Patent ID: 7966286

Claim:
A method performed by at least one computer having computer-executable instructions for reusing an object type in a computing environment, the method comprising: receiving notification of modifications made to a source object type stored at a source data site, the source object type comprising a source schema, wherein the modifications comprise granular modifications made to the source schema of the source object type at the source data site; determining whether a destination data site storing a destination object type is refusing updates for the destination object type, wherein the destination object type comprises a destination schema, wherein the destination object type at the destination data site is a child of the source object type at the source data site, and wherein the destination data site is different from the source data site; upon determining that the destination data site is not refusing updates for the destination object type, accepting at the destination data site the granular modifications made to the source object type; determining whether one or more properties of the destination object type include one or more locally customized properties, wherein the one or more locally customized properties are properties of the destination schema; applying the granular modifications to the destination schema of the destination object type at the destination data site by overwriting a first property of the one or more locally customized properties of the destination object type with the granular modifications and leaving unchanged a second property of the one or more locally customized properties of the destination object type, wherein the one or more locally customized properties are different from a corresponding one or more properties of the source object type at the source data site; receiving at the destination data site an additional local customization to a third property of the destination schema of the destination object type; determining at the destination data site that the third property has been locked by the source data site; and refusing to apply the additional local customization to the third property.