the second graphical user interface element being manipulated by a user via the client device to indicate a second raw input value for the second data input field;

obtaining, by the server, the first raw input value indicated by the first graphical user interface element and the second raw input value indicated by the second graphical user interface element;

applying, by the server, one or more validation rules to the first raw input value, the one or more validation rules including validation criteria for the first column of the object table; and

in lieu of storing the electronic document file, after determining the first raw input data value satisfies the validation criteria;

storing, by the server, the first raw input value from the data input field of the electronic document in the first column of an entry in the object table in the database based on the association between the first data input field and the first column of the object table identified by the template and the second raw input value from the second data input field of the electronic document in the second column of the entry in the object table in the database based on the second association between the second data input field and the second column of the object table identified by the template, wherein the entry in the object table corresponds to the object and the first column corresponds to the first field of the object and the second column corresponds to the second field of the object;

applying one or more workflow rules to the first raw input value in the column of the object table after storing the first raw input value, the one or more workflow rules including triggering criteria for the first column of the object table; and

when the first raw input value in the first column of the entry in the object table satisfies the triggering criteria;

generating, by the server, a notification including the second raw input value from the second column of the entry in the object table in the database; and

providing, by the server, the notification to another user specified by the one or more workflow rules.

17. The method of claim 16, the template including a tag associated with the first data input field, the tag comprising a marked up reference to the first column of the object table corresponding to the first field, wherein storing the first raw input value comprises the server storing the first raw input value in the first column of the object table in the database based on the marked up reference.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

obtaining the first raw input value comprises the server receiving the first raw input value and the marked up reference via a communications session with the client device over the network; and

storing the first raw input value comprises the server automatically storing the first raw input value in the first column of the object table in the database based on the marked up reference.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

obtaining the first raw input value comprises the server;

receiving the electronic document file from the client device via the network after the user of the client device manipulates the first graphical user interface element to indicate the first raw input value for the first data input field; and

parsing the electronic document file to identify the first raw input value indicated by the first graphical user interface element and the tag associated with the first data input field within the electronic document file; and

storing the first raw input value comprises the server automatically storing the first raw input value in the first column of the object table in the database based on the marked up reference in response to identifying the first raw input value and the tag.

20. A system comprising:

a database to store a template for an electronic document file and one or more workflow rules for a column of an object table, the template indicating an association between a first data input field of the electronic document file and the first column of the object table in the database corresponding to a first field of an object in the database and a second association between a second data input field of the electronic document file to a second column of the object table in the database corresponding to a second field of the object in the database; and

a server coupled to a network and the database to;

obtain a first raw input value from the first data input field and a second raw input data value from the second data input field of an instance of the electronic document file from a client device via the network, the instance of the electronic document file being generated based on the template;

in lieu of storing the instance of the electronic document file, store the first raw input value from the first data input field of the instance of the electronic document file in the first column of an entry in the object table in the database based on the association between the first data input field of the electronic document file and the first column of the object table and store the second raw input value from the second data input field of the instance of the electronic document file in the second column of the entry in the object table in the database based on the second association between the second data input field of the electronic document file and the second column of the object table;

apply the one or more workflow rules to the first raw input value in the first column of the object table after storing the first raw input value;

generate a notification including the second raw input value when the first raw input value in the first column of the entry in the object table satisfies a notification criterion defined by the one or more workflow rules; and

provide the notification to another user specified by the one or more workflow rules.