Techniques for metadata-driven dynamic content serving

• US 10,212,209 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Calvin, Philip N., Zotter, Brian, Dorgelo, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Sall, El Hadji M
• Application Number:
  US15/339,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709200, 709219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

Techniques for metadata-driven dynamic content serving. Metadata content is stored as a source instance. The metadata content is utilized to provide dynamically-constructed pages. The metadata content is published to runtime pods communicatively coupled to receive the metadata content. The source instance includes a metadata definition repository and is a primary source of dynamic data for serving pages in the runtime pods. The runtime pods are groups of multiple servers that act as a single entity to dynamically generate metadata-driven content in response to requests received from client devices. A request for content is received with a selected one of the runtime pods for a specific site. The specific site is mapped to a user identified by a user identifier. The user identifier is utilized to retrieve site metadata from a site metadata server. Content is provided in response to the request with the selected runtime pod utilizing the metadata content.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing metadata content as a source instance, the metadata content to be utilized to provide dynamically-constructed pages of content, wherein the metadata comprises at least a site definition stored according to a site identifier to allow the metadata to be retrieved and converted to a format indicated by a request;

publishing the metadata content to one or more runtime pods communicatively coupled to receive the metadata content, wherein the source instance comprises a metadata definition repository and is a primary source of dynamic data for serving pages in the runtime pods, wherein the runtime pods comprise at least a domain mapping server to map the site identifier to a tenant identifier, a metadata server coupled with the domain mapping server, the metadata server to store the metadata content, and a render engine to dynamically generate metadata-driven content in response to requests received from client devices;

receiving a request for content with a selected one of the one or more runtime pods for a specific site;

mapping the specific site to a user, wherein the user is identified by a user identifier, wherein the user identifier is one of one or more user identifiers associated with the tenant identifier;

using the user identifier to retrieve site metadata from the site metadata server;

providing content, with the render engine, in response to the request with the selected runtime pod utilizing the metadata content.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more runtime pods operate within a multitenant database environment, wherein the multitenant database environment stores data for multiple client entities each identified by a tenant identifier (ID) having one of one or more users associated with the tenant ID, each having one or more users with corresponding user identifiers, wherein users of each of multiple client entities can only access data identified by a tenant ID associated with the respective client entity, and wherein the multitenant database is a hosted database provided by an entity separate from the client entities, and provides on-demand database service to the client entities.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the multitenant environment comprises at least two runtime pods.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

mapping a source of the request to a tenant ID corresponding to the source based on the user identifier;

retrieving metadata corresponding to the tenant ID;

generating the response with a render engine based on the metadata.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the runtime pod comprises at least one proxy server, at least one application server and at least one database server.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the runtime pod further comprises at least one firewall and at least one load balancer.

7. An article comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, are configurable to cause the one or more processors to:

store metadata content as a source instance, the metadata content to be utilized to provide dynamically-constructed pages of content, wherein the metadata comprises at least a site definition stored according to a site identifier to allow the metadata to be retrieved and converted to a format indicated by a request;

publish the metadata content to one or more runtime pods communicatively coupled to receive the metadata content, wherein the source instance comprises a metadata definition repository and is a primary source of dynamic data for serving pages in the runtime pods, wherein the runtime pods comprise at least a domain mapping server to map the site identifier to a tenant identifier, a metadata server coupled with the domain mapping server, the metadata server to store the metadata content, and a render engine to dynamically generate metadata-driven content in response to requests received from client devices;

receive a request for content with a selected one of the one or more runtime pods for a specific site;

map the specific site to a user, wherein the user is identified by a user identifier, wherein the user identifier is one of one or more user identifiers associated with the tenant identifier;

use the user identifier to retrieve site metadata from the site metadata server;

provide content, with the render engine, in response to the request with the selected runtime pod utilizing the metadata content.

8. The article of claim 7 wherein the one or more runtime pods operate within a multitenant database environment, wherein the multitenant database environment stores data for multiple client entities each identified by a tenant identifier (ID) having one of one or more users associated with the tenant ID, each having one or more users with corresponding user identifiers, wherein users of each of multiple client entities can only access data identified by a tenant ID associated with the respective client entity, and wherein the multitenant database is a hosted database provided by an entity separate from the client entities, and provides on-demand database service to the client entities.

9. The article of claim 8 wherein the multitenant environment comprises at least two runtime pods.

10. The article of claim 8 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

map a source of the request to a tenant ID corresponding to the source based on the user identifier;

retrieve metadata corresponding to the tenant ID;

generate the response with a render engine based on the metadata.

11. The article of claim 7 wherein the runtime pod comprises at least one proxy server, at least one application server and at least one database server.

12. The article of claim 11 wherein the runtime pod further comprises at least one firewall and at least one load balancer.

13. A system comprising:

a metadata repository having at least one hardware processor and at least one memory device coupled to the at least one hardware processor, the metadata repository to store metadata content to be utilized to provide dynamically-constructed pages of content, wherein the metadata comprises at least a site definition stored according to a site identifier to allow the metadata to be retrieved and converted to a format indicated by a request;

a domain mapping server to map the specific site to a user, wherein the user is identified by a user identifier, wherein the user identifier is one of one or more user identifiers associated with the tenant identifier;

a metadata server coupled with the domain mapping server, the metadata server to store the metadata content; and

a render engine to generate a response to the request.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more runtime pods operate within a multitenant database environment, wherein the multitenant database environment stores data for multiple client entities each identified by a tenant identifier (ID) having one of one or more users associated with the tenant ID, each having one or more users with corresponding user identifiers, wherein users of each of multiple client entities can only access data identified by a tenant ID associated with the respective client entity, and wherein the multitenant database is a hosted database provided by an entity separate from the client entities, and provides on-demand database service to the client entities.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the multitenant environment comprises at least two runtime pods.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:

map a source of the request to a tenant ID corresponding to the source based on the user identifier;

retrieve metadata corresponding to the tenant ID;

generate the response with a render engine based on the metadata.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the runtime pod comprises at least one proxy server, at least one application server and at least one database server.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the runtime pod further comprises at least one firewall and at least one load balancer.