JP2023130146A - Determining program, determining method and information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To make isolation of error causes efficient.SOLUTION: A storing unit stores first error information and second error information. The first error information represents an error when a first device executes a process for a system to be processed. The second error information represents an error when a second device to which setting information that has an impact on the execution of the process is set executes the process. A processing device determines, on the basis of a comparison result between the first error information and the second error information, whether the error represented by the first error information is an error due to a difference between the setting information stored in the first device and the setting information set for the second device or an error due to a change in the system to be processed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to a determination program, a determination method, and an information processing apparatus.

Information processing devices such as computers may execute software that assists users in tasks such as data input. For example, an information processing device may automate routine operations performed by a user on a desktop screen output by the information processing device using a technology called RPA (Robotic Process Automation).

By the way, in information processing systems, errors may occur due to malfunctions in software operations. Therefore, techniques are being considered to analyze the cause of the error when it occurs.
For example, there is a proposal for a failure analysis support device that calculates the similarity between the error log at the time of the failure and the error log on the day the incident occurred based on the error log at the time the failure occurred and the log pattern list on the day the incident occurred. . The proposed failure analysis support device outputs a failure solution for an incident estimated from the error log at the time of failure, based on the calculated similarity.

JP 2019-49802 Publication

A terminal device automates predetermined processing for a processing target system by executing software that implements RPA or the like. In this case, changes to the processing target system may affect the processing of the software. In particular, the system to be processed may be operated by a third party different from the user using the software. Therefore, it may be difficult for the user of the software to understand changes in the system being processed.

On the other hand, software processing may be affected by changes in setting information in an execution environment such as an operating system of a terminal device that executes the software. The setting information is often changed independently by the user who actually operates the terminal device, without considering the influence on software processing.

Therefore, when an error occurs in the processing of a terminal device for a certain processing target system, it is difficult to determine whether the cause of the error is in the terminal device executing the processing or in the processing target system. It can be difficult.

In one aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a determination program, a determination method, and an information processing apparatus that improve the efficiency of isolating the cause of an error.

In one aspect, a determination program is provided. This determination program causes the computer to acquire first error information indicating an error when a process is executed on a processing target system by a first device, and includes the first error information and settings that affect execution of the process. The error indicated by the first error information is determined by the first device based on the result of comparison with the second error information indicating the error when the second device to which the information is set executes the process. A process is executed to determine whether the error is caused by the held setting information being different from the setting information set in the second device or the error is caused by a change in the processing target system.

Also, in one aspect, a determination method is provided.
Further, in one aspect, an information processing device is provided.

One aspect is that it is possible to more efficiently isolate the cause of an error.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information processing system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware of an information processing device. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of functions of an information processing system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a robot management table. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of collected information for an operating environment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of collected information for a maintenance environment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the information processing device. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of primary isolation of the cause of an error. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of primary isolation of the cause of an error. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a robot process. It is a figure showing an example of a skip flag table. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a process of a robot according to a skip flag.

The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
A first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.
The information processing device 10, the first device 20, the second device 30, and the processing target system 40 are connected to a network 50. The network 50 may be a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, or the like.

When an error occurs in software processing executed by the first device 20, the information processing device 10 supports investigation of the cause of the error. The first device 20 is a device in an operating environment that performs predetermined processing such as data input to the processing target system 40. For example, the first device 20 may perform processing on the processing target system 40 by executing software that implements RPA. That is, the first device 20 may automate the user's routine operations on the processing target system 40 using an RPA robot. An RPA robot is a software robot and is simply written as a robot.

The second device 30 is a device in a maintenance environment that is used in cooperation with the information processing device 10 to isolate the cause of an error that occurs in the first device 20. However, the functions of the second device 30 may be realized by the information processing device 10. The processing target system 40 provides a service for managing user data and performing predetermined processing based on the data, for example. The processing target system 40 provides an interface such as a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that accepts processing such as data input by the first device 20.

The information processing device 10 includes a storage section 11 and a processing section 12. The storage unit 11 may be a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), or a nonvolatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory. The processing unit 12 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and the like. The processing unit 12 may be a processor that executes a program. A "processor" may be a collection of multiple processors, ie, a multiprocessor. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the first device 20, second device 30, and processing target system 40 also have a storage unit and a processing unit, similar to the information processing device 10.

The first device 20 holds setting information 21. The setting information 21 is setting information of the software execution environment in the first device 20. That is, the setting information 21 is information that affects the processing of the processing target system 40 by the first device 20.

The configuration information of the execution environment may include configuration information of at least one of an operating system and middleware executed on the device. Further, for example, in the case of software that implements RPA, the configuration information of the execution environment may include configuration information of an agent that operates a robot and configuration information for defining processing procedures by the robot. As described above, there is a wide variety of setting information that can affect software processing. The setting information 21 is held in the storage section of the first device 20.

The second device 30 has the same software execution environment as the first device 20. For example, the operating system, middleware, etc. in the second device 30 are the same as those in the first device 20. Further, the second device 30 retains the original setting information 31. The original setting information 31 is setting information whose operation has been confirmed in the execution environment of the software executed by the first device 20 . The original setting information 31 is information that affects the processing performed by the second device 30 on the processing target system 40 . For example, in the second device 30, it has been confirmed in advance by a developer or a maintenance person that the processing of the corresponding software for the processing target system 40 operates properly. The original setting information 31 is retained in the storage section of the second device 30.

For example, the original setting information 31 may be the setting information of the generation source of the setting information 21. However, even if the setting information 21 is initially the same as the original setting information 31, it is not necessarily the same as the original setting information 31 thereafter. There is also a possibility that the setting information 21 may be changed by the user operating the first device 20.

The storage unit 11 holds information acquired from the first device 20 and the second device 30 by the processing unit 12. Specifically, the storage unit 11 stores first error information 22 and second error information 32. The first error information 22 indicates an error when the first device 20 executes processing on the processing target system 40 . The second error information 32 indicates an error when the second device 30 executes processing on the processing target system 40.

The processing unit 12 acquires the first error information 22 and stores it in the storage unit 11. The processing unit 12 also acquires the second error information 32 and stores it in the storage unit 11.
For example, when the first error information 22 is generated by the first device 20 in response to the occurrence of an error in the first device 20, the processing unit 12 receives the first error information 22 from the first device 20. It is acquired and stored in the storage unit 11. Then, the processing unit 12 causes the second device 30 to execute the processing for the processing target system 40.

If no error occurs in the second device 30, the processing unit 12 determines that the error occurring in the first device 20 is an error caused by the setting information 21 of the first device 20 being different from the original setting information 31. It is determined that

On the other hand, if an error occurs in the second device 30 and the second error information 32 is generated by the second device 30, the processing unit 12 acquires the second error information 32 from the second device 30. and stores it in the storage unit 11.

The processing unit 12 then compares the first error information 22 and the second error information 32. Based on the result of the comparison, the processing unit 12 determines whether the error indicated by the first error information 22 is an error caused by the configuration information 21 being different from the original configuration information 31, or whether the error indicated by the first error information 22 is an error caused by the configuration information 21 being different from the original configuration information 31, or It is determined whether the error is caused by a change in 40.

For example, the processing unit 12 uses the main body of the error message, that is, the part that is not affected by environmental differences, time stamps, user identification information when the robot is executed, etc., as the error information to be compared. The processing unit 12 makes this determination depending on whether the first error message included in the first error information 22 is the same as the second error message included in the second error information 32. .

If the first error message is the same as the second error message, the processing unit 12 determines that the error indicated by the first error information 22 is an error caused by a change in the processing target system. The fact that the same error occurred in the first device 20 as in the second device 30 means that the setting information 21 of the first device 20 is the same as the original setting information 31, and the software in the first device 20 is It is assumed that there is no problem with the execution environment. Therefore, in this case, the processing unit 12 determines that the change in the processing target system 40 is the cause of the error that occurred in the first device 20.

On the other hand, if the first error message is different from the second error message, the processing unit 12 determines that the error indicated by the first error information 22 is an error caused by the setting information 21 being different from the original setting information 31. It is determined that The second device 30 has original configuration information 31 that has been verified to work with respect to the execution environment. Therefore, if a different error occurs in the first device 20 than in the second device 30, it is presumed that there is a problem in the setting of the processing execution environment in the first device 20. Therefore, the processing unit 12 determines that the cause of the error occurring in the first device 20 is that the setting information 21 of the first device 20 is different from the original setting information 31.

According to the information processing device 10, first error information 22 indicating an error when the first device 20 executes processing on the processing target system 40 is acquired. Second error information 32 indicating an error during execution of the process by the second device 30 set with the original setting information 31 that affects the execution of the process is acquired. Based on the result of the comparison between the first error information 22 and the second error information 32, the cause of the error indicated by the first error information 22 is determined. That is, the error is an error resulting from the setting information 21 held by the first device 20 being different from the original setting information 31 set in the second device 30, or It is determined whether the error is caused by a change in .

This makes it possible to isolate the cause of the error more efficiently.
Here, changes in the processing target system 40 may affect the processing of the first device 20. For example, when the first device 20 performs a process of automating data input to a GUI such as a web page provided by the processing target system 40, changes to the input form, etc. on the GUI in the processing target system 40 may be The processing of the device 20 may be affected. In particular, since the processing target system 40 may be operated by a third party, it is not easy for the user of the first device 20 to understand changes to the processing target system 40.

On the other hand, the software processing executed by the first device 20 may be affected by changes in setting information in the software execution environment, such as the operating system of the first device 20. For example, settings for display contents such as whether or not to display file extensions by the operating system of the first device 20 may affect the processing of the first device 20 with respect to the processing target system 40. The setting information is often changed independently by the user who actually operates the first device 20, that is, by the operator, without considering the influence on software processing.

Therefore, when an error occurs in the processing of the first device 20 for the processing target system 40, the cause of the error is either in the first device 20 that executes the software or in the processing target system 40. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between

Therefore, the information processing device 10 stores the first error information 22 output by the first device 20 and the second error information output by the second device 30 that holds the original setting information 31 regarding the software execution environment. Depending on the comparison with the error information 32, the cause of the error is isolated. Thereby, the information processing device 10 can efficiently isolate the cause of the error. For example, a maintenance person investigating the cause of an error can quickly select whether to investigate the first device 20 or the processing target system 40 based on the determination result of the information processing device 10. Detailed investigation into the cause of the error for the investigation target can be started quickly. In this way, the information processing device 10 can support efficient investigation of the cause of the error.

The information processing device 10 is particularly useful for isolating the cause of errors in software that processes various systems or is affected by various setting information in the execution environment, such as software that implements RPA. be. For example, the software has a huge amount of configuration information in the execution environment that may be affected, and it is difficult to know all of the configuration information in advance. By using the information processing device 10, the cause of the error can be isolated without knowing all the setting information of the execution environment. Further, when a variety of systems including systems operated by third parties are to be processed, it is difficult to grasp all changes in each system in advance. By using the information processing device 10, it is possible to isolate the cause of an error without knowing all the changes in the system to be processed.

Note that the information processing device 10 may have the function of a second device. That is, the storage unit 11 may retain the original setting information 31. Further, the processing unit 12 may acquire the second error information 32 by executing processing on the processing target system 40 based on the original setting information 31 stored in the storage unit 11.

Below, the functions of the information processing device 10 will be explained in more detail using a more specific example.
[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information processing system according to the second embodiment.
The information processing system of the second embodiment includes an information processing device 100, an operation terminal 200, and a maintenance terminal 300. The information processing device 100, the operation terminal 200, and the maintenance terminal 300 are connected to the network 60. An operation target system 400 is connected to the network 60 . The network 60 may be a LAN, a WAN, or the Internet.

The information processing device 100 is a server computer that supports the operation of software that implements RPA. When an error occurs in the execution of the robot at the operation terminal 200, the information processing apparatus 100 acquires information collected at the operation terminal 200 and the maintenance terminal 300, and isolates the cause of the error, that is, the cause of the error.

The operation terminal 200 is a client computer operated by an operator. The operational terminal 200 is a terminal in an operational environment. The operation terminal 200 executes the robot. The robot is realized by software executed by the operation terminal 200. For example, the operation terminal 200 executes a robot agent application that starts a robot in response to a user's operation or an instruction from the information processing device 100. By executing the robot, the operation terminal 200 automatically performs operations such as data input on the GUI provided by the operation target system 400. The operation terminal 200 is an example of the first device 20 of the first embodiment.

Maintenance terminal 300 is a client computer operated by a maintenance person. The maintenance terminal 300 is a terminal in a maintenance environment. The maintenance terminal 300 is used for robot development and maintenance. For example, a developer or a maintenance person uses the maintenance terminal 300 to develop a robot and check its operation. The maintenance terminal 300 distributes information about the developed robot to the operation terminal 200 via the information processing device 100. The maintenance terminal 300 holds configuration information of the execution environment of the robot, such as information regarding the settings of the operating system (OS) and information defining the robot, in a state where the operation of the robot has been confirmed. The maintenance terminal 300 can also execute a robot. The robot is realized by software executed by the maintenance terminal 300. For example, like the operation terminal 200, the maintenance terminal 300 also executes a robot agent application. Maintenance terminal 300 is an example of second device 30 of the first embodiment. For example, at the initial stage, the execution environment setting information of the operation terminal 200 may be set to be the same as the execution environment setting information of the maintenance terminal 300. For example, the maintenance terminal 300 may distribute configuration information of the execution environment of the maintenance terminal 300 to the operation terminal 200. However, the setting information of the operational terminal 200 can be changed by the operator.

The operation target system 400 is a computer system that provides a GUI that is operated by the operation terminal 200. For example, the operation target system 400 may function as a web server and provide the operational terminal 200 with a web page equivalent to a GUI. The GUI provided by the operation target system 400 can also be accessed from the maintenance terminal 300. The operation target system 400 is operated by a third party different from the users of the information processing device 100, the operation terminal 200, and the maintenance terminal 300. Therefore, the GUI provided by the operation target system 400 may be changed according to the convenience of a third party.

The operation target system 400 can execute a predetermined application that provides a GUI, accepts operations by the operation terminal 200, and the like. Changes to the operation target system 400 are made by changing application specifications, GUI specifications, and the like. The operation target system 400 may be called an operation target resource. The operation target system 400 is an example of the processing target system 40 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware of an information processing device.
The information processing device 100 includes a CPU 101 , a RAM 102 , an HDD 103 , a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 104 , an input interface 105 , a medium reader 106 , and an NIC (Network Interface Card) 107 . Note that the CPU 101 is an example of the processing unit 12 of the first embodiment. The RAM 102 or the HDD 103 is an example of the storage unit 11 of the first embodiment.

The CPU 101 is a processor that executes program instructions. The CPU 101 loads at least part of the program and data stored in the HDD 103 into the RAM 102, and executes the program. Note that the CPU 101 may include multiple processor cores. Furthermore, the information processing device 100 may include multiple processors. The processing described below may be performed in parallel using multiple processors or processor cores. Furthermore, a set of multiple processors is sometimes referred to as a "multiprocessor" or simply "processor."

The RAM 102 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and data used for calculations by the CPU 101. Note that the information processing device 100 may include a type of memory other than RAM, or may include a plurality of memories.

The HDD 103 is a nonvolatile storage device that stores software programs such as an OS, middleware, and application software, and data. Note that the information processing device 100 may include other types of storage devices such as flash memory and SSD (Solid State Drive), or may include a plurality of nonvolatile storage devices.

The GPU 104 outputs an image to the display 61 connected to the information processing apparatus 100 according to instructions from the CPU 101. As the display 61, any type of display can be used, such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a plasma display, or an Organic Electro-Luminescence (OEL) display.

The input interface 105 acquires an input signal from the input device 62 connected to the information processing apparatus 100 and outputs it to the CPU 101. As the input device 62, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch pad, a pointing device such as a trackball, a keyboard, a remote controller, a button switch, etc. can be used. Furthermore, multiple types of input devices may be connected to the information processing apparatus 100.

The medium reader 106 is a reading device that reads programs and data recorded on the recording medium 63. As the recording medium 63, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk (MO), a semiconductor memory, etc. can be used. Magnetic disks include flexible disks (FDs) and HDDs. Optical discs include CDs (Compact Discs) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs).

For example, the media reader 106 copies programs and data read from the recording medium 63 to other recording media such as the RAM 102 and the HDD 103. The read program is executed by the CPU 101, for example. Note that the recording medium 63 may be a portable recording medium, and may be used for distributing programs and data. Furthermore, the recording medium 63 and the HDD 103 are sometimes referred to as computer-readable recording media.

The NIC 107 is an interface that is connected to the network 60 and communicates with other computers via the network 60. The NIC 107 is connected to a communication device such as a switch or a router by a cable, for example.

Note that the operation terminal 200, the maintenance terminal 300, and the operation target system 400 are also realized by the same hardware as the information processing device 100.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional example of the information processing system.

The information processing device 100 includes a storage section 110, a robot management section 120, and an error analysis section 130. For the storage unit 110, a storage area of the RAM 102 or the HDD 103 is used. The robot management section 120 and the error analysis section 130 are realized by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in the RAM 102.

Operational terminal 200 includes a storage unit 210 and a robot 220. For the storage unit 210, a storage area of the RAM or HDD of the operation terminal 200 is used. The robot 220 is realized by the CPU of the operation terminal 200 executing a program stored in the RAM of the operation terminal 200.

Maintenance terminal 300 has a storage section 310 and a robot 320. For the storage unit 310, a storage area of the RAM or HDD of the maintenance terminal 300 is used. The robot 320 is realized by the CPU of the maintenance terminal 300 executing a program stored in the RAM of the maintenance terminal 300.

The storage unit 110 stores robot process information indicating an operation procedure for the operation target system 400 by the robot. The robot process information is information that defines a robot, and is generated by the maintenance terminal 300. The robot process information includes, for example, a script that describes the operating procedure of the robot with respect to the GUI.

Furthermore, the storage unit 110 stores collected information collected at each of the operation terminal 200 and the maintenance terminal 300. The collected information includes error logs. The error log is information about errors that occur during robot execution on the relevant terminal.

The robot management unit 120 manages robot process information. The robot management unit 120 acquires robot process information of the robot developed by the maintenance terminal 300 and stores it in the storage unit 110. The robot management unit 120 transmits the robot process information stored in the storage unit 110 to the operation terminal 200.

When an error occurs in the execution of the robot by the operation terminal 200, the error analysis unit 130 acquires the collected information collected by the operation terminal 200 and stores it in the storage unit 110. Additionally, the error analysis unit 130 acquires collected information collected by the maintenance terminal 300 and stores it in the storage unit 110.

The error analysis unit 130 determines whether an error occurred in the operation terminal 200 based on error information included in the information collected by the operation terminal 200 and error information included in the information collected by the maintenance terminal 300, which are stored in the storage unit 110. Determine the cause of the error. If the error information on the operation terminal 200 and the error information on the maintenance terminal 300 are the same, the error analysis unit 130 determines that the error on the operation terminal 200 is an error caused by a change in the operation target system 400. If the error information on the operation terminal 200 and the error information on the maintenance terminal 300 are different, the error analysis unit 130 determines that the error on the operation terminal 200 is an error caused by a change in the execution environment of the robot on the operation terminal 200. do. The error analysis unit 130 uses the main body of the error message, that is, the part that is not affected by environmental differences, time stamps, user IDs at the time of robot execution, etc., as error information to be compared.

The error analysis unit 130 outputs the determination result of the cause of the error. For example, the error analysis unit 130 may display the determination result of the cause of the error on the display 61. The error analysis unit 130 may transmit information indicating the determination result of the cause of the error to another computer such as the maintenance terminal 300.

The storage unit 210 stores setting information regarding the execution environment of the robot 220. The setting information includes setting information of the OS of the operation terminal 200, robot process information of the robot 220, and the like. The storage unit 210 stores error logs output by the robot 220.

The robot 220 automatically performs operations such as inputting data to the GUI of the operation target system 400. For example, the operator can activate the robot 220 using the operation terminal 200 and have the robot 220 perform an operation on the operation target system 400. The robot 220 outputs an error log while performing a series of operations on the operation target system 400 to the storage unit 210.

The storage unit 310 stores setting information regarding the execution environment of the robot 320. The setting information includes setting information of the OS of the maintenance terminal 300, robot process information of the robot 320, and the like. The OS of the operation terminal 200 and the OS of the maintenance terminal 300 are the same. The storage unit 310 stores error logs output by the robot 320.

The robot 320 automatically performs operations such as inputting data to the GUI of the operation target system 400. For example, a maintenance person can activate the robot 320 using the maintenance terminal 300 and have the robot 320 perform an operation on the operation target system 400. The robot 320 outputs an error log while performing a series of operations on the operation target system 400 to the storage unit 310.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a robot management table.
The robot management table 111 is a table for managing robot process information. The robot management table 111 is stored in the storage unit 110. The robot management table 111 includes items of robot ID (IDentifier) and robot process information. In the robot ID field, a robot ID, which is identification information of the robot, is registered. Robot process information is registered in the robot process information item.

For example, the robot management table 111 has a record of robot ID "r1" and robot process information "process1.dat". This record indicates that the robot process information of the robot identified by robot ID "r1" is "process1.dat".

Records of other robot IDs and robot process information are also registered in the robot management table 111.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of collected information for the operational environment.

The operational environment collection information table 112 is a table that holds the collection information of the operational terminal 200. The operational environment error message table 113 is a table that holds error messages included in the collected information of the operational terminal 200. The operating environment collection information table 112 and the operating environment error message table 113 are stored in the storage unit 110 in association with robot IDs. That is, the operating environment collection information table 112 and the operating environment error message table 113 exist for each robot ID.

The operating environment collection information table 112 includes items of ID, file name, and file path. In the ID field, an ID for identifying a record is registered. In the file name field, file names indicating files such as error logs and execution environment setting information are registered. In the file path item, the path of the corresponding file in the operation terminal 200 is registered.

For example, the operational environment collection information table 112 has a record of ID "1", file name "error1.log", and file path "C:...\error1.log". The record indicates that a file with the file name "error1.log" is output on the operation terminal 200, and the path of the file is "C:...\error1.log". For example, in the operating environment collection information table 112, a file whose file name has an extension of ".log" is an error log output during execution of the robot 220.

Further, the operational environment collection information table 112 has a record of ID "2", file name "environment.txt", and file path "C:...\environment.txt". The record indicates that a file with the file name "environment.txt" is output on the operation terminal 200, and the path of the file is "C:...\environment.txt". For example, in the operational environment collection information table 112, a file whose file name has an extension of ".txt" is ancillary data output along with an error log output during execution of the robot 220. The data is, for example, environmental information indicating settings such as the OS in the operation terminal 200, and is output by the robot 220 in response to an error occurring in the robot 220. The environmental information is used for detailed investigations into the cause of errors.

Other error logs such as an error log with the file name "error2.log" and an error log with the file name "error3.log" are also registered in the operational environment collection information table 112.

The operational environment error message table 113 includes the following items: ID, collection information ID, date and time of occurrence, and error message. In the ID field, an ID for identifying a record is registered. The ID of the record in the operational environment collection information table 112, that is, the collection information ID, is registered in the collection information ID field. The date and time of occurrence of the error included in the error log corresponding to the collection information ID is registered in the date and time of occurrence item. In the error message field, an error message indicating the content of the error included in the error log is registered.

For example, the operational environment error message table 113 has ID "1", collection information ID "1, 2", date and time of occurrence "2021/1/1", and error message "An error occurred in xx. AA does not exist. It has a record of . This record includes the corresponding error message in the error log with the file name "error1.log" that corresponds to the collection information ID "1", and the error indicated in the error message was posted on January 1, 2021. Indicates that this occurred. Note that although only the date is shown as the date and time of occurrence, the date and time of occurrence may also include time. A timestamp indicating the date and time of occurrence is recorded in the corresponding error log along with the error message. Additionally, the collection information ID "2" in the record with ID "1" in the operational environment error message table 113 indicates that the file name "environment.txt" is acquired along with the error log with the file name "error1.log". Show that there is.

The operational environment error message table 113 also registers error messages included in other error logs, such as the error log with the file name "error2.log" and the error log with the file name "error3.log."

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of collected information for a maintenance environment.
The maintenance environment collection information table 114 is a table that holds collection information of the maintenance terminal 300. The maintenance environment error message table 115 is a table that holds error messages included in the collected information of the maintenance terminal 300. The maintenance environment collection information table 114 and the maintenance environment error message table 115 are stored in the storage unit 110 in association with robot IDs. For example, the maintenance environment collection information table 114 and the maintenance environment error message table 115 exist for each robot ID.

The maintenance environment collection information table 114 includes items of ID, file name, and file path. In the ID field, an ID for identifying a record is registered. In the file name field, file names indicating files such as error logs and execution environment setting information are registered. In the file path item, the path of the corresponding file in the maintenance terminal 300 is registered.

Examples of records registered in the maintenance environment collection information table 114 are similar to examples of records registered in the operational environment collection information table 112.
The maintenance environment error message table 115 includes the following items: ID, collection information ID, date and time of occurrence, and error message. In the ID field, an ID for identifying a record is registered. In the collection information ID field, the ID of the record in the maintenance environment collection information table 114, that is, the collection information ID is registered. The date and time of occurrence of the error included in the error log corresponding to the collection information ID is registered in the date and time of occurrence item. In the error message field, an error message indicating the content of the error included in the error log is registered.

Examples of records registered in the maintenance environment error message table 115 are similar to examples of records registered in the operational environment error message table.
Next, the processing procedure of the information processing device 100 will be explained.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing example of the information processing device.
(S10) When an error occurs in the processing of the operation target system 400 by the robot 220 in the operation terminal 200, the error analysis unit 130 acquires information collected at the time of the error in the operation terminal 200. The collected information includes the robot ID of the robot 220 in which an error occurred during execution. The error analysis unit 130 stores the collected information in the storage unit 110. That is, the error analysis unit 130 registers the error log and environment information included in the collected information in the operational environment collected information table 112. Additionally, the error analysis unit 130 registers error messages included in the error log in the operating environment error message table 113.

(S11) The robot management unit 120 instructs the maintenance terminal 300 to execute the same robot as the error target robot of the operation terminal 200. That is, the robot management unit 120 instructs the maintenance terminal 300 to execute the robot 320 having the same robot ID as the robot ID corresponding to the collection information acquired in step S10. The robot management unit 120 may provide the maintenance terminal 300 with robot process information corresponding to the robot ID based on the robot management table 111. The robot management unit 120 may cause the robot 320 corresponding to the robot ID to execute processing on the operation target system 400 based on the provided robot process information.

Here, the robot 220 and the robot 320 are robots corresponding to the same robot ID. The robot 220 and the robot 320 are expected to process the operation target system 400 using the same procedure.

Note that the execution instruction of the robot 320 to the maintenance terminal 300 in step S11 may be performed by, for example, operating the maintenance terminal 300 by a maintenance person.
(S12) The error analysis unit 130 determines whether an error has occurred during execution of the robot 320 on the maintenance terminal 300. If an error occurs, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S13. If no error has occurred, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S17. For example, the error analysis unit 130 receives a notification from the maintenance terminal 300 as to whether an error has occurred during execution of the robot 320, and performs the determination in step S12 based on the notification.

(S13) The error analysis unit 130 collects error messages from the maintenance terminal 300. For example, the error analysis unit 130 acquires collected information at the maintenance terminal 300 and extracts an error message from the collected information. The error analysis unit 130 stores the collected information in the storage unit 110. That is, the error analysis unit 130 registers the error log and environment information included in the collection information in the maintenance environment collection information table 114. Additionally, the error analysis unit 130 registers error messages included in the error log in the maintenance environment error message table 115.

(S14) The error analysis unit 130 compares the error message collected by the operation terminal 200 and the error message collected by the maintenance terminal 300.
(S15) The error analysis unit 130 determines whether there is a difference between the error message collected by the operation terminal 200 and the error message collected by the maintenance terminal 300 as a result of the comparison in step S14. If there is no difference, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S16. If there is a difference, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S17.

(S16) The error analysis unit 130 identifies the cause of the error as a change in the operation target system 400. The error analysis unit 130 outputs information indicating the identified cause of the error. Then, the processing of the information processing device 100 ends.

(S17) The error analysis unit 130 identifies the cause of the error as an environment difference, that is, a difference between the execution environment setting information of the robot 220 and the execution environment setting information of the robot 320. Regarding the execution environment of the robot 320, the maintenance terminal 300 holds setting information whose operation has been confirmed for the robot 320, that is, original setting information. Therefore, the difference between the execution environment setting information of the robot 220 and the execution environment setting information of the robot 320 means that the execution environment setting information of the robot 220 is different from the original setting information. For example, the difference may occur when the operator changes the configuration information of the execution environment of the operation terminal 200. The error analysis unit 130 outputs information indicating the identified cause of the error. Then, the processing of the information processing device 100 ends.

Note that the collected information obtained from the operation terminal 200 may include a plurality of error messages. In this case, the error analysis unit 130 may isolate the cause of the error indicated by each of the plurality of error messages by executing the steps from step S14 onward for each of the plurality of error messages.

Furthermore, the collected information acquired from the maintenance terminal 300 may include multiple error messages. In this case, the error analysis unit 130 repeatedly executes the steps from step S14 onward for each of the plurality of error messages collected by the maintenance terminal 300, and compares the error messages with the error messages collected by the operation terminal 200. You may try to isolate the cause. For example, if the error message collected by the operation terminal 200 matches any of the plurality of error messages collected by the maintenance terminal 300, the error analysis unit 130 determines the cause of the error of the error message collected by the operation terminal 200. , identify changes to the system being operated on. In addition, if the error message collected by the operation terminal 200 does not match any of the plurality of error messages collected by the maintenance terminal 300, the error analysis unit 130 determines whether the error message collected by the operation terminal 200 is an error message. Identify the cause as environmental differences.

For example, when comparing the operating environment error message table 113 and the maintenance environment error message table 115, the error analysis unit 130 isolates the cause of the error as follows. That is, the error analysis unit 130 determines that the error messages with IDs “1, 3” in the operating environment error message table 113 are errors caused by a change in the operation target system 400. This is because the same error messages with IDs “1, 3” in the operating environment error message table 113 exist in the maintenance environment error message table 115. Furthermore, the error analysis unit 130 determines that the error message with ID “2” in the operational environment error message table 113 is an error caused by a difference in the environment of the operational terminal 200. This is because the same error message as ID "2" in the operating environment error message table 113 does not exist in the maintenance environment error message table 115.

The error analysis unit 130 may display information indicating the cause of the error on the display 61 or may transmit it to the maintenance terminal 300 in steps S16 and S17. For example, the maintenance person can confirm the cause of the error and start a detailed investigation of the cause of the error in the location indicated by the cause of the error, that is, the operation terminal 200 or the operation target system 400. In this way, the information processing apparatus 100 is used for the initial stage of isolation of the cause of the error, that is, the primary isolation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of primary isolation of the cause of an error.
The operator uses the operation terminal 200 to cause the robot 220 to perform an operation on the operation target system 400. When an error occurs in the operation of the operation target system 400 by the robot 220, the robot 220 outputs collected information 230 to the storage unit 210. The collected information 230 includes, for example, an error log 231, environmental information 232, and an error message 233. The operator uses the operation terminal 200 to send the collected information 230 by e-mail or the like addressed to the maintainer's e-mail address (step ST10).

The maintenance person uses the maintenance terminal 300 to obtain the collected information 230 sent to the maintenance person's e-mail address. The maintenance person registers the collected information 230 in the information processing apparatus 100 using the maintenance terminal 300. That is, the information processing device 100 acquires the collected information 230 from the maintenance terminal 300. The information processing apparatus 100 then registers the error log 231 and environment information 232 included in the collection information 230 in the operational environment collection information table 112. Further, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the error message 233 included in the collected information 230 in the operating environment error message table 113.

When the maintenance person receives the occurrence of an error in the robot 220 on the operation terminal 200, the maintenance person uses the maintenance terminal 300 to cause the robot 320 to perform an operation on the operation target system 400. As mentioned above, robot 320 corresponds to the same robot ID as robot 220. When an error occurs in the operation of the operation target system 400 by the robot 320, the robot 320 outputs collected information 330 to the storage unit 310. The collected information 330 includes, for example, an error log 331, environment information 332, and an error message 333. In this way, the maintenance person uses the maintenance terminal 300 to collect the collection information 330 (step ST11).

Note that, as described above, if no error occurs in the robot 320, the information processing device 100 detects that no error occurs in the robot 320, and determines that the cause of the error that occurred in the operation terminal 200 is the robot. 220 execution environment settings.

A maintenance person uses the maintenance terminal 300 to register collected information 330 in the information processing device 100 . That is, the information processing device 100 acquires the collected information 330 from the maintenance terminal 300. The information processing apparatus 100 then registers the error log 331 and environment information 332 included in the collection information 330 in the maintenance environment collection information table 114. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the error message 333 included in the collected information 330 in the maintenance environment error message table 115.

When the error message 233 is registered in the operational environment error message table 113 and the error message 333 is registered in the maintenance environment error message table 115, the information processing apparatus 100 compares the error messages 233 and 333. The information processing device 100 isolates the cause of the error based on the comparison of the error messages 233 and 333 (step ST12). As described above, if the error message 233 and the error message 333 are the same, the information processing apparatus 100 identifies that the change in the operation target system 400 is the cause of the error. On the other hand, if the error message 233 and the error message 333 are different, the information processing apparatus 100 identifies that the cause of the error is a change in the execution environment settings of the robot 220 on the operation terminal 200. The information processing device 100 then outputs information indicating the identified error cause.

In this way, the information processing apparatus 100 can efficiently isolate the cause of an error that occurs during execution of the robot 220. For example, the information processing apparatus 100 does not require the maintenance person to compare both the environment information 232 and the environment information 332 and to investigate changes in the operation target system 400 in order to isolate the cause of the error. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 100 can omit unnecessary investigation of locations that are not the cause of errors. In other words, the information processing apparatus 100 can narrow down the target locations for a detailed investigation into the cause of the error by the maintenance person, and can assist the maintenance person in conducting a detailed investigation focusing on the target locations.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The points that are different from the second embodiment described above will be mainly explained, and the explanations of the common points will be omitted.

The third embodiment provides a function in which the information processing device 100 waits to receive collected information from the operational terminal 200, and automatically isolates the cause of the error upon receiving the collected information from the operational terminal 200. do.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing example of the information processing apparatus according to the third embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the information processing apparatus 100 executes step S10a instead of step S10, and executes step S11a instead of step S11 in the flowchart of the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. different from. Below, steps S10a and S11a will be explained, and explanations of steps S12 to S17 will be omitted.

(S10a) The error analysis unit 130 determines whether or not collected information at the time of an error of the operational terminal 200 has been received. When receiving the collected information, the error analysis unit 130 stores the collected information in the storage unit 110 and advances the process to step S11a. If the collected information is not received, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S10a and waits for reception of the collected information.

(S11a) The robot management unit 120 instructs the maintenance terminal 300 to execute the same robot as the error target robot of the operation terminal 200. That is, the robot management unit 120 instructs the maintenance terminal 300 to execute the robot 320 having the same robot ID as the robot ID corresponding to the collection information acquired in step S10a. The robot management unit 120 may provide the maintenance terminal 300 with robot process information corresponding to the robot ID based on the robot management table 111. The robot management unit 120 may cause the robot 320 corresponding to the robot ID to execute processing on the operation target system 400 based on the provided robot process information. Then, the robot management unit 120 advances the process to step S12.

In this way, the information processing device 100 may start processing to isolate the cause of the error upon receiving the collected information from the operation terminal 200.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of primary isolation of error causes.

The operator uses the operation terminal 200 to cause the robot 220 to perform an operation on the operation target system 400. When an error occurs in the operation of the operation target system 400 by the robot 220, the robot 220 outputs collected information 230 to the storage unit 210. The collected information 230 includes, for example, an error log 231, environmental information 232, and an error message 233. The operation terminal 200 transmits the collected information 230 to the information processing device 100 (step ST20).

For example, the operation terminal 200 may transmit the collected information 230 by e-mail addressed to, for example, the e-mail address of the maintainer. The e-mail includes the robot ID of the robot in which the error occurred. In this case, the information processing apparatus 100 may acquire the collection information 230 by receiving the email. For example, the information processing device 100 may receive a notification that the e-mail has been received from a mail server that receives the e-mail, and may acquire an e-mail including the collection information 230 from the mail server in response to the notification. . For example, the operation terminal 200 may insert specific identification information indicating an error in the robot 220 into the email. In this way, the mail server can notify the information processing apparatus 100 that an e-mail including the collected information 230 has been received in response to the detection of the specific identification information.

The information processing apparatus 100 registers the error log 231 and environment information 232 included in the collection information 230 in the operational environment collection information table 112. Further, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the error message 233 included in the collected information 230 in the operating environment error message table 113.

The information processing device 100 instructs the maintenance terminal 300 to execute the robot 320 corresponding to the robot ID included in the notification such as the e-mail (step ST21). As mentioned above, robot 320 corresponds to the same robot ID as robot 220. When the maintenance terminal 300 receives an instruction from the information processing device 100, the maintenance terminal 300 executes processing for the operation target system 400 by the robot 320.

When an error occurs in the operation of the operation target system 400 by the robot 320, the robot 320 outputs collected information 330 to the storage unit 310. The collected information 330 includes, for example, an error log 331, environment information 332, and an error message 333. The maintenance terminal 300 transmits the collected information 330 to the information processing device 100. In this way, the information processing device 100 uses the maintenance terminal 300 to collect the collected information 330 (step ST22).

Note that, as described above, when no error occurs in the robot 320, the information processing apparatus 100 detects that no error occurs in the robot 320 based on the notification from the maintenance terminal 300. Based on this detection, the information processing device 100 identifies that the cause of the error that occurred in the operation terminal 200 is in the settings of the execution environment of the robot 220.

The information processing apparatus 100 registers the error log 331 and environment information 332 included in the collection information 330 in the maintenance environment collection information table 114. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 100 registers the error message 333 included in the collected information 330 in the maintenance environment error message table 115.

When the error message 233 is registered in the operational environment error message table 113 and the error message 333 is registered in the maintenance environment error message table 115, the information processing apparatus 100 compares the error messages 233 and 333. The information processing device 100 isolates the cause of the error based on the comparison of the error messages 233 and 333 (step ST23). If the error message 233 and the error message 333 are the same, the information processing device 100 identifies that the change in the operation target system 400 is the cause of the error. On the other hand, if the error message 233 and the error message 333 are different, the information processing apparatus 100 identifies that the cause of the error is a change in the execution environment settings of the robot 220 on the operation terminal 200. The information processing device 100 then outputs information indicating the identified error cause.

In this way, the information processing apparatus 100 can efficiently isolate the cause of an error that occurs during execution of the robot 220. For example, the information processing device 100 does not require the maintenance person to compare the environment information 232 and the environment information 332 and investigate the changes in the operation target system 400 in order to isolate the cause of the error. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 100 can omit unnecessary investigation of locations that are not the cause of errors. In other words, the information processing apparatus 100 can narrow down the target locations for a detailed investigation into the cause of the error by the maintenance person, and can assist the maintenance person in conducting a detailed investigation focusing on the target locations.

In particular, upon receiving the collected information 230, the information processing apparatus 100 automatically isolates the cause of the error. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 100 can omit operations by a maintenance person associated with isolating the cause of an error, and can further improve the efficiency of isolating the cause of an error.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Items that are different from the second and third embodiments described above will be mainly described, and descriptions of common items will be omitted.

In the fourth embodiment, the information processing device 100 allows a part of the processing performed by the robot 320 on the maintenance terminal 300 to be skipped. Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can avoid the data update process for the operation target system 400 from being performed redundantly with the same process for the robot 220.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a robot process.
The robot process 500 shows a processing procedure for the operation target system 400 by the robot 320. Robot process 500 is defined by robot process information.

For example, the robot process 500 includes the steps of robot process pre-processing, process processing P1, process processing P2, . . . , data update processing U1, data update processing U2, . . . , data update processing UN, . Robot process preprocessing is processing such as reading robot process setting information, that is, robot process information. Each of the data update processes U1, U2, ..., UN includes adding new data to the operation target system 400, updating existing data, and deleting existing data.

In order to enable the data update process to be skipped, the robot process 500 includes a step of determining whether a skip flag for the data update process is ON, for example, immediately before the data update process U1. The skip flag is a flag for controlling whether to skip subsequent data update processing. Skip flag = OFF indicates that the subsequent data update process is executed without skipping. Skip flag=ON indicates that subsequent data update processing is skipped.

More specifically, the robot process 500 displays a web page provided by the operation target system 400, selects an input form included in the web page, inputs data into the input form, and finalizes the input data. , including a series of steps such as. For example, the process of confirming data entered into an input form, such as pressing a confirm button to confirm input contents, corresponds to the process of updating data in data items corresponding to the input form. The information processing apparatus 100 uses the setting of the skip flag to enable skipping the actual data updating performed by the maintenance robot 320.

Note that one transaction unit of data update processing for the operation target system 400 becomes a skip target based on the ON/OFF determination of the skip flag. In the example of the robot process 500, a plurality of processes are included in one data update process transaction. However, for an operation such as "pressing a data update button" in which execution/non-execution of a data update process is performed in one process, the processing range to be skipped is only that one process. Furthermore, in the case where a plurality of data update processes exist in the robot process, the robot process 500 may provide a skip flag for each data update process and control whether or not to skip each data update process. Alternatively, the robot process 500 may provide only one skip flag for all of the plurality of data update processes, and immediately before executing each of the plurality of data update processes, based on the skip flag, the next data update process can be performed. It may also be a procedure for controlling whether or not to skip.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a skip flag table.
Skip flag table 116 is stored in storage unit 110. The skip flag table 116 includes items of robot ID and skip flag. The robot ID is registered in the robot ID field. A skip flag is registered in the skip flag item.

For example, the skip flag table 116 has a record of robot ID "r1" and skip flag "ON". This record indicates that the skip flag is "ON" for the robot with robot ID "r1".

Skip flags corresponding to other robot IDs are also registered in the skip flag table 116. Note that, as described above, a skip flag may be provided for each data update process in the robot process of one robot. In that case, the skip flag table 116 holds a skip flag in association with the robot ID and the identifier of the data update process in the robot process identified by the robot ID.

Next, a processing procedure using the skip flag by the information processing apparatus 100 will be described.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing example of the information processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.
The fourth embodiment differs from the flowchart of the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 in that the information processing apparatus 100 executes steps S11b, S11c, and S11d between steps S11 and S12. . Below, steps S11b, S11c, and S11d will be explained, and explanations of steps S10, S11, and S12 to S17 will be omitted. Step S11b is executed next to step S11.

(S11b) The error analysis unit 130 determines, based on the skip flag table 116, whether the skip flag for the robot ID of the robot 220 is ON, that is, whether the skip flag=ON. If the skip flag is ON, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S11c. If the skip flag is OFF, the error analysis unit 130 advances the process to step S11d.

(S11c) The error analysis unit 130 controls the robot 320 to skip the data update process by notifying the maintenance terminal 300 that the skip flag is ON. The error analysis unit 130 then advances the process to step S12.

(S11d) The error analysis unit 130 controls the robot 320 not to skip the data update process by notifying the maintenance terminal 300 that the skip flag is OFF. The error analysis unit 130 then advances the process to step S12.

Note that the skip flag table 116 may hold a skip flag for each identifier of data update processing, as described above. In this case, the error analysis unit 130 controls execution/non-execution of each data update process by the robot 320 according to ON/OFF of the skip flag for each data update process identifier.

Further, the information processing device 100 may execute steps S10a and S11a illustrated in the third embodiment instead of steps S10 and S11. In that case, the information processing device 100 executes step S11b after step S11a.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of robot processing according to the skip flag.
When notifying the maintenance terminal 300 of an execution instruction for the robot 320, the information processing device 100 adds a skip flag to the execution instruction. If the skip flag is OFF, the robot 320 executes the data update process included in the robot process 500 of the robot 320. That is, the robot 320 updates the data held by the operation target system 400. On the other hand, if the skip flag=ON, the robot 320 skips the data update process included in the robot process of the robot 320. That is, even if the robot 320 inputs data to the GUI of the operation target system 400 as an operation to isolate the cause of the error, it does not go so far as to update the data held in the operation target system 400 with the input data. .

Here, when the robot 320 of the maintenance terminal 300 performs data update processing on the operation target system 400, the data held in the operation target system 400 may be different from the operation result by the robot 220 of the operation terminal 200. There is. In this case, the data held in the operation target system 400 may be inconsistent or inconsistent with respect to the actual operation processing performed by the robot 220, which may adversely affect the actual operation processing. Therefore, the information processing apparatus 100 allows the data update process by the maintenance robot 320 to be skipped using a skip flag, thereby suppressing the impact of the execution of the robot 320 on the actual operation process.

As illustrated in the second to fourth embodiments, the information processing apparatus 100 can efficiently isolate the cause of an error.
By the way, when operating and maintaining an RPA system or RPA robot, the following points arise regarding the causes of errors that occur in the robot.

The first problem is due to environmental differences.
In other words, even though the robot processes are the same, the execution results of the robot differ between the maintenance environment and the operation environment due to differences in settings between the maintenance environment and the operation environment, as well as differences in the settings of the systems such as applications and websites operated by the robot. It may be different. The maintenance environment may be the same as the robot development environment. The settings of the robot execution environment in the development environment are the same as the settings of the robot execution environment in the maintenance environment.

In addition, even if the developer, maintainer, and operator of the robot have the same settings for the maintenance environment and the operating environment, and start operating the operating environment, after the start of operation, the user (operator) using the robot may The operating environment may change from time to time. In this case, an error may suddenly occur in a robot that was initially operating normally.

The user may not be able to determine whether or not the change will affect the robot when changing the settings of the operating environment described above. For example, settings that are determined to have no direct effect on robot execution are likely to be changed by the user. An example of an error caused by the setting location is a phenomenon in which the behavior of the robot changes depending on whether or not to display a "file name extension" in the folder explorer settings of the Windows (registered trademark) OS. It is difficult for the user to directly confirm such changes made by the user, and it may be difficult to investigate the cause of an error in the robot.

The second problem is a problem caused by a change in the operation target system 400.
The settings of the operation target system 400 that is the operation target of the robot may be changed by a third party other than the operator of the RPA system or the robot user. Therefore, settings changes that affect the robot's processing may be made at unintended times, resulting in errors in the robot's processing. It is difficult to avoid errors in response to changes in the operation target system 400 through system operations by users of RPA products, improvements in robot maintenance methods, and RPA product functions.

For example, the following first, second, and third solutions may be considered for the first problem, but each solution causes another problem.
The first measure is to predefine the design and usage/operation conditions during robot development. In other words, when developing a robot, as a prerequisite for using the robot, it is possible to identify setting information that affects the behavior of the robot's processes, and to predefine the setting information as an operating condition so that it will not be changed during actual operation. Conceivable.

However, the objects to be automated by the RPA robot, that is, the objects to be operated, generally cover all objects that can be operated on the screen of a terminal. For this reason, the influence range and the setting range that can be set are enormous, making it difficult to identify them in advance. Furthermore, if not only the settings of the terminal but also the internal settings held by the terminal regarding the system to be operated are included, the number of setting information items to be identified increases, making it even more difficult to identify the setting information.

The second solution is to arrange a robot-dedicated terminal and use the robot on that terminal. That is, by arranging a dedicated terminal for the RPA robot as an operational environment and using the robot on that terminal, the influence of unintentional changes in environment settings by the user during the operational stage can be suppressed.

However, RPA targets the automation of routine tasks such as office work, and in many cases targets part or all of the office work, and the environment in which the robot is deployed is often the end user's terminal. There are many cases where no action can be taken. This is because the operating cost of the user's RPA system increases. Furthermore, it is not possible to completely prevent unintentional changes in environment settings by the user during the operation stage.

The third measure is to control settings changes in the robot's execution environment. That is, with respect to the execution environment of the robot, changes in the settings are locked so that the user or other applications cannot change the environment settings that would affect the process operations of the robot. However, as described above, there is a huge amount of setting information that affects the robot, and it is difficult to identify all of the setting information and then lock setting changes.

Further, the following fourth and fifth solutions can be considered for the above-mentioned second problem, but each solution causes another problem.
The fourth measure is to predefine the design and usage/operation conditions during robot development. For example, for a desktop application running on an in-house system or a terminal, an in-house integrated monitoring server can monitor the status of configuration changes to a configuration file.

However, if the operation target system 400 is an external system, such as a system managed by a third party and subject to configuration changes, version upgrades, or specification changes at any time, it may be handled by an in-house integrated monitoring server. I can't.

The fifth measure is to monitor changes such as version upgrades and specification changes of the operation target system 400. That is, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of errors by monitoring changes in the operation target system 400 and, when such changes occur, appropriately modifying the robot process information.

However, in RPA, there are a wide variety of external systems and external sites that can become the operation target system 400, and as the number of robots to be automated increases, the number of targets to be monitored becomes enormous. Therefore, it is difficult to monitor all systems. Furthermore, although monitoring itself is possible, it is not possible to detect the effects of RPA robot operation.

As described above, it is difficult to completely prevent errors from occurring in the robot 220 in the operation terminal 200.
Therefore, the information processing device 100 efficiently isolates the cause of an error when an error occurs in the robot 220 by comparing the error message generated in the operation terminal 200 and the error message generated in the maintenance terminal 300. As a result, the information processing device 100 can support maintenance personnel and the like to quickly conduct an investigation that narrows down the cause of the error. The maintenance person identifies the problem location in the robot process information of the robot 220 through a detailed investigation of the cause of the error, and corrects the robot process information. In this way, the information processing device 100 can support efficient maintenance of the RPA robot 220.

As explained above, the information processing apparatus 100 executes, for example, the following process.
The error analysis unit 130 acquires first error information indicating an error when the first device executes processing on the processing target system. The error analysis unit 130 executes the process using the second device or information processing device 100 (self-device) to which the first error information and setting information that affects the execution of the process (first setting information) are set. Based on the result of the comparison with the second error information indicating the error during execution, the error indicated by the first error information is determined by the setting information (second setting information) held by the first device. It is determined whether the error is due to a difference in setting information from the second device or the information processing device 100, or whether the error is due to a change in the processing target system.

Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can more efficiently isolate the cause of the error. For example, the information processing device 100 can efficiently isolate the cause of an error that occurs during processing in the first device. The information processing device 100 does not require the maintenance person to compare both the environment information 232 and the environment information 332 and to investigate changes in the operation target system 400 in order to isolate the cause of the error. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 100 can omit unnecessary investigation of locations that are not the cause of errors. In other words, the information processing apparatus 100 can narrow down the target locations for a detailed investigation into the cause of the error by the maintenance person, and can assist the maintenance person in conducting a detailed investigation focusing on the target locations.

Operational terminal 200 is an example of a first device. Maintenance terminal 300 is an example of a second device. The operation target system 400 is an example of a processing target system. Robot processing by software that implements RPA is an example of processing executed by the first device and processing executed by the second device. However, the processing for the processing target system may be performed by software other than RPA. Note that the information processing device 100 may have the function of the maintenance terminal 300. Alternatively, the maintenance terminal 300 may have the functions of the information processing device 100. That is, the functions of information processing device 100 and maintenance terminal 300 may be realized by one information processing device or one computer.

If the first error information and the second error information are different, the error analysis unit 130 determines whether the error indicated by the first error information is the same as the setting information held by the first device or by the second device or the second error information. It is determined that the error is caused by the setting information being different from the setting information set in the information processing apparatus 100. If the first error information and the second error information are the same, the error analysis unit 130 determines that the error indicated by the first error information is an error caused by a change in the processing target system. .

Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can appropriately isolate the cause of the error.
Upon receiving the first error information from the first device, the error analysis unit 130 causes the second device to execute processing on the processing target system, and receives second error information from the second device, or The second error information is acquired by executing the process using the information processing apparatus 100.

In this way, the information processing device 100 automatically isolates the cause of the error in response to the occurrence of an error in the first device, thereby saving the work of a maintenance person to isolate the cause of the error, for example. can. Further, the information processing device 100 can support a maintenance person to quickly start a detailed investigation of the cause of the error at the cause location.

The process that the second device or the information processing device 100 executes on the processing target system includes multiple steps. The error analysis unit 130 causes the second device or the information processing device 100 to skip the step of updating data for the processing target system among the plurality of steps when the second device or the information processing device 100 executes the processing.

Thereby, the information processing device 100 can suppress the occurrence of inconsistencies and contradictions in data held by the processing target system with respect to the processing performed by the first device. The robot process preprocessing, process processing P1, P2, . . . , and data update processing U1, U2, . . . , UN illustrated in the robot process 500 are examples of a plurality of steps.

Furthermore, if an error does not occur when the second device or the information processing device 100 executes processing on the processing target system, the error analysis unit 130 determines that the error indicated by the first error information is detected by the first device. It is determined that the error is caused by the held setting information being different from the setting information set in the second device or the information processing device 100.

Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can more efficiently isolate the cause of the error.
Further, the first error information may indicate multiple errors. Based on the result of the comparison between the first error information and the second error information, the error analysis unit 130 determines whether each of the plurality of errors indicates that the setting information held by the first device is the same as that of the second device or the information processing device. It may be determined whether the error is due to a difference from the setting information set in the device 100 or whether the error is due to a change in the processing target system.

Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can more efficiently isolate the cause of the error for a plurality of errors included in the first error information.
As described above, the processing that each of the first device and the second device executes on the processing target system may be RPA robot processing. The information processing device 100 is particularly useful for isolating the cause of errors in software that processes various systems or is affected by various setting information in the execution environment, such as software that implements RPA. .

Note that the information processing in the first embodiment can be realized by causing the processing unit 12 to execute a program. Further, the information processing in the second to fourth embodiments can be realized by causing the CPU 101 to execute a program. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium 63.

For example, the program can be distributed by distributing the recording medium 63 on which the program is recorded. Alternatively, the program may be stored in another computer and distributed via a network. For example, the computer may store (install) a program recorded on the recording medium 63 or a program received from another computer in a storage device such as the RAM 102 or the HDD 103, and read and execute the program from the storage device. good.

10 Information Processing Device 11 Storage Unit 12 Processing Unit 20 First Device 21 Setting Information 22 First Error Information 30 Second Device 31 Original Setting Information 32 Second Error Information 40 Processing Target System 50 Network

Claims (9)

to the computer,
obtaining first error information indicating an error when the first device executes processing on the processing target system;
Based on the result of a comparison between the first error information and second error information indicating an error when the process is executed by a second device configured with setting information that affects the execution of the process, The error indicated by the first error information is an error caused by the setting information held by the first device being different from the setting information set in the second device, or the error indicated by the process Determine whether the error is caused by a change in the target system.
Judgment program that executes processing. In the above judgment,
If the first error information and the second error information are different, the error indicated by the first error information is caused by the setting information held by the first device being set in the second device. It is determined that the error is caused by a difference from the configured setting information, and
If the first error information and the second error information are the same, determining that the error indicated by the first error information is an error caused by a change in the processing target system;
The determination program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to execute the process. Upon receiving the first error information from the first device,
causing the second device to execute the process on the processing target system, and acquiring the second error information from the second device;
The determination program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to execute the process. The processing executed by each of the first device and the second device includes a plurality of steps,
when the second device executes the process, skips a step of updating data for the processing target system among the plurality of steps;
The determination program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to execute the process. If no error occurs when the second device executes the process, the error indicated by the first error information is determined by the setting information held by the first device being set in the second device. It is determined that the error is caused by a difference from the configured setting information.
The determination program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to execute the process. the first error information indicates a plurality of errors;
Based on the result of the comparison between the first error information and the second error information, each of the plurality of errors causes setting information held by the first device to be set in the second device. determining whether the error is due to a difference from the setting information or the error is due to a change in the processing target system;
The determination program according to claim 1, which causes the computer to execute the process. The processing executed by each of the first device and the second device is RPA (Robotic Process Automation) robot processing,
The determination program according to claim 1. The computer is
obtaining first error information indicating an error when the first device executes processing on the processing target system;
Based on the result of a comparison between the first error information and second error information indicating an error when the process is executed by a second device configured with setting information that affects the execution of the process, The error indicated by the first error information is an error caused by the setting information held by the first device being different from the setting information set in the second device, or the error indicated by the process Determine whether the error is caused by a change in the target system.
Judgment method. First error information indicating an error when the first device executes a process for the processing target system; and a second device to which setting information that affects the execution of the process is set, or a second device to which the setting information is set. a storage unit that stores second error information indicating an error when the process is executed by the own device;
Based on the result of the comparison between the first error information and the second error information, it is determined that the error indicated by the first error information is caused by the configuration information held by the first device being a processing unit that determines whether the error is due to a difference from setting information set in the device or its own device, or whether the error is due to a change in the processing target system;
An information processing device having:

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