Filtering objects in a multi-tenant environment

• US 9,069,448 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2011
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Park, David, Rana, Neelav, Schneider, Donovan, Koosel, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault, Steven B
• Application Number:
  US13/089,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20120144313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 715/747
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

Various techniques and procedures related to filtering objects in a virtual application within a multi-tenant system are provided. One approach involves providing a first graphical user interface element enabling indication of a first filtering criterion and a second graphical user interface element enabling indication of a second filtering criterion within the virtual application being accessed over a network from a client device. After indication of the first filtering criterion and the second filtering criterion, a filtered set of objects is identified based on the first filtering criterion and the second filtering criterion. At least a portion of the filtered set of objects may then be presented within the virtual application on a client device.

Claims

1. A method of filtering a plurality of objects associated with a virtual application in a system including a database maintaining the plurality of objects, the method comprising:

providing a first graphical user interface element enabling indication of a first object type of a plurality of object types supported by the virtual application, each object type of the plurality of object types defining respective fields associated with one or more objects of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein values for the respective fields of one or more objects of the plurality having the first object type are maintained as metadata in the database;

providing a second graphical user interface element enabling indication of a second object type of a second plurality of object types supported by the virtual application, each object type of the second plurality being capable of being associated with the first object type indicated by the first graphical user interface element, and each object type of the second plurality of object types defining respective fields associated with one or more objects of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein values for the respective fields of one or more objects of the plurality having the second object type are maintained as metadata in the database;

providing a third graphical user interface element enabling indication of a dissociative filtering operation from a plurality of possible filtering operations; and

after indication of the dissociative filtering operation, the first object type and the second object type, identifying a filtered set of objects of the first object type, wherein;

the filtered set comprises a subset of the plurality of objects available to the virtual application that have the first object type; and

each object of the subset is not associated with another object of the plurality of objects having the second object type.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting at least a portion of the filtered set of objects within the virtual application, the virtual application being accessed by a client device over a network, wherein:

providing the first graphical user interface element comprises displaying the first graphical user interface element within the virtual application on the client device;

providing the second graphical user interface element comprises displaying the second graphical user interface element within the virtual application on the client device; and

presenting at least the portion of the filtered set of objects comprises displaying at least the portion of the filtered set of objects within the virtual application on the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a fourth graphical user interface element to enable provision of a qualifying filtering criterion for a field of the second object type, wherein identifying the filtered set of objects of the first object type comprises selecting the filtered set of objects of the first object type based on the qualifying filtering criterion for the field of the second object type.

4. The method of claim 3, the qualifying filtering criterion comprising a specified value for the field of the second object type, wherein selecting the filtered set of objects comprises removing, from an initial subset of the plurality of objects of the first object type, each respective object that is associated with an object of the secondary object type having a value for the field that is equal to the specified value.

5. The method of claim 3, the qualifying filtering criterion comprising a specified range of values for the field of the second object type, wherein selecting the filtered set of objects comprises removing, from an initial subset of the plurality of objects of the first object type, each respective object that is associated with an object of the secondary object type having a value for the field that is within the specified range.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the filtered set of objects comprises a server:

querying the database to select all of the plurality of objects available to the virtual application that have the first object type; and

removing any of the selected objects that are associated with another object of the plurality of objects having the second object type to obtain the filtered set.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the server providing a report in a portion of a display presented by the virtual application within a client program on the client device, wherein the report includes objects of the filtered set and columns corresponding to the fields associated with the first object type.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a fourth graphical user interface element to enable provision of a qualifying filtering criterion for a field of the second object type, wherein identifying the filtered set of objects comprises selecting, from the plurality of objects, each object of the first object type that is not associated with an object of the second object type that has a value for the field that satisfies the qualifying filtering criterion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of object types comprises possible object types capable of being associated with the first object type based on object-association fields of the first object type.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each respective object type of the plurality of object types defines the structure of a respective object of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein the respective object type defines a structure of the respective object and the fields associated with the respective object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein for each respective object of the plurality of objects, information pertaining to its respective object type of the plurality of object types is maintained as metadata in the database.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the dissociative filtering operation comprises a without filtering operation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the filtered set of objects of the first object type comprises removing, from an initial subset of the plurality of objects of the first object type, each respective object that is associated with an object of the secondary object type.

14. A computer system comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:

provide a first graphical user interface element to enable selection of a first object type of a plurality of object types for a plurality of objects maintained by the computer system in a database, each object type of the plurality of object types defining respective fields associated with one or more objects of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein values for the respective fields of one or more objects of the plurality having the first object type are maintained as metadata in the database;

provide a second graphical user interface element to enable selection of a second object type of a second plurality of object types for the plurality of objects, each object type of the second plurality being capable of being associated with the first object type indicated by the first graphical user interface element, and each object type of the second plurality of object types defining respective fields associated with one or more objects of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein values for the respective fields of one or more objects having the second object type are maintained as metadata in the database;

provide a third graphical user interface element to enable selection of a dissociative filtering operation from a plurality of possible filtering operations; and

after indication of the dissociative filtering operation, identify a filtered subset of the plurality of objects having the first object type, wherein each object of the filtered subset has the first object type and is not associated with another object having the second object type.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computer system to generate a virtual application, the plurality of objects being associated with the virtual application.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the virtual application comprises a customer relationship management application.

17. The computer system of claim 15, the virtual application being provided to a client device over a network, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computer system to display the first graphical user interface element, the second graphical user interface element, and the third graphical user interface element within the virtual application on the client device.

18. The computer system of claim 15, the virtual application being provided to a client device over a network, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the computer system to display at least a portion of the filtered subset on the client device.

19. A method of filtering a plurality of objects associated with a virtual application provided to a client device over a network, the virtual application being created based on data from a database, the plurality of objects being maintained in the database, the method comprising:

providing a first graphical user interface element within the virtual application, the first graphical user interface element enabling selection of a first object type of a plurality of object types for the plurality of objects, each object type of the plurality of object types defining respective fields associated with one or more objects of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein values for the respective fields of one or more objects of the plurality having the first object type are maintained as metadata in the database;

providing a second graphical user interface element within the virtual application, the second graphical user interface element enabling selection of a second object type of a second plurality of object types for the plurality of objects, each object type of the second plurality being capable of being associated with the first object type selected by the first graphical user interface element, and each object type of the second plurality of object types defining respective fields associated with one or more objects of the plurality of objects having that respective object type, wherein values for the respective fields of the one or more objects of the plurality having the second object type are maintained as metadata in the database;

providing a third graphical user interface element within the virtual application, the third graphical user interface element enabling selection of a dissociative filtering operation from a plurality of possible filtering operations; and

after selection of the first object type, the second object type, and the dissociative filtering operation;

identifying a filtered subset of the plurality of objects having the first object type based on the second object type and the dissociative filtering operation, wherein;

each object of the filtered subset is not associated with another object of the plurality of objects having the second object type; and

presenting at least a portion of the filtered subset within the virtual application.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing a fourth graphical user interface element within the virtual application, the fourth graphical user interface element enabling selection of a third filtering criterion to qualify objects of the second object type, wherein identifying the filtered subset comprises selecting each object of the plurality of objects of the first object type that is not associated with another object of the plurality of objects having the second object type that satisfies the third filtering criterion.