U.S. patent application number 14/171229 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-29 for mechanism for facilitating dynamic visual workflow and task generation in an on-demand services environment.
This patent application is currently assigned to SALESFORCE.COM, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Samuel William Bailey, Stephen WOOD. Invention is credited to Samuel William Bailey, Stephen WOOD.
Application Number | 20140149173 14/171229 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46163092 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140149173 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WOOD; Stephen ; et
al. |
May 29, 2014 |
MECHANISM FOR FACILITATING DYNAMIC VISUAL WORKFLOW AND TASK
GENERATION IN AN ON-DEMAND SERVICES ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms
and methods for facilitating dynamic generating of visual workflow
and corresponding tasks in an on-demand services environment. In
one embodiment and by way of example, a method includes receiving a
request to perform a business process at a computing system. The
performing of the business process may include creating a new
business process relating to workings of an organization. The
method may further include interpreting content of the request, and
dynamically generating a visual workflow in response to the
interpretation of the content of the request. The visual workflow
may be used to perform the business process.
Inventors: |
WOOD; Stephen; (Mill Valley,
CA) ; Bailey; Samuel William; (San Francisco,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
WOOD; Stephen
Bailey; Samuel William |
Mill Valley
San Francisco |
CA
CA |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
SALESFORCE.COM, INC.
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
|
Family ID: |
46163092 |
Appl. No.: |
14/171229 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13310545 |
Dec 2, 2011 |
8660881 |
|
|
14171229 |
|
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|
61419791 |
Dec 3, 2010 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.27 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20130101;
G06Q 10/06316 20130101; G06Q 10/0633 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/7.27 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20060101
G06Q010/06 |
Claims
1-18. (canceled)
19. A method comprising: interpreting, at a first computing device,
content of a request to perform an organizational process, wherein
the organizational process includes a task relating to workings of
an organization, the tasks is facilitated to be performed, via a
visual workflow, at a second computing device; and dynamically
updating one or more components relating to the visual workflow
based on the interpretation of the content of the request.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: performing, at the
second computing device, the organizational process using the new
version of the visual workflow; and transmitting, from the first
computing device, the updated one or more components to the second
computing device such that a current version of the visual workflow
is upgraded to a new version of the visual workflow, wherein the
new version incorporates the updated one or more components.
21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: automatically
contacting the organization in response to a calling request
embedded in the request; and dynamically recommending one or more
visual blocks capable of being inserted into the visual workflow
and displayed via a user interface in response to a block request
embedded in the request.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more visual blocks
include one or more of a decision block, a true block, a false
block, an if-yes block, and an if-no block.
23. The method of claim 19, wherein dynamically upgrading includes
automatically performing one or more of adding the one or more
components to the visual workflow, removing the one or more
components from the visual workflow, and revising the one or more
components, wherein the one or more components are transmitted from
the first computing device to the second computing device over a
network including a cloud network.
24. The method of claim 19, wherein upgrading to the new version
comprises revising the user interface at the according to the
updated one or more components incorporated into the new version of
the visual workflow, wherein the user interface includes a
graphical user interface (GUI).
25. The method of claim 19, wherein the task comprises a business
task relating to a business process of the organization, wherein
the business task relates to one or more of organizational
administration, human resources, sales, new or existing business
methodologies, new or existing products, and marketing plans, and
wherein the first and second computing devices comprise one or more
of mobile computing devices, personal digital assistant (PDA), a
handheld computer, an e-reader, a tablet computer, a notebook, a
netbook, a desktop computer, a server computer, a cluster-based
computer, and a set-top box, wherein the organization comprises one
or more of a business organization, a government agency, a
non-profit organization, and an educational institution.
26. A system comprising a memory to store instructions relating to
a mechanism, and a processing device to execute the instructions to
facilitate the mechanism to perform one or more operations
comprising: interpreting, at a first computing device, content of a
request to perform an organizational process, wherein the
organizational process includes a task relating to workings of an
organization, the tasks is facilitated to be performed, via a
visual workflow, at a second computing device; and dynamically
updating one or more components relating to the visual workflow
based on the interpretation of the content of the request.
27. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more operations
further comprise: performing, at the second computing device, the
organizational process using the new version of the visual
workflow; and transmitting, from the first computing device, the
updated one or more components to the second computing device such
that a current version of the visual workflow is upgraded to a new
version of the visual workflow, wherein the new version
incorporates the updated one or more components.
28. The system of claim 26, wherein the one or more operations
further comprise: automatically contacting the organization in
response to a calling request embedded in the request; and
dynamically recommending one or more visual blocks capable of being
inserted into the visual workflow and displayed via a user
interface in response to a block request embedded in the
request.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the one or more visual blocks
include one or more of a decision block, a true block, a false
block, an if-yes block, and an if-no block.
30. The system of claim 26, wherein dynamically upgrading includes
automatically performing one or more of adding the one or more
components to the visual workflow, removing the one or more
components from the visual workflow, and revising the one or more
components, wherein the one or more components are transmitted from
the first computing device to the second computing device over a
network including a cloud network.
31. The system of claim 26, wherein upgrading to the new version
comprises revising the user interface at the according to the
updated one or more components incorporated into the new version of
the visual workflow, wherein the user interface includes a
graphical user interface (GUI), wherein the task comprises a
business task relating to a business process of the organization,
wherein the business task relates to one or more of organizational
administration, human resources, sales, new or existing business
methodologies, new or existing products, and marketing plans, and
wherein the first and second computing devices comprise one or more
of mobile computing devices, personal digital assistant (PDA), a
handheld computer, an e-reader, a tablet computer, a notebook, a
netbook, a desktop computer, a server computer, a cluster-based
computer, and a set-top box, wherein the organization comprises one
or more of a business organization, a government agency, a
non-profit organization, and an educational institution.
32. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of
instructions which, when executed by a processing device, cause the
processing device to carry out one or more operations comprising:
interpreting, at a first computing device, content of a request to
perform an organizational process, wherein the organizational
process includes a task relating to workings of an organization,
the tasks is facilitated to be performed, via a visual workflow, at
a second computing device; and dynamically updating one or more
components relating to the visual workflow based on the
interpretation of the content of the request.
33. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the one or
more operations further comprise: performing, at the second
computing device, the organizational process using the new version
of the visual workflow; and transmitting, from the first computing
device, the updated one or more components to the second computing
device such that a current version of the visual workflow is
upgraded to a new version of the visual workflow, wherein the new
version incorporates the updated one or more components.
34. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the one or
more operations further comprise: automatically contacting the
organization in response to a calling request embedded in the
request; and dynamically recommending one or more visual blocks
capable of being inserted into the visual workflow and displayed
via a user interface in response to a block request embedded in the
request.
35. The machine-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the one or
more visual blocks include one or more of a decision block, a true
block, a false block, an if-yes block, and an if-no block.
36. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein dynamically
upgrading includes automatically performing one or more of adding
the one or more components to the visual workflow, removing the one
or more components from the visual workflow, and revising the one
or more components, wherein the one or more components are
transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing
device over a network including a cloud network.
37. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein upgrading to
the new version comprises revising the user interface at the
according to the updated one or more components incorporated into
the new version of the visual workflow, wherein the user interface
includes a graphical user interface (GUI).
38. The machine-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the task
comprises a business task relating to a business process of the
organization, wherein the business task relates to one or more of
organizational administration, human resources, sales, new or
existing business methodologies, new or existing products, and
marketing plans, and wherein the first and second computing devices
comprise one or more of mobile computing devices, personal digital
assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, an e-reader, a tablet
computer, a notebook, a netbook, a desktop computer, a server
computer, a cluster-based computer, and a set-top box, wherein the
organization comprises one or more of a business organization, a
government agency, a non-profit organization, and an educational
institution.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/419,791, entitled "A Visual flow
Designer" by Steven Wood et al., filed Dec. 3, 2010 (Attorney
Docket No. 8956P044Z), the entire contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference and priority is claimed
thereof.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] One or more implementations relate generally to data
management and, more specifically, to a mechanism for facilitating
dynamic visual workflow and task generation in an on-demand
services environment having a multi-tenant database system.
BACKGROUND
[0004] It is well-known that businesses (e.g., profit-based
companies, non-profit organizations, etc.) continuously need new or
updated business processes (e.g., service processes, sales
processes, etc.) to run and perform efficiently. However,
conventionally, business processes are employed and/or updated
manually which requires cumbersome new coding or software
development each time a new business process is employed or a
change is made to an existing business process at an organization.
Further, in most cases, an expensive and dedicated environment or
infrastructure may also be needed to employ new or update existing
business processes.
[0005] The subject matter discussed in the background section
should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its
mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned
in the background section or associated with the subject matter of
the background section should not be assumed to have been
previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the
background section merely represents different approaches, which in
and of themselves may also be inventions.
[0006] In conventional database systems, users access their data
resources in one logical database. A user of such a conventional
system typically retrieves data from and stores data on the system
using the user's own systems. A user system might remotely access
one of a plurality of server systems that might in turn access the
database system. Data retrieval from the system might include the
issuance of a query from the user system to the database system.
The database system might process the request for information
received in the query and send to the user system information
relevant to the request. The secure and efficient retrieval of
accurate information and subsequent delivery of this information to
the user system has been and continues to be a goal of
administrators of database systems. Unfortunately, conventional
database approaches are associated with various limitations.
SUMMARY
[0007] In accordance with embodiments, there are provided
mechanisms and methods for facilitating dynamic generating of
visual workflow and corresponding tasks in an on-demand services
environment. In one embodiment and by way of example, a method
includes receiving a request to perform a business process at a
computing system. The performing of the business process may
include creating a new business process relating to workings of an
organization. The method may further include interpreting content
of the request, and dynamically generating a visual workflow in
response to the interpretation of the content of the request. The
visual workflow may be used to perform the business process.
[0008] While the present invention is described with reference to
an embodiment in which techniques for facilitating management of
data in an on-demand services environment are implemented in a
system having an application server providing a front end for an
on-demand database service capable of supporting multiple tenants,
the present invention is not limited to multi-tenant databases nor
deployment on application servers. Embodiments may be practiced
using other database architectures, i.e., ORACLE.RTM., DB2.RTM. by
IBM and the like without departing from the scope of the
embodiments claimed.
[0009] Any of the above embodiments may be used alone or together
with one another in any combination. Inventions encompassed within
this specification may also include embodiments that are only
partially mentioned or alluded to or are not mentioned or alluded
to at all in this brief summary or in the abstract. Although
various embodiments of the invention may have been motivated by
various deficiencies with the prior art, which may be discussed or
alluded to in one or more places in the specification, the
embodiments of the invention do not necessarily address any of
these deficiencies. In other words, different embodiments of the
invention may address different deficiencies that may be discussed
in the specification. Some embodiments may only partially address
some deficiencies or just one deficiency that may be discussed in
the specification, and some embodiments may not address any of
these deficiencies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] In the following drawings like reference numbers are used to
refer to like elements. Although the following figures depict
various examples, one or more implementations are not limited to
the examples depicted in the figures.
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a computing system employing a dynamic
workflow mechanism according to one embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a dynamic visual workflow mechanism
employed at a computing device according to one embodiment;
[0013] FIGS. 3A-3F and 3H illustrate a transaction sequence for
dynamically and automatically generating a visual workflow and its
corresponding task using a visual workflow mechanism according to
one embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 3G illustrates a task that is dynamically automatically
generated based on the visual workflow of FIGS. 3A-3F according to
one embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 3I illustrates an interactive visual workflow that is
dynamically automatically generated based on the visual workflow of
FIGS. 3A-3F according to one embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for dynamically and
automatically generating visual workflows and their corresponding
tasks using a dynamic visual workflow mechanism according to one
embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a computer system according to one
embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an environment wherein
an on-demand database service might be used according to one
embodiment; and
[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of
elements of environment of FIG. 6 and various possible
interconnections between these elements according to one
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Methods and systems are provided for facilitating dynamic
generating of visual workflow and corresponding tasks in an
on-demand services environment. In one embodiment and by way of
example, a method includes receiving a request to perform a
business process at a computing system. The performing of the
business process may include creating a new business process
relating to workings of an organization. The method may further
include interpreting content of the request, and dynamically
generating a visual workflow in response to the interpretation of
the content of the request. The visual workflow may be used to
perform the business process.
[0021] As used herein, a term multi-tenant database system refers
to those systems in which various elements of hardware and software
of the database system may be shared by one or more customers. For
example, a given application server may simultaneously process
requests for a great number of customers, and a given database
table may store rows for a potentially much greater number of
customers. As used herein, the term query plan refers to a set of
steps used to access information in a database system.
[0022] Next, mechanisms and methods for dynamic visual flow and
task generation in an on-demand service environment having a
multi-tenant database system will be described with reference to
example embodiments.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a computing system employing a dynamic
visual workflow mechanism according to one embodiment of the
invention. In one embodiment, a computing device 100 serves as a
host machine hosting a dynamic visual workflow mechanism ("workflow
mechanism") 110 to facilitate dynamic, customized, and efficient
generation of visual workflows and their corresponding tasks
relating to business processes at an organization without having to
require a new code/software and/or a dedicated
environment/infrastructure. Computing device 100 serving as a host
machine may include large computing devices, such as server
computers, desktop computers, cluster-based computers, laptop
computing devices (e.g., notebooks, netbooks, etc.), set-top boxes
(e.g., Internet-based cable television set-top boxes, etc.), and
the like. Computing device 100 and other computing devices (serving
as client computing devices) discussed in this document may also
include mobile computing devices, such as cellular phones including
smartphones (e.g., iPhone.RTM., BlackBerry.RTM., etc.), handheld
computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc., tablet
computers (e.g., iPad.RTM., Samsung.RTM. Galaxy Tab.RTM., etc.),
laptop computers, e-readers (e.g., Kindle.RTM., Nook.RTM., etc.),
etc.
[0024] Computing device 100 includes an operating system 106
serving as an interface between any hardware or physical resources
of the computer device 100 and a user. Computing device 100 further
includes one or more processors 102, memory devices 104, network
devices, drivers, or the like, as well as input/output sources 108,
such as touchscreens, touch panels, touch pads, virtual or regular
keyboards, virtual or regular mice, etc. It is to be noted that
terms like "node", "computing node", "client", "server", "machine",
"host machine", "device", "computing device", "computer",
"computing system", "multi-tenant on-demand data system", and the
like, are used interchangeably and synonymously throughout this
document. It is to be further noted that terms like "application",
"software application", "program", "software program", "package",
and "software package" are used interchangeably and synonymously
throughout this document.
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a dynamic visual workflow mechanism
employed at a computing device according to one embodiment. In one
embodiment, dynamic visual workflow mechanism 110 includes various
components 202, 204, 206, 208, 210 and 212 to offer a number of
services to facilitate dynamic, customized, and efficient
generation of visual workflow and their tasks relating to business
processes of an organization in a multi-tenant database system in
an on-demand services environment. Any reference to "organization"
or "business" suggests a vendor subscribing to the workflow
mechanism 110, such as a profit-based company (e.g., an insurance
company, a healthcare company, a banking or financial institute, a
grocery store, a law firm, an accounting firm, a small business,
etc.), an educational institution (e.g., a college or university, a
high school, an elementary school, a daycare center, etc.), a
government organization (e.g., a city government, a state and
federal government, etc.), a non-profit organization (e.g., a
non-government organization (NGO), etc.), and the like. It is
contemplated that words or terms like "business", "vendor",
"institution", "organization", and "business organization" are used
interchangeably and synonymously throughout this document. A
"business process" refers to any number and type of
business-related activities including sales processes, service
processes, human resource processes, etc., that an organization
employs to work efficiently and profitably. For example, a business
process may include adding a new employee, placing sales calls to
potential customers, employing a new sales methodology,
establishing new promotional interest rates, and the like.
[0026] Workflow mechanism 110 provides efficient solutions to
various problems (e.g., inefficiency, high cost, manual coding,
etc.) associated with conventional business process-related
techniques. In one embodiment, the workflow mechanism 110 empowers
the user (e.g., an employee (such as a salesperson, an accountant,
a human resource manager, a Central Financial Officer (CFO), a
system administrator, an attorney, etc.), a contractor, an intern,
a visitor, a volunteer, etc.) at the vendor- or client-side to
facilitate employing a new or updating an existing business process
(e.g., introducing new insurance rates, etc.) by simply
facilitating dynamic generation and/or amendment of visual
workflows and their corresponding business tasks relating to
business processes at an organization.
[0027] In one embodiment, the workflow mechanism 110 may be
employed at a host or server computing system (such as host machine
100 of FIG. 1) that is in communication, over a network, with any
number and type of client computing systems employed at various
organizations. As will be further described in this document, the
network may include a cloud computing network, an intranet, the
Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), or
the like.
[0028] In one embodiment, a receiving module 202 of the workflow
mechanism 110 at the host machine receives an indication of or a
request for generating or updating a visual workflow relating to a
business task by a user accessing an organization-based client
computing device. Once this request is received, it is then sent to
a processing unit 204 of the workflow mechanism 110. At the
processing unit 204, an interpreter 208 interprets the request by
reading and analyzing the request to determine the type of flow
that is to be generated. For example, to distinguish between those
potential customers of the organization who wish to be called back
by someone at the organization as opposed to those who do not wish
to be contacted, the interpreter 208 may recommend including a
decision block within the visual workflow to help determine a
potential customer's wish regarding getting a call back. This
recommendation is provided to a flow generator 210 which then
dynamically add the decision block and other relevant or resulting
blocks (e.g., a true block, a false block, an if yes block, an if
not block, etc.) to the visual workflow.
[0029] In one embodiment, as the visual workflow is dynamically
generated, any corresponding tasks are automatically generated by a
task generator 212 and conveniently placed within the system so
they can be made available to the user to use and manipulate via a
user interface. For example and in one embodiment, an interface
module 206 may provide a user-friendly user interface (e.g., a
Graphical User Interface (GUI)-based user interface, etc.) on an
organization-based client computing device so that the user may
perform the aforementioned processes of generating and/or amending
visual workflows using the workflow mechanism 110 employed at the
host machine. In one embodiment, the visual workflow and its
corresponding tasks relating to various business processes are
dynamically and automatically generated by the user at the
organization using the workflow mechanism 110 without having to
develop software code and/or employ a dedicated software
development environment to generate, amend and/or perform such
business processes. This will be further illustrated and described
with reference to FIGS. 3A-3I.
[0030] It is contemplated that any number and type of components
may be added to and removed from the workflow mechanism 110 to
facilitate its workings and operability in facilitating dynamic
generation and amendment of visual workflows and their
corresponding tasks relating to business processes within an
organization in a multi-tenant database system in an on-demand
services environment. For brevity, clarity, ease of understanding
and to focus on the workflow mechanism 110, many of the
conventional or known components, such as those of a computing
device, are not shown or discussed here.
[0031] FIGS. 3A-3F illustrate a transaction sequence for
dynamically and automatically generating a visual workflow and its
corresponding task using a visual workflow mechanism according to
one embodiment. FIG. 3A illustrate a screenshot 300 representing a
user interface providing a main menu to generate a sales workflow
314. For example, a user (e.g., a sales agent) at a business
organization that is, for example, in the business of arranging
with various associate service providers to provide their services
(e.g., plumbing services, accounting services, telecommunications
services, legal services, dental/medical services, etc.) to its
customers can access the aforementioned dynamic visual workflow
mechanism 110 of FIG. 1 via a user interface as illustrated by the
screenshot 300. For example, the user begins the sales workflow
314, as provided by a home option 302 (shown as a tab), to find
and/or contact potential customers that might be interested in
seeking one or more services provided by the associate service
providers of the business organization. Other options include, but
are not limited to, leads 304, chatter 306, files 308, help 310,
and miscellaneous 312, and the like. It is contemplated that
embodiments of the invention are not limited to any of the
features, options or processes, etc., illustrated here as part of
FIG. 3A or subsequently described with reference to FIGS. 3B-3I and
that any number of options, features, and processes can be added,
removed or changed, as necessitated or desired, for facilitating
dynamic and automatic generation of visual workflows and their
corresponding tasks to perform the relevant business processes.
[0032] Continuing with FIG. 3A, once the generation of the sales
workflow 314 is started, the user is given the option of
establishing rapport 316 by inserting the first and last names 318,
320 of a potential customer. The screenshot 300 further provides a
navigation option of moving between previous and next screens 322,
324. Once the user has entered the necessary information and clicks
on next 324, the user is taken to the next screen 326 to identify
lead 328 in the visual workflow as shown by FIG. 3B. For brevity
and simplicity, the repeated features of FIG. 3A are not discussed
here or in relation to the subsequent FIGS. 3C-3I. The identify
lead process 328 of the sales workflow provides lead results 330
based on the first and last names 318, 320 previously entered. For
example, the user may be provided the option of the potential
customer not found or found. If found, some identification
information (e.g., home address, etc.) 332 relating to the
potential customer existing in the system or database may be shown.
For example, here, the home address 332 of the potential customer
is identified and selected by the user. Again, next 324 is clicked
to move on to the next process, such as industry interest 336 as
shown by screenshot 334 of FIG. 3C.
[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 3C, the industry interest process 336
of the sales workflow 314 provides the user a number of service
market options 338 that might be of interest to the potential
customer. Such market options 338 may range from none to any number
of service-based options, such as telecommunications 340, farming,
government, health, insurance, etc. With regard to this example,
since our exemplary business organization is in the business of
working with its associate service providers to provide services,
let us say the potential customer is interested in receiving
telecommunications-related services and so the user selects the
option of telecommunications 340 and clicks next 324.
[0034] Once the telecommunications 340 is selected, the virtual
workflow for sales 314 continues with options provided through the
reference implementation process 344 via a screenshot 342 as shown
with reference to FIG. 3D. In other words and for example, the
sales workflow 314 automatically provides a number of
recommendations or references, such as various names of companies
(e.g., AT&T 346, British Telecom, Century Communications,
etc.), relating to services relating to telecommunications 340
based, for example, on past experiences of other customers of the
business organization. Further, based on the potential customer's
service preferences, geographic location, budget, etc., one of the
recommendations, such as AT&T 346, is selected and
subsequently, next 324 is chosen.
[0035] Now referring to FIG. 3E, another screenshot 348 is
illustrated. This screenshot 348 provides the call back option 350.
For example, the salesperson may ask the potential customer whether
they would like to be called back by someone at the business
organization. Based on the potential customer's response, one of
the two or more callback options 352 (e.g., yes 354 and no) of the
callback option 350 may be selected by the user. Continuing with
our example, in this case, the user selects the yes option 354
because the potential customer expressed interesting in being
called back. Then, next 324 is selected, which leads to the next
screenshot 356 of FIG. 3F providing the thanks option 358 so that
the potential customer may be thanked by the user (regardless of
whether the potential customer agreed upon being called back).
Subsequently, the user may choose the finish option 360 to end the
sales visual workflow 314.
[0036] FIGS. 3G and 3I illustrate a corresponding task and a sales
visual workflow, respectively, which are dynamically and
automatically generated in response to performance of the
transaction sequence by the user using the workflow mechanism as
shown with reference to FIGS. 3A-3F. In one embodiment, by simply
going through the transaction sequence of FIGS. 3A-3F relating to a
particular business process (used as an example here) of contacting
a potential customer, a corresponding task (as summarized by open
activities 372 of screenshot 362) and a flowchart-based sales
visual workflow 388 (corresponding to the transaction
sequence-based sales visual workflow 314) are dynamically and
automatically generated without having the need to perform software
development (e.g., generating code relating to the specific
business process) or employ and maintain a dedicated software
development environment or infrastructure.
[0037] Now referring to FIG. 3G, it illustrates a screenshot 362
based on the leads option 304 of the main menu. The potential
client (also referred to as "lead"), as shown here, is John Doe, as
identified in FIG. 3A. It is further illustrated that a number of
options 364 (e.g., edit, delete, convert, clone, etc.) regarding
the lead or the account relating to the lead may be provided to
facilitate various actions. The screenshot 362 further provides
lead details 366, such as the lead owner (e.g., sales department),
status of the lead (e.g., potential customer), etc., along with
other relevant information, such as the lead's address information
368, and any other additional information 370 (e.g., who created or
modified the lead, when was the lead created or modified, etc.)
relating to the lead account.
[0038] In one embodiment, continuing with the example as set forth
with reference to the transaction sequence of FIGS. 3A-3F, the
user's work in creating the sales visual workflow 314 is summarized
and provided as a task as set forth in the open activities section
372 of the lead screenshot 362. For example, the open activities
section 372 provides various information- and action-based options
376, 378 to be used with regard to the task of calling back 380 the
customer as agreed upon by the potential customer with reference to
FIG. 3E. Some of these options 376, 378 include immediate actions,
such as edit, close, delete, clone, help, etc., relating to the
task, status about the task (e.g., as shown by the checkmark and/or
the word pending), a deadline or due date (e.g., Dec. 1, 2011) by
which the task is to be performed, a priority (e.g., normal, high,
etc.) assigned to the task, the name of the person (e.g., Jane
Smith) who is assigned to take care of the task, and the like.
Similarly, an activity history 374 relating to past activities
relating to the potential customer may be provided for the user's
reference.
[0039] Now referring to FIG. 3I, it illustrates the interactive
flowchart-based sales visual workflow 388 that is automatically and
dynamically generated by the user's transaction sequence of FIGS.
3A-3F relating the business process of sales (more specifically,
contacting and bringing on-board a potential customer). The
transaction sequence as illustrated by the sales workflow 388
begins by establishing rapport at block 390 corresponding to FIG.
3A followed by identifying lead at block 391 corresponding to FIG.
3B. At decision block 392, corresponding to FIG. 3B, a
determination is made as to whether the potential client or lead
exists in the system. If the potential client does not exist, the
lead is created at block 393; otherwise, the process moves on to
selecting an (industry) interest at block 394 as shown with
reference to FIG. 3C. Continuing with the process, a reference is
selected at block 395 as shown in FIG. 3D and a follow-up is
determined at block 396 as shown in FIG. 3E. Corresponding to FIG.
3E, at decision block 397 a determination is made as to whether the
user has agreed upon a call back by the business organization. If
yes, the task is automatically created at block 399 (and as shown
in detail with reference to FIG. 3G) and subsequently, the
potential customer is thanked (even if the potential customer
disagrees with the call back option) at block 398 as shown in FIG.
3F.
[0040] In one embodiment, the sales visual workflow 388 is
interactive, such as the user may click on any of the blocks of the
visual workflow 388 to selectively add, delete, or amend any
information relating to the potential customer or any number and
type of the transaction sequence options of FIGS. 3A-3F that can be
used in generating the visual workflow 388 and the corresponding
task of FIG. 3G. For example, the user may click on block 390
representing establishing rapport to add, for example, a box to
provide extra space for notes 384 as shown with reference to the
screenshot 382 of FIG. 3H. As illustrated and compared with FIG.
3A, here, the user may add an extra notes box 384 by simply,
interactively, clicking on block 390 of the visual workflow 388.
Similarly, in one embodiment, the user may interactively click on
any of the blocks of the visual workflow 388 to make any changes to
various transaction sequence options to create or amend any number
and type of business processes, as desired or necessitated, without
having to generate software code or employ a dedicated software
environment.
[0041] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for dynamically and
automatically generating visual workflows and their corresponding
tasks using a dynamic visual workflow mechanism according to one
embodiment. Method 400 may be performed by processing logic that
may comprise hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic,
programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (such as
instructions run on a processing device), or a combination thereof,
such as firmware or functional circuitry within hardware devices.
In one embodiment, method 400 is performed by the dynamic visual
workflow mechanism 110 of FIG. 1.
[0042] Method 400 begins at block 405 with the workflow mechanism,
at a host or server computing system, receiving a request to
perform a business process at a client computing system. In one
embodiment, the workflow mechanism may receive either a request
from the user or simply identify or detect the initiation of a
process to generate a visual workflow to perform the business
process (including, for example, generate or amend the business
process, etc.). At block 410, once the request is received or the
process is detected, it is then interpreted and a corresponding
recommendation is generated. At block 415, a corresponding visual
workflow is generated based on the interpretation of or
recommendation generated relating to the request. At block 420, a
corresponding task relating to the business process is generated
based on the visual workflow. At block 425, the newly-generated
task and workflow are used to perform the business process.
[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a
machine 500 in the exemplary form of a computer system, in
accordance with one embodiment, within which a set of instructions,
for causing the machine 500 to perform any one or more of the
methodologies discussed herein, may be executed. Machine 500 is the
same as or similar to computing device 100 of FIG. 1. In
alternative embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g.,
networked) to other machines in a Local Area Network (LAN), an
intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The machine may operate in
the capacity of a server or a client machine in a client-server
network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or
distributed) network environment or as a server or series of
servers within an on-demand service environment, including an
on-demand environment providing multi-tenant database storage
services. Certain embodiments of the machine may be in the form of
a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web
appliance, a server, a network router, switch or bridge, computing
system, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions
(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that
machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the
term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of
machines (e.g., computers) that individually or jointly execute a
set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more
of the methodologies discussed herein.
[0044] The exemplary computer system 500 includes a processor 502,
a main memory 504 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory,
dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM
(SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc., static memory such as flash
memory, static random access memory (SRAM), volatile but high-data
rate RAM, etc.), and a secondary memory 518 (e.g., a persistent
storage device including hard disk drives and persistent
multi-tenant data base implementations), which communicate with
each other via a bus 530. Main memory 504 includes emitted
execution data 524 (e.g., data emitted by a logging framework) and
one or more trace preferences 523 which operate in conjunction with
processing logic 526 and processor 502 to perform the methodologies
discussed herein.
[0045] Processor 502 represents one or more general-purpose
processing devices such as a microprocessor, central processing
unit, or the like. More particularly, the processor 502 may be a
complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced
instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, very long
instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, processor implementing
other instruction sets, or processors implementing a combination of
instruction sets. Processor 502 may also be one or more
special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA),
a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor, or the like.
Processor 502 is configured to execute the processing logic 526 for
performing the operations and functionality of dynamic visual
workflow mechanism 110 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2
and other figures discussed herein.
[0046] The computer system 500 may further include a network
interface card 508. The computer system 500 also may include a user
interface 510 (such as a video display unit, a liquid crystal
display (LCD), or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alphanumeric input
device 512 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 514 (e.g., a
mouse), and a signal generation device 516 (e.g., an integrated
speaker). The computer system 500 may further include peripheral
device 536 (e.g., wireless or wired communication devices, memory
devices, storage devices, audio processing devices, video
processing devices, etc. The computer system 500 may further
include a Hardware based API logging framework 534 capable of
executing incoming requests for services and emitting execution
data responsive to the fulfillment of such incoming requests.
[0047] The secondary memory 518 may include a machine-readable
storage medium (or more specifically a machine-accessible storage
medium) 531 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions
(e.g., software 522) embodying any one or more of the methodologies
or functions of dynamic visual workflow mechanism 110 as described
with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and other figures described herein.
The software 522 may also reside, completely or at least partially,
within the main memory 504 and/or within the processor 502 during
execution thereof by the computer system 500, the main memory 504
and the processor 502 also constituting machine-readable storage
media. The software 522 may further be transmitted or received over
a network 520 via the network interface card 508. The
machine-readable storage medium 531 may include transitory or
non-transitory machine-readable storage media.
[0048] Portions of various embodiments of the present invention may
be provided as a computer program product, which may include a
computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer program
instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other
electronic devices) to perform a process according to the
embodiments of the present invention. The machine-readable medium
may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical
disks, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), and magneto-optical
disks, ROM, RAM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),
electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnet or optical cards, flash memory,
or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing
electronic instructions.
[0049] The techniques shown in the figures can be implemented using
code and data stored and executed on one or more electronic devices
(e.g., an end station, a network element). Such electronic devices
store and communicate (internally and/or with other electronic
devices over a network) code and data using computer-readable
media, such as non-transitory computer-readable storage media
(e.g., magnetic disks; optical disks; random access memory; read
only memory; flash memory devices; phase-change memory) and
transitory computer-readable transmission media (e.g., electrical,
optical, acoustical or other form of propagated signals--such as
carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals). In addition,
such electronic devices typically include a set of one or more
processors coupled to one or more other components, such as one or
more storage devices (non-transitory machine-readable storage
media), user input/output devices (e.g., a keyboard, a touchscreen,
and/or a display), and network connections. The coupling of the set
of processors and other components is typically through one or more
busses and bridges (also termed as bus controllers). Thus, the
storage device of a given electronic device typically stores code
and/or data for execution on the set of one or more processors of
that electronic device. Of course, one or more parts of an
embodiment of the invention may be implemented using different
combinations of software, firmware, and/or hardware.
[0050] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an environment 610
wherein an on-demand database service might be used. Environment
610 may include user systems 612, network 614, system 616,
processor system 617, application platform 618, network interface
620, tenant data storage 622, system data storage 624, program code
626, and process space 628. In other embodiments, environment 610
may not have all of the components listed and/or may have other
elements instead of, or in addition to, those listed above.
[0051] Environment 610 is an environment in which an on-demand
database service exists. User system 612 may be any machine or
system that is used by a user to access a database user system. For
example, any of user systems 612 can be a handheld computing
device, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a work station, and/or a
network of computing devices. As illustrated in herein FIG. 6 (and
in more detail in FIG. 7) user systems 612 might interact via a
network 614 with an on-demand database service, which is system
616.
[0052] An on-demand database service, such as system 616, is a
database system that is made available to outside users that do not
need to necessarily be concerned with building and/or maintaining
the database system, but instead may be available for their use
when the users need the database system (e.g., on the demand of the
users). Some on-demand database services may store information from
one or more tenants stored into tables of a common database image
to form a multi-tenant database system (MTS). Accordingly,
"on-demand database service 616" and "system 616" will be used
interchangeably herein. A database image may include one or more
database objects. A relational database management system (RDMS) or
the equivalent may execute storage and retrieval of information
against the database object(s). Application platform 618 may be a
framework that allows the applications of system 616 to run, such
as the hardware and/or software, e.g., the operating system. In an
embodiment, on-demand database service 616 may include an
application platform 618 that enables creation, managing and
executing one or more applications developed by the provider of the
on-demand database service, users accessing the on-demand database
service via user systems 612, or third party application developers
accessing the on-demand database service via user systems 612.
[0053] The users of user systems 612 may differ in their respective
capacities, and the capacity of a particular user system 612 might
be entirely determined by permissions (permission levels) for the
current user. For example, where a salesperson is using a
particular user system 612 to interact with system 616, that user
system has the capacities allotted to that salesperson. However,
while an administrator is using that user system to interact with
system 616, that user system has the capacities allotted to that
administrator. In systems with a hierarchical role model, users at
one permission level may have access to applications, data, and
database information accessible by a lower permission level user,
but may not have access to certain applications, database
information, and data accessible by a user at a higher permission
level. Thus, different users will have different capabilities with
regard to accessing and modifying application and database
information, depending on a user's security or permission
level.
[0054] Network 614 is any network or combination of networks of
devices that communicate with one another. For example, network 614
can be any one or any combination of a LAN (local area network),
WAN (wide area network), telephone network, wireless network,
point-to-point network, star network, token ring network, hub
network, or other appropriate configuration. As the most common
type of computer network in current use is a TCP/IP (Transfer
Control Protocol and Internet Protocol) network, such as the global
internetwork of networks often referred to as the "Internet" with a
capital "I," that network will be used in many of the examples
herein. However, it should be understood that the networks that one
or more implementations might use are not so limited, although
TCP/IP is a frequently implemented protocol.
[0055] User systems 612 might communicate with system 616 using
TCP/IP and, at a higher network level, use other common Internet
protocols to communicate, such as HTTP, FTP, AFS, WAP, etc. In an
example where HTTP is used, user system 612 might include an HTTP
client commonly referred to as a "browser" for sending and
receiving HTTP messages to and from an HTTP server at system 616.
Such an HTTP server might be implemented as the sole network
interface between system 616 and network 614, but other techniques
might be used as well or instead. In some implementations, the
interface between system 616 and network 614 includes load sharing
functionality, such as round-robin HTTP request distributors to
balance loads and distribute incoming HTTP requests evenly over a
plurality of servers. At least as for the users that are accessing
that server, each of the plurality of servers has access to the
MTS' data; however, other alternative configurations may be used
instead.
[0056] In one embodiment, system 616, shown in FIG. 6, implements a
web-based customer relationship management (CRM) system. For
example, in one embodiment, system 616 includes application servers
configured to implement and execute CRM software applications as
well as provide related data, code, forms, webpages and other
information to and from user systems 612 and to store to, and
retrieve from, a database system related data, objects, and Webpage
content. With a multi-tenant system, data for multiple tenants may
be stored in the same physical database object, however, tenant
data typically is arranged so that data of one tenant is kept
logically separate from that of other tenants so that one tenant
does not have access to another tenant's data, unless such data is
expressly shared. In certain embodiments, system 616 implements
applications other than, or in addition to, a CRM application. For
example, system 616 may provide tenant access to multiple hosted
(standard and custom) applications, including a CRM application.
User (or third party developer) applications, which may or may not
include CRM, may be supported by the application platform 618,
which manages creation, storage of the applications into one or
more database objects and executing of the applications in a
virtual machine in the process space of the system 616.
[0057] One arrangement for elements of system 616 is shown in FIG.
6, including a network interface 620, application platform 618,
tenant data storage 622 for tenant data 623, system data storage
624 for system data 625 accessible to system 616 and possibly
multiple tenants, program code 626 for implementing various
functions of system 616, and a process space 628 for executing MTS
system processes and tenant-specific processes, such as running
applications as part of an application hosting service. Additional
processes that may execute on system 616 include database indexing
processes.
[0058] Several elements in the system shown in FIG. 6 include
conventional, well-known elements that are explained only briefly
here. For example, each user system 612 could include a desktop
personal computer, workstation, laptop, PDA, cell phone, or any
wireless access protocol (WAP) enabled device or any other
computing device capable of interfacing directly or indirectly to
the Internet or other network connection. User system 612 typically
runs an HTTP client, e.g., a browsing program, such as Microsoft's
Internet Explorer browser, Netscape's Navigator browser, Opera's
browser, or a WAP-enabled browser in the case of a cell phone, PDA
or other wireless device, or the like, allowing a user (e.g.,
subscriber of the multi-tenant database system) of user system 612
to access, process and view information, pages and applications
available to it from system 616 over network 614. Each user system
612 also typically includes one or more user interface devices,
such as a keyboard, a mouse, trackball, touch pad, touch screen,
pen or the like, for interacting with a graphical user interface
(GUI) provided by the browser on a display (e.g., a monitor screen,
LCD display, etc.) in conjunction with pages, forms, applications
and other information provided by system 616 or other systems or
servers. For example, the user interface device can be used to
access data and applications hosted by system 616, and to perform
searches on stored data, and otherwise allow a user to interact
with various GUI pages that may be presented to a user. As
discussed above, embodiments are suitable for use with the
Internet, which refers to a specific global internetwork of
networks. However, it should be understood that other networks can
be used instead of the Internet, such as an intranet, an extranet,
a virtual private network (VPN), a non-TCP/IP based network, any
LAN or WAN or the like.
[0059] According to one embodiment, each user system 612 and all of
its components are operator configurable using applications, such
as a browser, including computer code run using a central
processing unit such as an Intel Pentium.RTM. processor or the
like. Similarly, system 616 (and additional instances of an MTS,
where more than one is present) and all of their components might
be operator configurable using application(s) including computer
code to run using a central processing unit such as processor
system 617, which may include an Intel Pentium.RTM. processor or
the like, and/or multiple processor units. A computer program
product embodiment includes a machine-readable storage medium
(media) having instructions stored thereon/in which can be used to
program a computer to perform any of the processes of the
embodiments described herein. Computer code for operating and
configuring system 616 to intercommunicate and to process webpages,
applications and other data and media content as described herein
are preferably downloaded and stored on a hard disk, but the entire
program code, or portions thereof, may also be stored in any other
volatile or non-volatile memory medium or device as is well known,
such as a ROM or RAM, or provided on any media capable of storing
program code, such as any type of rotating media including floppy
disks, optical discs, digital versatile disk (DVD), compact disk
(CD), microdrive, and magneto-optical disks, and magnetic or
optical cards, nanosystems (including molecular memory ICs), or any
type of media or device suitable for storing instructions and/or
data. Additionally, the entire program code, or portions thereof,
may be transmitted and downloaded from a software source over a
transmission medium, e.g., over the Internet, or from another
server, as is well known, or transmitted over any other
conventional network connection as is well known (e.g., extranet,
VPN, LAN, etc.) using any communication medium and protocols (e.g.,
TCP/IP, HTTP, HTTPS, Ethernet, etc.) as are well known. It will
also be appreciated that computer code for implementing embodiments
can be implemented in any programming language that can be executed
on a client system and/or server or server system such as, for
example, C, C++, HTML, any other markup language, Java.TM.,
JavaScript, ActiveX, any other scripting language, such as
VBScript, and many other programming languages as are well known
may be used. (Java.TM. is a trademark of Sun Microsystems,
Inc.).
[0060] According to one embodiment, each system 616 is configured
to provide webpages, forms, applications, data and media content to
user (client) systems 612 to support the access by user systems 612
as tenants of system 616. As such, system 616 provides security
mechanisms to keep each tenant's data separate unless the data is
shared. If more than one MTS is used, they may be located in close
proximity to one another (e.g., in a server farm located in a
single building or campus), or they may be distributed at locations
remote from one another (e.g., one or more servers located in city
A and one or more servers located in city B). As used herein, each
MTS could include one or more logically and/or physically connected
servers distributed locally or across one or more geographic
locations. Additionally, the term "server" is meant to include a
computer system, including processing hardware and process
space(s), and an associated storage system and database application
(e.g., OODBMS or RDBMS) as is well known in the art. It should also
be understood that "server system" and "server" are often used
interchangeably herein. Similarly, the database object described
herein can be implemented as single databases, a distributed
database, a collection of distributed databases, a database with
redundant online or offline backups or other redundancies, etc.,
and might include a distributed database or storage network and
associated processing intelligence.
[0061] FIG. 7 also illustrates environment 610. However, in FIG. 7
elements of system 616 and various interconnections in an
embodiment are further illustrated. FIG. 7 shows that user system
612 may include processor system 612A, memory system 612B, input
system 612C, and output system 612D. FIG. 7 shows network 614 and
system 616. FIG. 7 also shows that system 616 may include tenant
data storage 622, tenant data 623, system data storage 624, system
data 625, User Interface (UI) 730, Application Program Interface
(API) 732, PL/SOQL 734, save routines 736, application setup
mechanism 738, applications servers 700.sub.1-700.sub.N, system
process space 702, tenant process spaces 704, tenant management
process space 710, tenant storage area 712, user storage 714, and
application metadata 716. In other embodiments, environment 610 may
not have the same elements as those listed above and/or may have
other elements instead of, or in addition to, those listed
above.
[0062] User system 612, network 614, system 616, tenant data
storage 622, and system data storage 624 were discussed above in
FIG. 6. Regarding user system 612, processor system 612A may be any
combination of one or more processors. Memory system 612B may be
any combination of one or more memory devices, short term, and/or
long term memory. Input system 612C may be any combination of input
devices, such as one or more keyboards, mice, trackballs, scanners,
cameras, and/or interfaces to networks. Output system 612D may be
any combination of output devices, such as one or more monitors,
printers, and/or interfaces to networks. As shown by FIG. 7, system
616 may include a network interface 620 (of FIG. 6) implemented as
a set of HTTP application servers 700, an application platform 618,
tenant data storage 622, and system data storage 624. Also shown is
system process space 702, including individual tenant process
spaces 704 and a tenant management process space 710. Each
application server 700 may be configured to tenant data storage 622
and the tenant data 623 therein, and system data storage 624 and
the system data 625 therein to serve requests of user systems 612.
The tenant data 623 might be divided into individual tenant storage
areas 712, which can be either a physical arrangement and/or a
logical arrangement of data. Within each tenant storage area 712,
user storage 714 and application metadata 716 might be similarly
allocated for each user. For example, a copy of a user's most
recently used (MRU) items might be stored to user storage 714.
Similarly, a copy of MRU items for an entire organization that is a
tenant might be stored to tenant storage area 712. A UI 730
provides a user interface and an API 732 provides an application
programmer interface to system 616 resident processes to users
and/or developers at user systems 612. The tenant data and the
system data may be stored in various databases, such as one or more
Oracle.TM. databases.
[0063] Application platform 618 includes an application setup
mechanism 738 that supports application developers' creation and
management of applications, which may be saved as metadata into
tenant data storage 622 by save routines 736 for execution by
subscribers as one or more tenant process spaces 704 managed by
tenant management process 710 for example. Invocations to such
applications may be coded using PL/SOQL 734 that provides a
programming language style interface extension to API 732. A
detailed description of some PL/SOQL language embodiments is
discussed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,478 entitled,
"Method and System for Allowing Access to Developed Applicants via
a Multi-Tenant Database On-Demand Database Service"--issued Jun. 1,
2010 to Craig Weissman, which is incorporated in its entirety
herein for all purposes. Invocations to applications may be
detected by one or more system processes, which manage retrieving
application metadata 716 for the subscriber making the invocation
and executing the metadata as an application in a virtual
machine.
[0064] Each application server 700 may be communicably coupled to
database systems, e.g., having access to system data 625 and tenant
data 623, via a different network connection. For example, one
application server 700.sub.1 might be coupled via the network 614
(e.g., the Internet), another application server 700.sub.N-1 might
be coupled via a direct network link, and another application
server 700.sub.N might be coupled by yet a different network
connection. Transfer Control Protocol and Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) are typical protocols for communicating between
application servers 700 and the database system. However, it will
be apparent to one skilled in the art that other transport
protocols may be used to optimize the system depending on the
network interconnect used.
[0065] In certain embodiments, each application server 700 is
configured to handle requests for any user associated with any
organization that is a tenant. Because it is desirable to be able
to add and remove application servers from the server pool at any
time for any reason, there is preferably no server affinity for a
user and/or organization to a specific application server 700. In
one embodiment, therefore, an interface system implementing a load
balancing function (e.g., an F5 Big-IP load balancer) is
communicably coupled between the application servers 700 and the
user systems 612 to distribute requests to the application servers
700. In one embodiment, the load balancer uses a least connections
algorithm to route user requests to the application servers 700.
Other examples of load balancing algorithms, such as round robin
and observed response time, also can be used. For example, in
certain embodiments, three consecutive requests from the same user
could hit three different application servers 700, and three
requests from different users could hit the same application server
700. In this manner, system 616 is multi-tenant, wherein system 616
handles storage of, and access to, different objects, data and
applications across disparate users and organizations.
[0066] As an example of storage, one tenant might be a company that
employs a sales force where each salesperson uses system 616 to
manage their sales process. Thus, a user might maintain contact
data, leads data, customer follow-up data, performance data, goals
and progress data, etc., all applicable to that user's personal
sales process (e.g., in tenant data storage 622). In an example of
a MTS arrangement, since all of the data and the applications to
access, view, modify, report, transmit, calculate, etc., can be
maintained and accessed by a user system having nothing more than
network access, the user can manage his or her sales efforts and
cycles from any of many different user systems. For example, if a
salesperson is visiting a customer and the customer has Internet
access in their lobby, the salesperson can obtain critical updates
as to that customer while waiting for the customer to arrive in the
lobby.
[0067] While each user's data might be separate from other users'
data regardless of the employers of each user, some data might be
organization-wide data shared or accessible by a plurality of users
or all of the users for a given organization that is a tenant.
Thus, there might be some data structures managed by system 616
that are allocated at the tenant level while other data structures
might be managed at the user level. Because an MTS might support
multiple tenants including possible competitors, the MTS should
have security protocols that keep data, applications, and
application use separate. Also, because many tenants may opt for
access to an MTS rather than maintain their own system, redundancy,
up-time, and backup are additional functions that may be
implemented in the MTS. In addition to user-specific data and
tenant specific data, system 616 might also maintain system level
data usable by multiple tenants or other data. Such system level
data might include industry reports, news, postings, and the like
that are sharable among tenants.
[0068] In certain embodiments, user systems 612 (which may be
client systems) communicate with application servers 700 to request
and update system-level and tenant-level data from system 616 that
may require sending one or more queries to tenant data storage 622
and/or system data storage 624. System 616 (e.g., an application
server 700 in system 616) automatically generates one or more SQL
statements (e.g., one or more SQL queries) that are designed to
access the desired information. System data storage 624 may
generate query plans to access the requested data from the
database.
[0069] Each database can generally be viewed as a collection of
objects, such as a set of logical tables, containing data fitted
into predefined categories. A "table" is one representation of a
data object, and may be used herein to simplify the conceptual
description of objects and custom objects. It should be understood
that "table" and "object" may be used interchangeably herein. Each
table generally contains one or more data categories logically
arranged as columns or fields in a viewable schema. Each row or
record of a table contains an instance of data for each category
defined by the fields. For example, a CRM database may include a
table that describes a customer with fields for basic contact
information such as name, address, phone number, fax number, etc.
Another table might describe a purchase order, including fields for
information such as customer, product, sale price, date, etc. In
some multi-tenant database systems, standard entity tables might be
provided for use by all tenants. For CRM database applications,
such standard entities might include tables for Account, Contact,
Lead, and Opportunity data, each containing pre-defined fields. It
should be understood that the word "entity" may also be used
interchangeably herein with "object" and "table".
[0070] In some multi-tenant database systems, tenants may be
allowed to create and store custom objects, or they may be allowed
to customize standard entities or objects, for example by creating
custom fields for standard objects, including custom index fields.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/817,161, filed Apr. 2, 2004,
entitled "Custom Entities and Fields in a Multi-Tenant Database
System", and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference,
teaches systems and methods for creating custom objects as well as
customizing standard objects in a multi-tenant database system. In
certain embodiments, for example, all custom entity data rows are
stored in a single multi-tenant physical table, which may contain
multiple logical tables per organization. It is transparent to
customers that their multiple "tables" are in fact stored in one
large table or that their data may be stored in the same table as
the data of other customers.
[0071] While one or more implementations have been described by way
of example and in terms of the specific embodiments, it is to be
understood that one or more implementations are not limited to the
disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover
various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent
to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended
claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements. It is to
be understood that the above description is intended to be
illustrative, and not restrictive.
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