Following data records in an information feed

• US 9,984,425 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2016
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Kemp, Christopher Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Md I
• Application Number:
  US15/385,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20170103471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 707609, 707685, 707705, 707758, 705 714, 705 1449, 705319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

Disclosed are some examples of systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products related to automatically causing a following relationship to be established in an enterprise social networking system between a user and one or more customer relationship management (CRM) records. In some implementations, a workflow is configurable at least in part by one or more selections defining one or more conditions. Responsive to determining that one or more properties associated with a first CRM record satisfies the one or more conditions, a user is caused to follow the first CRM record. The following enables or causes updates associated with the first CRM record to be shared in a feed of the enterprise social networking system, where the feed can be provided to the user'"'"'s device. Information based on the following of the first CRM record by the user can be displayed at the device.

Claims

1. A database system implemented using a server system, the database system configurable to cause:

processing data for automatically causing a following relationship to be established in an enterprise level social and business information networking system between a user and one or more of a plurality of groups of users of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the data configured at least in part by one or more selections received at the database system from a device of an administrator of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the one or more selections defining;

a first group of the plurality of groups, the first group being specifiable by the administrator, and

one or more criteria for causing users of the enterprise level social and business information networking system networking system to follow the first group, the one or more criteria being controllable by the administrator;

determining that one or more properties associated with a record associated with a first user of the enterprise level social and business information networking system satisfies the one or more criteria by executing a first rule identifying;

the first criterion, a first value associated with the first criterion, and the record;

establishing, responsive to determining that the one or more properties associated with the record satisfies the one or more criteria, a following relationship between the first user and the first group, the establishment of the following relationship between the first user and the first group enabling or causing updates associated with the first group to be shared in a first feed of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the first feed being receivable by a device of the first user to cause display of the updates associated with the first group; and

storing or updating a data object in a database of the database system to identify the following relationship between the first user and the first group.

2. The database system of claim 1, wherein the one or more properties associated with the record are related to a hierarchical management structure of an organization.

3. The database system of claim 1, wherein automatically causing the first user to follow the first group record comprises:

including an identification (ID) of the first user in a list of user IDs identifying users to receive updates in the first feed.

4. The database system of claim 1, the database system further configurable to:

share, when the or more properties associated with the record satisfies the one or more criteria, the one or more criteria with user devices of users identified by a first rule.

5. The database system of claim 1, wherein the database system is a multi-tenant database system, the enterprise level social and business information networking system is implemented for an organization with which the first user is affiliated, and the organization is one of a plurality of tenants serviced by the multi-tenant database system.

6. The database system of claim 1, wherein the record is one of a plurality of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) records having relationships defined according to a hierarchical database model.

7. The database system of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria indicate one or more of:

a relationship of a user to a CRM record, a relationship of a user to a further user having a relationship with a CRM record, a monetary value of a CRM record, a stage of a CRM record, a close date of a CRM record, a status of a CRM record, a type of a CRM record, a priority of a CRM record, an issue associated with a CRM record, or an age of a CRM record.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable program code to be executed by one or more processors when retrieved from the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the program code including instructions configured to cause:

processing data for automatically causing a following relationship to be established in an enterprise level social and business information networking system between a user and one or more of a plurality of groups of users of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the data configured at least in part by one or more selections received at a database system from a device of an administrator of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the one or more selections defining;

a first group of the plurality of groups, the first group being specifiable by the administrator, and

one or more criteria for causing users of the enterprise level social and business information networking system networking system to follow the first group, the one or more criteria being controllable by the administrator;

determining that one or more properties associated with a record associated with a first user of the enterprise level social and business information networking system satisfies the one or more criteria by executing a first rule identifying;

the first criterion, a first value associated with the first criterion, and the record;

establishing, responsive to determining that the one or more properties associated with the record satisfies the one or more criteria, a following relationship between the first user and the first group, the establishment of the following relationship between the first user and the first group enabling or causing updates associated with the first group to be shared in a first feed of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the first feed being receivable by a device of the first user to cause display of the updates associated with the first group; and

storing or updating a data object in a database of the database system to identify the following relationship between the first user and the first group.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the one or more properties associated with the record are related to a hierarchical management structure of an organization.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein automatically causing the first user to follow the record comprises:

including an identification (ID) of the first user in a list of user IDs identifying users to receive updates in the first feed.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, the instructions further configured to cause:

sharing, when the or more properties associated with the record satisfies the one or more criteria, the one or more criteria with user devices of users identified by a first rule.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the database system is a multi-tenant database system, the enterprise level social and business information networking system is implemented for an organization with which the first user is affiliated, and the organization is one of a plurality of tenants serviced by the multi-tenant database system.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the record is one of a plurality of CRM records having relationships defined according to a hierarchical database model.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the one or more criteria indicate one or more of:

a relationship of a user to a CRM record, a relationship of a user to a further user having a relationship with a CRM record, a monetary value of a CRM record, a stage of a CRM record, a close date of a CRM record, a status of a CRM record, a type of a CRM record, a priority of a CRM record, an issue associated with a CRM record, or an age of a CRM record.

15. A method comprising:

processing data for automatically causing a following relationship to be established in an enterprise level social and business information networking system between a user and one or more of a plurality of groups of users of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the data configured at least in part by one or more selections received at a database system from a device of an administrator of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the one or more selections defining;

a first group of the plurality of groups, the first group being specifiable by the administrator, and

one or more criteria for causing users of the enterprise level social and business information networking system networking system to follow the first group, the one or more criteria being controllable by the administrator;

determining that one or more properties associated with a record associated with a first user of the enterprise level social and business information networking system satisfies the one or more criteria by executing a first rule identifying;

the first criterion, a first value associated with the first criterion, and the record;

establishing, responsive to determining that the one or more properties associated with the record satisfies the one or more criteria, a following relationship between the first user and the first group, the establishment of the following relationship between the first user and the first group enabling or causing updates associated with the first group to be shared in a first feed of the enterprise level social and business information networking system, the first feed being receivable by a device of the first user to cause display of the updates associated with the first group; and

storing or updating a data object in a database of the database system to identify the following relationship between the first user and the first group.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein automatically causing the first user to follow the record comprises:

including an identification (ID) of the first user in a list of user IDs identifying users to receive updates in the first feed.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sharing, when the or more properties associated with the record satisfies the one or more criteria, the one or more criteria with user devices of users identified by a first rule.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the database system is a multi-tenant database system, the enterprise level social and business information networking system is implemented for an organization with which the first user is affiliated, and the organization is one of a plurality of tenants serviced by the multi-tenant database system.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the record is one of a plurality of CRM records having relationships defined according to a hierarchical database model.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more criteria indicate one or more of:

a relationship of a user to a CRM record, a relationship of a user to a further user having a relationship with a CRM record, a monetary value of a CRM record, a stage of a CRM record, a close date of a CRM record, a status of a CRM record, a type of a CRM record, a priority of a CRM record, an issue associated with a CRM record, or an age of a CRM record.