GENERATING REPORTS IN AN ONLINE SERVICES SYSTEM

• US 20120054222A1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Soby, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

A system and method for performing security assessments in an online services system. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a list of target data for a report; and generating fields in the report. The method also includes populating the fields with composite information; receiving a command to execute the report; fetching the target data using the composite information; and populating the report with the target data.

Claims

1. A method for generating reports in an online services system, the method comprising:

receiving a list of target data for a report;

generating fields in the report;

populating the fields with composite information;

receiving a command to execute the report;

fetching the target data using the composite information; and

populating the report with the target data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition information comprises information necessary to fetch the target data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition information comprises information necessary to fetch the target data, and wherein the target is fetched from a plurality of sources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition information comprises access credentials.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the composition information comprises access credentials, and wherein the access credentials comprise one or more of host names, Internet protocol (IP) addresses and uniform resource locators (URLs), data field names, user names, passwords, authentication information, structured query language (SQL) statements, query string parameters, port numbers, etc.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fetching comprises fetching the target data from internal and external sources.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fetching comprises performing web services calls to third-party providers.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having one or more instructions thereon for generating reports in an online services system, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

receive a list of target data for a report;

generate fields in the report;

populate the fields with composite information;

receive a command to execute the report;

fetch the target data using the composite information; and

populate the report with the target data.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the composition information comprises information necessary to fetch the target data.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the composition information comprises information necessary to fetch the target data, and wherein the target is fetched from a plurality of sources.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the composition information comprises access credentials.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the composition information comprises access credentials, and wherein the access credentials comprise one or more of host names, Internet protocol (IP) addresses and uniform resource locators (URLs), data field names, user names, passwords, authentication information, structured query language (SQL) statements, query string parameters, port numbers, etc.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to fetch the target data from internal and external sources.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform web services calls to third-party providers.

15. An apparatus for generating reports in an online services system, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device storing one or more stored sequences of instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to;

receive a list of target data for a report;

generate fields in the report;

populate the fields with composite information;

receive a command to execute the report;

fetch the target data using the composite information; and

populate the report with the target data.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the composition information comprises information necessary to fetch the target data.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the composition information comprises information necessary to fetch the target data, and wherein the target is fetched from a plurality of sources.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the composition information comprises access credentials.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the composition information comprises access credentials, and wherein the access credentials comprise one or more of host names, Internet protocol (IP) addresses and uniform resource locators (URLs), data field names, user names, passwords, authentication information, structured query language (SQL) statements, query string parameters, port numbers, etc.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to fetch the target data from internal and external sources.