Methods and systems for optimizing text searches over structured data in a multi-tenant environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9465847-B2
Application number	US-201213589011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2012
Priority date	Dec 2, 2005
Publication date	Oct 11, 2016
Grant date	Oct 11, 2016

Abstract

Search systems and methods for searching structured data and enhancing the relevancy of search results provided to a requesting user or application. Enhanced search results are provided by searching a cache of a user's most recently used items to eliminate or reduce search indexing latency. Also, more relevant search results are provided by re-ranking results based on use history, data security models and/or hierarchical user role models. Further, enhanced search results are provided by including user information in the search index.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of performing a text search over structured data in a system, the method comprising:
receiving, at the system, a search request including a first search parameter from a user of the system, wherein the search request is for objects matching the first search parameter;
in response to receiving the search request, formulating, by the system, a search query including the first search parameter received from the user;
identifying a cache of the system that stores cached objects copied from objects that are created and stored within the system and that are associated with a predetermined group of system users;
performing, by the system, a first search of the cache using the first search parameter to identify a first list of cached objects stored in the cache of the system that match the first search parameter;
returning, by the system, a result of the first search including the first list of cached objects stored in the cache of the system that match the first search parameter;
sending, by the system, the search query to a query server of the system for performing a second search within the system using the first search parameter to identify a second list of objects created and stored within the system that are associated with the predetermined group of system users and that match the first search parameter, each of the objects identified by the query server including:
a last update field indicating a time when the object was last modified by a subscriber of an organization of the system,
at least one last activity field indicating a time when an action was last performed utilizing the object,
an owner field indicating an owner of the object within the organization, and
an owner role field indicating a location of the owner of the object within a hierarchy of the organization;

receiving a result of the second search including the second list of objects created and stored within the system that are associated with the predetermined group of system users and that match the first search parameter;
combining, by the system, the first list of cached objects and the second list of objects to form a combined list of search results; and
ordering the combined list of search results by:
determining a corresponding normalized search relevancy score that is returned by a search engine for each of the objects from the first list and for each of the objects from the second list,
assigning a corresponding last update score to each of the objects from the first list and to each of the objects from the second list based on a value of the last update field of each of the objects from the first list and of each of the objects from the second list,
assigning a corresponding last activity score to each of the objects from the first list and to each of the objects from the second list based on a value of the last activity field of each of the objects from the first list and of each of the objects from the second list,
for each of the objects from the first list and for each of the objects from the second list, multiplying each of the corresponding normalized search relevancy score, corresponding last update score, and corresponding last activity score by respective predetermined weight factors to determine a final relevancy score for each of the objects from the first list and for each of the objects from the second list, and
ordering the objects from the first list and the objects from the second list such that objects having a higher final relevancy score are ranked higher than objects having a lower final relevancy score.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the system includes a multi-tenant database system accessible to a plurality of tenants.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the multi-tenant database system includes logically separated storage areas for each of the tenants, so that data in a storage area of one tenant is inaccessible to the other tenants.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising storing information describing subscribers of each of the tenants.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the multi-tenant database system is accessible to a plurality of different devices of each of the subscribers of the tenants, such that each subscriber of a particular tenant is capable of accessing the storage area of the particular tenant from any one of the different devices of the subscriber.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cached objects stored in the cache are a copy of objects stored in the system that have each been modified by the user.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the objects in the system are indexed, such that the second search is performed on the indexed objects.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the relevancy scores for at least a portion of the objects in the second list are based on activity data for the objects indicating search-independent activity performed independently of a search.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second search is performed independently of an identifier of the user.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second search is performed based on an identifier of the user.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising filtering the results of the second search based on permissions for the user such that the second list of objects represents the filtered result.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cache of cached objects is generated prior to the formulating of the search query.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cache and the objects created and stored within the system that are associated with the group of system users including the user are stored in the same database.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cache is created by the system and is stored separately from a database containing the objects created and stored within the system that are associated with the group of system users including the user.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein access to the objects that are created and stored within the system and that are associated with a predetermined group of system users is kept separate from access to objects associated with additional predetermined groups of system users.

16. A system, comprising:
a processor for:
receiving a search request including a first search parameter from a user of the system, wherein the search request is for objects matching the first search parameter;
in response to receiving the search request, formulating a search query including the first search parameter received from the user;
identifying a cache of the system that stores cached objects copied from objects that are created and stored within the system and that are associated with a predetermined group of system users;
performing a first search of the cache, using the first search parameter to identify a first list of cached objects stored in the cache of the system that match the first search parameter;
returning a result of the first search including the first list of cached objects stored in the cache of the system that match the first search parameter;
sending the search query to a query server of the system for performing a second search within the system using the first search parameter to identify a second list of objects created and stored within the system that are associated with the predetermined group of system users and that match the first search parameter, each of the of objects identified by the query server including:
a last update field indicating a time when the object was last modified by a subscriber of an organization of the system,
at least one last activity field indicating a time when an act

Assignees

• Oliver Kevin
• Hansma Scott
• Weissman Craig
• Nakada Paul
• Walters Jeanine
• Salesforce Com Inc

Inventors

• Oliver Kevin
• Hansma Scott
• Weissman Craig
• Nakada Paul
• Walters Jeanine

Classifications

• G06F16/24578 Primary

  using ranking · CPC title

• G06F16/245

  Query processing · CPC title

• G06F16/24

  Querying · CPC title

• G06F16/20 Primary

  of structured data, e.g. relational data · CPC title

• G06F17/3053 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic