Systems and methods to implement extensibility of tenant content in a provider-tenant environment

• US 20080162622A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Brandl, Tobias, Becker, Wolfgang A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,069,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems

Abstract

The present invention discloses methods and systems for hosting tenants over a network in a computer-based environment in which a provider may store a shared data structure having shared data. A tenant receives a request for a shared data structure and retrieves the shared data structure from the provider based on shared metadata identifying the locations of shared data structures stored at the provider. In addition, based on extension metadata, the tenant retrieves an extended data structure including tenant-specific elements unique to the first tenant. The tenant server then combines the shared and extended data structures into a combined data structure including the tenant-specific elements.

Claims

1. A method for processing, at a provider, a data request received from a first tenant of a plurality of tenants, the method comprising:

retrieving a shared data structure based on the received data request;

retrieving an extended data structure associated with the shared data structure, the extended data structure including elements specific to the first tenant; and

responding to the data request by using the retrieved shared data structure and the retrieved extended data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the extended data structure includes providing a unique tenant identifier to the provider and accessing the extended data structure based on tenant identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the extended data structure is stored in association with a tenant namespace identifier, the namespace including all extended data structures of the first tenant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extended data is stored at the tenant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the extended data structure is stored at the provider in association with a unique identifier of the first tenant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein extension metadata is stored at the provider and associates the shared data structure with the extended data structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared data structure and the extended data structure are each retrieved using a table link providing a logical connection to the respective locations of the shared data structure in the provider and the extended data structure in the tenant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the data request further comprises:

generating a combined data structure by concatenating a row or column of the retrieved extended data structure with a respective row or column of retrieved shared data structure; and

responding to the data request using the combined data structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the data request further comprises:

generating a combined data structure by substituting row or column of the extended data structure for corresponding row or column of the shared data structure; and

responding to the data request using the combined data structure.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the data request further comprises:

generating a combined data structure by performing a union of the shared data structure and the extended data structure, the union providing a database view including the elements of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific elements of the extended data structure; and

responding to the data request using the combined data structure.

11. A system for a first tenant of a plurality of tenants to access a shared data structure stored at a provider, the shared data structure including data elements shared by the plurality of tenants, the system comprising:

means for retrieving a shared data structure based on the received data request;

means for retrieving an extended data structure associated with the shared data structure, the extended data structure including elements specific to the first tenant;

means for responding to the data request by using the retrieved shared data structure and the retrieved extended data structure.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for retrieving extended data structure includes means for providing a unique tenant identifier to the provider and accessing the extended data structure based on tenant identifier.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the extended data structure is stored in association with a tenant namespace identifier, the namespace including all extended data structures of the first tenant.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the extended data is stored at the tenant.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the extended data structure is stored at the provider in association with unique identifier of the first tenant.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein extension metadata is stored at the provider and associates the shared data structure with the extended data structure.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the shared metadata and extension metadata each include a table link providing a logical connection to the respective locations of the shared data structure in the provider and the extended data structure in the tenant.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for responding to the data request further comprises:

means for generating a combined data structure by concatenating a row or column of the retrieved extended data structure with a respective row or column of retrieved shared data structure; and

means for responding to the data request using the combined data structure.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for responding to the data request further comprises:

means for generating a combined data structure by substituting row or column of the extended data structure for corresponding row or column of the shared data structure; and

means for responding to the data request using the combined data structure.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein means for responding to the data request further comprises:

means for generating a combined data structure by performing a union of the shared data structure and the extended data structure, the union providing a database view including the elements of the shared data structure and the tenant-specific elements of the extended data structure; and

means for responding to the data request using the combined data structure.