Methods and apparatus for storing and accessing vendor master data records in a cloud network via a proxy vendor system

1. A method comprising:

in a system in a network including a proxy vendor computer:

receiving, by the system, a search request for one or more items from a client device, the system having local access to a database storing one or more primary contract based catalogs, wherein the search request is received via a user interface (UI) of an application executing on the client device;

searching, locally by the system, the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

only in response to determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more contract based catalogs, executing, by the system, a first application program interface (API) for routing the search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network, the proxy vendor computer is remote from the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

conducting, by the proxy vendor computer, a text search of one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for one or more e-commerce marketplaces, wherein each of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces hosts items offered by a plurality of suppliers;

transmitting, by the system, one or more search results to the client device for display on the UI, the one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the search request, the one or more items corresponding to one or more vendor master records associated with at least one of the plurality of suppliers, the one or more items in the search request having a matching entry in the secondary non-contract based catalog of at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces; and

responsive at least to the one or more items associated with the at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces being purchased, storing, by the proxy vendor computer in one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer, the one or more vendor master records associated with the at least one of the plurality of suppliers of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces when said one or more vendor master records are new vendor master records so that products or services associated with the new vendor master records are accessible in subsequent searches by a plurality of users,

wherein the one or more vendor master records stored by the proxy vendor computer in the one or more databases are accessible by client devices in communication with the system,

wherein the one or more search results are transmitted to the client device for display on the UI without redirecting the application to a page associated with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking the search requests for items not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

analyzing the tracked search requests;

determining categories of items based on the tracked search request; and

adding a tracked item to a primary catalog based on the tracked search requests meeting a first set of criteria.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the system, an additional search request for the one or more items from an additional client device;

determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

routing the additional search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network;

performing the search request on the one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer and not the one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for the one or more e-commerce marketplaces;

transmitting additional one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the additional search request to the additional client device.

4. The method of 1 wherein the proxy vendor computer manages routing and processing of the search request when the one or more requested items are not in the one or more primary catalogs.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the proxy vendor computer is configured to transform search requests for spot buys into requests compatible with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, prior to said transmitting the one or more search results, whether the one or more search results satisfy one or more rules set by an enterprise with which the client device is associated.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the vendor master records are accessible in the network for spot buy purchasing without having to maintain or administer the vendor master records for each vendor at the client devices.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having programmed computer code stored thereon, which when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search request for one or more items from a client device at a system in a network, the system including a proxy vendor computer, the system having local access to a database storing one or more primary contract based catalogs, wherein the search request is received via a user interface (UI) of an application executing on the client device;

searching, locally by the system, the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

only in response to determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more contract based catalogs, executing, by the system, a first application program interface (API) for routing the search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network, the proxy vendor computer is remote from the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

conducting, by the proxy vendor computer, a text search of one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for one or more e-commerce marketplaces, wherein each of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces hosts items offered by a plurality of suppliers;

transmitting, by the system, one or more search results to the client device for display on the UI, the one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the search request, the one or more items corresponding to one or more vendor master records associated with at least one of the plurality of suppliers, the one or more items in the search request having a matching entry in the secondary non-contract based catalog of at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces; and

responsive at least to the one or more items associated with the at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces being purchased, storing, by the proxy vendor computer in one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer, the one or more vendor master records associated with the at least one of the plurality of suppliers of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces when said one or more second vendor master records are new vendor master records so that products or services associated with the new vendor master records are accessible in subsequent searches by a plurality of users,

wherein the one or more vendor master records stored by the proxy vendor computer in the one or more databases are accessible by client devices in communication with the system,

wherein the one or more search results are transmitted to the client device for display on the UI without redirecting the application to a page associated with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the computer system to further perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the system, an additional search request for the one or more items from an additional client device;

determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

routing the additional search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network;

performing the search request on the one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer and not the one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for the one or more e-commerce marketplaces;

transmitting additional one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the additional search request to the additional client device.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the proxy vendor computer manages routing and processing of the search request when the requested item is not in the one or more primary catalogs.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein the proxy vendor computer is configured to transform search requests for spot buys into requests compatible with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the computer system to further perform operations comprising:

determining, prior to said transmitting the one or more search results, whether the one or more search results satisfy one or more rules set by an enterprise with which the client device is associated.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein the vendor master records are accessible in the network for spot buy purchasing without having to maintain or administer the vendor master records for each vendor at the client devices.

14. A system comprising:

a network comprising a proxy vendor computer and comprising at least one processor and a memory configured to store programmed computer code, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the system, a search request for one or more items from a client device, the system having local access to a database storing one or more primary contract based catalogs, wherein the search request is received via a user interface (UI) of an application executing on the client device;

searching, locally by the system, the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

only in response to determining that one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more contract based catalogs, executing, by the system, a first application program interface (API) for routing the search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network, the proxy vendor computer is remote from the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

conducting, by the proxy vendor computer, a text search of one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for one or more e-commerce marketplaces, wherein each of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces hosts items offered by a plurality of suppliers; and

transmitting, by the system, one or more search results to the client device for display on the UI, the one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the search request, the one or more items corresponding to one or more vendor master records associated with at least one of the plurality of suppliers, the one or more items in the search request having a matching entry in the secondary non-contract based catalog of at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces; and

responsive at least to the one or more items associated with the at least one of the e-commerce marketplaces being purchased, storing, by the proxy vendor computer in one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer, the one or more vendor master records associated with the at least one of the plurality of suppliers of the one or more e-commerce marketplaces when said one or more vendor master records are new vendor master records so that products or services associated with the new vendor master records are accessible in subsequent searches by a plurality of users,

wherein the one or more vendor master records are stored by the proxy vendor computer in the one or more databases are accessible by client devices in communication with the system,

wherein the one or more search results are transmitted to the client device for display on the UI without redirecting the application to a page associated with the one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the processor to further perform operations comprising:

receiving, by the system, an additional search request for the one or more items from an additional client device;

determining that the one or more items are not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

routing the additional search request to the proxy vendor computer in the network;

performing the search request on the one or more databases associated with the proxy vendor computer and not the one or more secondary non-contract based catalogs for the one or more e-commerce marketplaces;

transmitting additional one or more search results comprising the one or more items of the additional search request to the additional client device.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the proxy vendor computer is configured to manage routing and processing of the search request when the requested item is not in the one or more primary catalogs.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the proxy vendor computer is configured to transform search requests for spot buys into requests compatible with one or more e-commerce marketplaces.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the processor to further perform operations comprising:

determining, prior to said transmitting the one or more search results, whether the one or more search results satisfy one or more rules set by an enterprise with which the client device is associated.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the computer system to further perform operations comprising:

tracking the search requests for items not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

analyzing the tracked search requests;

determining categories of items based on the tracked search request; and

adding a tracked item to a primary catalog based on the tracked search requests meeting a first set of criteria.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the programmed computer code causes the processor to further perform operations comprising:

tracking the search requests for items not in the database storing the one or more primary contract based catalogs;

analyzing the tracked search requests;

determining categories of items based on the tracked search request; and

adding a tracked item to a primary catalog based on the tracked search requests meeting a first set of criteria.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the vendor master records are accessible in the network for spot buy purchasing without having to maintain or administer the vendor master records for each vendor at the client devices.