Security in enterprise level business information networking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9275094-B2
Application number	US-94571510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2010
Priority date	Nov 12, 2009
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods for implementing enterprise level social and business information networking are provided. Users can receive relevant information about a database system and its users at an appropriate time. Users can then use this relevant information to reduce errors and limit redundant efforts. For example, an update of a record in the database can be identified, and a story created automatically about the update and sent to the users that are following the record. Which updates have stories created and which stories are to be sent to which users can be configured. Other events besides updating of records can also be tracked. For example, actions of a user that result in an event can be tracked, where such tracking can also be configurable. Subscriptions to follow an object can be automatic, and access checks can be used to ensure that unauthorized users do not see certain data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of displaying a feed to a user of a database system, the method comprising:
receiving at the database system, a request from a first user to view a record feed of a record that the first user is following;
identifying, by the database system, a plurality of feed items associated with the record for the record feed;
determining whether a first feed item of the plurality of feed items includes an update by a second user to a first field of a first record;
determining, by the database system, whether the first user has authorization to view each of the plurality of feed items by:
determining whether the first user has authorization to view a record type of the record based upon at least one of a profile type of the first user and a profile hierarchy of the first user, and
determining whether the first user has authorization to view the record that is the subject of the record feed, the determination being based on a plurality of rules, wherein the plurality of rules comprise a rule based on a profile type of the first user, a rule based on a profile hierarchy of the first user, and a rule based on the manual sharing of the record that is the subject of the record feed with the first user by an owner of the record, the rule based on the second user manually sharing being used when the rules based on profile type and profile hierarchy do not provide authorization for the first user to view the record such that the manual sharing of the record that is the subject of the record feed, by itself, provides the first user the authorization to view the record; and

determining, by the database system, whether the first user has authorization to view the first feed item by:
determining whether the first user has authorization to view the first field of the record that is the subject of the record feed based on a plurality of rules, wherein the plurality of rules comprise a rule based on a profile type of the first user, a rule based on a profile hierarchy of the first user, and a rule based on the second user manually sharing the first field of the record that is the subject of the record feed with the first user, the rule based on the second user manually sharing being used when the rules based on profile type and profile hierarchy do not provide authorization for the first user to view the first field such that the manual sharing of the field of the record that is the subject of the record feed, by itself, provides the first user the authorization to view the record; and

displaying the feed items of the plurality of feed items that the first user is authorized to view.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the plurality of feed items for the record feed includes:
determining an identifier of the first record; and
identifying, with the identifier of the first record, events in an event history table that are associated with the first record, wherein the events include information of the feed items.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the record feed is a news feed of the first user, the news feed being an aggregation of feeds of a plurality of records that the first user is following.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein identifying a plurality of feed items for the record feed includes:
identifying records that the first user is following;
determining events associated with the identified records; and
retrieving the feed items for the determined events.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein checking whether the first user has authorization to view the first feed item includes:
analyzing the first feed item to determine that the first feed item is associated with at least one of a record and field of the record that the first user lacks authorization to view.

6. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions capable of controlling a processor to perform an operation of displaying a feed to a user of a database system, the instructions comprising:
receiving at the database system, a request from a first user to view a record feed of a record that the first user is following;
identifying, by the database system, a plurality of feed items associated with the record for the record feed;
determining whether a first feed item of the plurality of feed items includes an update by a second user to a first field of a first record;
determining whether the first user has authorization to view each of the plurality of feed items, the checking performed by:
determining whether the first user has authorization to view a record type of the record based upon at least one of a profile type of the first user and a profile hierarchy of the first user, and
determining whether the first user has authorization to view the record that is the subject of the record feed, the determination being based on a plurality of rules, wherein the plurality of rules comprise a rule based on a profile type of the first user, a rule based on a profile hierarchy of the first user, and a rule based on the manual sharing of the record that is the subject of the record feed with the first user by an owner of the record, the rule based on the second user manually sharing being used when the rules based on profile type and profile hierarchy do not provide authorization for the first user to view the record such that the manual sharing of the record that is the subject of the record feed, by itself, provides the first user the authorization to view the record; and

determining, by the database system, whether the first user has authorization to view the first feed item by:
determining whether the first user has authorization to view the first field of the record that is the subject of the record feed based on a plurality of rules, wherein the plurality of rules comprise a rule based on a profile type of the first user, a rule based on a profile hierarchy of the first user, and a rule based on the second user manually sharing the first field of the record that is the subject of the record feed with the first user, the rule based on the second user manually sharing being used when the rules based on profile type and profile hierarchy do not provide authorization for the first user to view the first field such that the manual sharing of the field of the record that is the subject of the record feed, by itself, provides the first user the authorization to view the record; and

displaying the feed items of the plurality of feed items that the first user is authorized to view.

7. A database system that displays a feed to a user of a database system, the database system comprising:
a database storing data for a plurality of records;
one or more processors;
a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
receive, from a request from a first user to view a record feed of a record that the first user is following;
identify a plurality of feed items associated with the record for the record feed;
determine whether a first feed item of the plurality of feed items includes an update by a second user to a first field of a first record;
determine whether the first user has authorization to view each of the feed items, the checking performed by:
determining whether the first user has authorization to view a record type of the record based upon at least one of a profile type of the first user and a profile hierarchy of the first user, and
determining whether the first user has authorization to view the record that is the subject of the record feed, the determination being based on a plurality of rules, wherein the plurality of rules comprise a rule based on a profile type of the first user, a rule based on a profile hierarchy of

Assignees

• Lee Peter
• Mehra Vinod
• Woollen Rob
• Salesforce Com Inc

Inventors

• Lee Peter
• Mehra Vinod
• Woollen Rob

Classifications

• G06Q10/40

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• G06F16/2282 Primary

  Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof · CPC title

• G06F16/245

  Query processing · CPC title

• G06Q10/10 Primary

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• G06F16/185

  Hierarchical storage management [HSM] systems, e.g. file migration or policies thereof (details of archiving G06F16/11) · CPC title