System, method and computer program product for validating one or more metadata objects

• US 8,799,233 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Brooks, David, Tucker, Lewis Wiley, Jasik, Benji, Mason, Timothy, Bezar, Eric David, Wong, Simon, Chasman, Douglas, Tzuo, Tien, Hansma, Scott, Gross, Adam, Tamm, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahmoudi, Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TUANKHANH D
• Application Number:
  US13/016,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20110202508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 707/687, 707688-704, 717/106
• US Class Current: 707/687
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/173 using an interconnection network, e.g. matrix, shuffle, pyramid, star, snowflake
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2329 using versioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/50 Circuit switching systems, i.e. systems in which the path is physically permanent during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 : involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for creating, exporting, viewing and testing, and importing custom applications in a multi-tenant database environment. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to provide a vehicle for sharing applications across organizational boundaries. The ability to share applications across organizational boundaries can enable tenants in a multi-tenant database system, for example, to easily and efficiently import and export, and thus share, applications with other tenants in the multi-tenant environment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a platform, wherein the platform is a framework shared by a plurality of developers and end users;

creating, through the platform by one of the developers, a package definition that references a set of one or more metadata objects describing an application, wherein the one or more metadata objects referenced by the package definition include at least a first metadata object explicitly included in the package definition and at least a second metadata object that is dependent on the first metadata object and that is not explicitly included in the package definition;

validating through the platform, the one or more metadata objects;

after the one or more metadata objects have been validated, making the one or more metadata objects accessible to a first end user system, wherein the one or more metadata objects are saved into a storage location accessible to the first end user system;

wherein the one or more metadata objects are conditionally modifiable by a user of the first end user system, based on a specification in the package definition by;

identifying in the specification of the package definition any of the saved metadata objects that are flagged by the developer, wherein the developer flags in the specification of the package definition which of the metadata objects are modifiable by the user of the first end user system,

providing a wizard for allowing modifications only to the saved metadata objects that are identified as being flagged by the developer,

wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are required by the user of the first end user system,

wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are optional by the user of the first end user system.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the package definition includes a package identifier.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the validating includes checking for missing components.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the package definition is stored in a database.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the validation is performed in response to a user request.

16. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the platform is a framework shared by the plurality of developers and end users for allowing a plurality of different applications of the developers to run for the end users.

17. The method recited in claim 16, wherein creation and allocation of the plurality of different applications by the developers for the end users is enabled using the platform, wherein the developers use the platform to create and allocate the different applications for the end users by:

creating, by a first developer, the package definition that references the set of one or more metadata objects describing the application, using the platform,

allocating the application to each of a plurality of first user systems, using the platform, for saving the set of one or more metadata objects into storage specific to each of the first user systems, wherein at least some of the first user systems are of a different type,

wherein the allocated application is executable using processes specific to the first user systems;

creating, by a second developer, a second package definition that references a second set of one or more metadata objects describing a second application, using the platform,

allocating the second application to each of a plurality of second user systems, using the platform, for saving the second set of one or more metadata objects into storage specific to each of the second user systems, wherein at least some of the second user systems are of a different type,

wherein the allocated second application is executable using processes specific to the second user systems;

wherein the first developer and the second developer are each one of a provider of the platform and a third party developer separate from the provider of the platform.

18. The method recited in claim 1, wherein saving the one or more metadata objects into the storage location accessible to the first end user system includes saving into the storage location accessible to the first end user system both:

the at least one first metadata object explicitly included in the package definition, and

the at least one second metadata object that is dependent on the at least one first metadata object and that is not explicitly included in the package definition.

6. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for providing a platform, wherein the platform is a framework shared by a plurality of developers and end users;

computer code for creating, through the platform by one of the developers, a package definition that references a set of one or more metadata objects describing an application, wherein the one or more metadata objects referenced by the package definition include at least a first metadata object explicitly included in the package definition and at least a second metadata object that is dependent on the first metadata object and that is not explicitly included in the package definition;

computer code for validating through the platform, the one or more metadata objects;

computer code for, after the one or more metadata objects have been validated, making the one or more metadata objects accessible to a first end user system, wherein the one or more metadata objects are saved into a storage location accessible to the first end user system;

wherein the one or more metadata objects are conditionally modifiable by a user of the first end user system, based on a specification in the package definition by;

identifying in the specification of the package definition any of the saved metadata objects that are flagged by the developer, wherein the developer flags in the specification of the package definition which of the metadata objects are modifiable by the user of the first end user system,

providing a wizard for allowing modifications only to the saved metadata objects that are identified as being flagged by the developer,

wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are required by the user of the first end user system,

wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are optional by the user of the first end user system.

7. The computer program product recited in claim 6, wherein the package definition includes a package identifier.

8. The computer program product recited in claim 6, wherein the computer code for validating includes computer code for checking for missing components.

9. The computer program product recited in claim 6, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the package definition is stored in a database.

10. The computer program product recited in claim 6, wherein the computer program product is operable such that the validation is performed in response to a user request.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor for;

providing a platform, wherein the platform is a framework shared by a plurality of developers and end users,

creating, through the platform by one of the developers, a package definition that references a set of one or more metadata objects describing an application, wherein the one or more metadata objects referenced by the package definition include at least a first metadata object explicitly included in the package definition and at least a second metadata object that is dependent on the first metadata object and that is not explicitly included in the package definition,

validating through the platform, the one or more metadata objects,

after the one or more metadata objects have been validated, making the one or more metadata objects accessible to a first end user system, wherein the one or more metadata objects are saved into a storage location accessible to the first end user system;

wherein the one or more metadata objects are conditionally modifiable by a user of the first end user system, based on a specification in the package definition by;

identifying in the specification of the package definition any of the saved metadata objects that are flagged by the developer, wherein the developer flags in the specification of the package definition which of the metadata objects are modifiable by the user of the first end user system,

providing a wizard for allowing modifications only to the saved metadata objects that are identified as being flagged by the developer,

wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are required by the user of the first end user system,

wherein the developer flags metadata objects for which modifications are optional by the user of the first end user system.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the package definition includes a package identifier.

13. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the system is operable such that the validating includes checking for missing components.

14. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the system is operable such that the package definition is stored in a database.

15. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the system is operable such that the validation is performed in response to a user request.