JP2001184190A - Format converter and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that existing data to be fetched changes since processing is performed by predetermining items of applicable converting origin data and its converting method in the case of generating each item of converting destination data and when a format of the existing data to be fetched and a format of data to be used in the present system are changed, the items of the applicable converting origin data and its converting method are modified or created again in accordance with the format. SOLUTION: This format converter consists of a converting method parameter file 102 in which an output order of the converting destination data, a format converting method, an input order of the converting origin data, etc., are enumerated, converting origin data 101, converting destination data 103, an alarm log file 104 and a format conversion processing part 105 to which plural external conversion processing modules 106 are connected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a format conversion apparatus and method, and more particularly to a method for converting existing data created by another system into a format usable by the own system when importing the data into a help desk system. The present invention relates to a format conversion apparatus and method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a help desk system,
There is a case where existing customer data or inquiry data created by another system is imported into the own system. In that case, the format of the existing data varies widely depending on the department that created the data, the created other system, and the like. For this reason, in the conventional help desk system, the existing data is converted into a format that can be used by the own system, and then the data is imported.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a format conversion apparatus used in a conventional help desk system.
FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of the processing. Hereinafter, a conventional format conversion apparatus will be briefly described with reference to FIGS.

[0006] The format conversion apparatus shown in FIG. 6 has conversion source data 601, a conversion processing unit 602, and conversion destination data 603. Here, the conversion source data 601 is conversion source data created by another system. The format conversion processing unit 602 converts the format of the conversion source data 601. Further, the conversion destination data 603 is
The conversion destination data converted by the format conversion processing unit 602 and used in the own system is shown.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 7, in step 701, the format conversion processing 6
02 starts a loop for the number of data input of the copy source data 601. In the next step 702, the conversion source data 6
01 is read. In step 703, a loop is started for the number of output items of the conversion destination data 603. In step 704, data of an item corresponding to the conversion destination data 603 to be output is extracted from the conversion source data 601 by a predetermined method, and a conversion process is selected. Step 70
5 is performed. Here, after Steps 704 and 705 are repeated for the number of output items of the conversion destination data 603, the conversion destination data is output as the conversion destination data 603 in Step 705. After that, in step 706, it is determined whether the loop of the number of output items of the conversion destination data 603 has ended. Next, in step 707, the conversion destination data 603 is output. Further, in step 708, the loop ends for the number of input cases of the conversion source data 601 are determined, and the processing is ended.

As a prior art relating to format conversion, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-274412 discloses a "general-purpose data converter". In this conventional technique, a position designation area indicating the leading end position and the end position in each row of the conversion source data or the conversion destination data, a keyword designation area holding information as a keyword, and an additional information designation area holding information as additional information are included. It has a conversion table that holds information indicating the contents of data conversion. Then, the following technology is disclosed based on the information of the position designation area of the conversion table. That is, a technique for generating conversion destination data from conversion source data. A technique for searching for data that matches information in a keyword specification area of a conversion table from conversion source data, and when matching, performs conversion processing assigned to the keyword to generate conversion destination data from the conversion source data. Then, when additional information exists in the additional information area of the conversion table, the additional information is generated as conversion destination data regardless of the content of the conversion source data.

[0007]

However, the above-mentioned conventional format conversion apparatus has the following problems. That is, when each item of the conversion destination data is generated, the corresponding conversion source data item and its conversion method are determined in advance, and the processing is performed.
The corresponding source data item and its conversion method must be modified or recreated. Further, when the format of existing data to be taken in or the format of data used in the own system is changed, the format must be similarly corrected.

[0008] The above-mentioned "general-purpose data converter" disclosed in JP-A-6-274312 includes a content of data conversion including a position designation area indicating a leading position and a trailing position in each line of conversion source data or conversion destination data. There is disclosed a technology which has a conversion table holding information indicating the conversion destination data from the conversion source data based on the information of the position designation area of the conversion table. For example, when the conversion method is determined based on the content of the conversion source data, parameters such as the position of the conversion source data to be determined and the value to be determined are required.
However, according to this conventional technique, only the keyword definition area, the conversion source data definition area, and the conversion destination data definition area are described in the conversion table, and these parameters cannot be defined. Can not.

Further, although a conversion method can be specified in the conversion table, a conversion method not previously incorporated in the data conversion processing unit cannot be specified. For this reason, after the data conversion processing unit is completed, if data that needs to be format-converted by a specified new conversion method is to be fetched, a new conversion process is added to the data conversion processing unit. Modifications must be made.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a system in which existing data created by another system is imported.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a format conversion device that can perform format conversion without modifying or recreating the format conversion process every time the import process is performed, even if the formats of the existing data are different. .

The format conversion process is also performed when the format of the existing data is changed, when the format of the data stored in the own system is changed, or when a new conversion process is required. An object of the present invention is to provide a format conversion device which enables format conversion without modification.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided a format conversion apparatus comprising: a conversion method parameter file in which the output order of conversion destination data, a format conversion method, and a conversion source data input order are listed as one set; And reads the conversion source data, extracts data items from the read conversion source data according to the input order of the conversion source data described in the conversion method parameter file, performs conversion according to the corresponding format conversion method, and outputs the conversion destination data. A format conversion processing unit that outputs the data according to the order.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conversion method parameter file includes the data format, the number of digits, and the like for each item of the conversion source data, and the format conversion processing unit performs conversion based on the data format, the number of digits, and the like. The validity of the original data is verified, and if it is determined that the data is invalid, the data is notified to the outside, and the processing proceeds to the next data processing without processing the data. An external conversion processing module is connected to the format conversion processing unit, and the external conversion module can be called by the format conversion method of the conversion method parameter file. Further, a plurality of external conversion modules are provided and can be added as needed. Further, when an alarm log file is connected to the format conversion processing unit and illegal data is detected, error processing is performed and alarm data is written.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the structure and operation of a preferred embodiment of a format conversion apparatus and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a format conversion apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a processing flowchart of the format conversion apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 shows an example of a conversion method parameter file used in the present invention. FIG. 4 shows an example of the conversion source data. FIG. 5 shows an example of the conversion destination data.

First, the format conversion apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a format conversion processing unit 105 and conversion source data 101, a conversion method parameter file 102, conversion destination data 103 connected to the format conversion processing unit 105,
It comprises an alarm log file 104 and a plurality of external conversion processing modules 106. Here, the conversion source data 101 is data created by another system.
The conversion method parameter file 102 is a conversion method parameter file that describes a conversion method and the like. The conversion destination data 103 is data used in the own system. The alarm log file 104 is a file for storing the result of detecting invalid data in the conversion source data 101. The format conversion processing unit 105 is a format conversion processing unit that performs format conversion. The external conversion processing module 106 is a group of external conversion processing modules that are called when performing conversion processing that cannot be performed inside the format conversion unit 105.

Next, in the example of the conversion method parameter file shown in FIG. 3, the conversion destination data output order 301 indicating the order of the data to be output in the item list of the conversion destination data, A format conversion method 302 for designating a format conversion process to be performed on the corresponding data, a conversion source data input order 303 indicating the number of data to be converted in the conversion source data item list, and a data format of the conversion source data 304, its number of digits 305 and 3
It has three parameters 306, 307 and 308.
If data that does not conform to this format is input, an error will occur. Here, the parameters 306 to 308 indicate parameters necessary for performing the conversion shown in the format conversion method 302. The specific conversion method corresponding to the value described in the format conversion method 302 in this example and the meaning of the symbols described in the data format 304 are shown in the figure.

Next, the overall operation of the preferred embodiment of the format converter according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, in step 201, the format conversion processing unit 105 reads the conversion method parameter file 102 and stores it inside. Step 20
In step 2, a loop is started for the number of data items of the conversion source data 101. Next, in step 203, the conversion source data 1
In step 204, a loop is started for the number of conversion methods specified in the conversion method parameter file 102. In step 205, it is checked whether the data specified by the conversion source data input order 303 shown in FIG. 3 is the data specified by the data format 304 and the number of digits 305. In step 206, the result of the check is determined, and if it is determined that the data is invalid, in step 207, alarm data is written to the alarm log file 104 as error processing. At this time, if the conversion source data input order 303, the data format 304, and the number of digits 305 are not specified, the process is continued without checking and judging that the data is normal.

Next, when it is determined in step 206 that the data is normal, the process proceeds to step 208, where the format conversion method 302 shown in FIG. To determine if it is necessary to call When it is determined that the conversion processing can be performed by the internal processing, in step 211, a processing method is selected from the “format conversion method” in FIG. In step 212, the conversion source data 101 and FIG.
Using the parameters 306 to 308 of FIG.

Next, the processing in the third line of the conversion method parameter file in FIG. 3 will be described as an example. Since it is understood from the format conversion method 302 that the process of the conversion method 3 should be performed, the conversion source data input order 30
The fourth item indicated by 3 is extracted. The data is converted to full-width katakana and set as the third item indicated by the conversion destination data rank 301 of the conversion destination data 103.

If it is determined in step 208 that the external conversion processing module 106 needs to be called, in step 209, the format conversion method 302 shown in FIG.
The external conversion processing module 106 to be called from is determined. In step 210, the appropriate external conversion processing module 106 is called using the conversion source data 101 and the parameters 306 to 308 in FIG.

Next, the processing in the fourth line of the conversion method parameter file shown in FIG. 3 will be described as an example. Since it is known from the format conversion method 302 that the external conversion processing module 106 called the conversion method “HENKAN1” needs to be called, the conversion source data 101 and the parameters 306 to 308 read according to the instruction are designated, and
Call the "NKAN1" module. The “HENKAN1” module includes the passed conversion source data 101 and the parameter 306.
If the value of the conversion source data in the order indicated by the parameter (1) 306 is the value indicated by the parameter (2) 307, the conversion source data 101 in the order indicated by the parameter (3) is used. Merge and set the value of "." And return the processing result. The format conversion processing unit 105 that has returned the value sets the value as the fourth item indicated by the conversion destination data rank 301 of the conversion destination data 101.

Thereafter, steps 204 to 212 are similarly performed.
Are repeated for the number of conversion methods instructed in the conversion method parameter file 102, and
Proceed to 16. That is, in step 213, the end of the output item number loop of the conversion destination data is determined. In step 214,
The data after the conversion processing is rearranged in an appropriate order, and one conversion destination data is created. In step 215, the data is output as the conversion destination data 103. Further, in step 216, it is determined whether the loop of the number of input items of the conversion source data has ended. Similarly, when steps 202 to 216 are repeated as many times as the number of the conversion source data 101, the process ends.

In the example of the conversion source data format shown in FIG. 4, a user ID, a password, a name,
Includes address, phone number, company name, company address, company phone number and user type. Further, the example of the conversion destination data format shown in FIG. 5 includes a user ID, a name, a phonetic word, an address, a telephone number, a registration date and time, a user type, and a password. These data formats are merely examples, and can be freely changed as needed.

The configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the format conversion apparatus according to the present invention have been described above in detail. However, it should be noted that such embodiments are merely examples of the present invention and do not limit the present invention in any way. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made in accordance with the particular application without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0026]

As is clear from the above description, according to the format conversion apparatus of the present invention, the output format of the conversion destination data and the conversion parameters necessary for performing the conversion processing are included in the existing format conversion apparatus. In the case of no conversion method, this involves designating an external module to execute the conversion process. A conversion method parameter file in which the format conversion method, the input order of the conversion source data, the data format and the number of digits of the data are listed as one set, the conversion method parameter file and the conversion source data are read, and the read conversion source data is read. Extract the data items according to the input order of the conversion source data described in the conversion method parameter file, verify the validity of the conversion source data based on the data format, the number of digits, etc. of the conversion source data,
A function to notify the outsider if it is determined to be invalid, to proceed to the next data processing without processing the data,
When performing format conversion, the function to perform format conversion corresponding to the format conversion method and conversion parameters described in the conversion method parameter file, and when an external module is specified as the format conversion method, call the external module And performs a conversion process.

Therefore, when importing existing data created by another system into the help desk system, even if the format of the existing data varies widely, every time the import process is performed, the format of the existing data is changed. If there is a change in the file format or the format of the data stored in the local system is changed, simply change the format conversion parameter file without having to modify or recreate the format conversion process. Can be performed. Also, even when a new format conversion process is required, only the external conversion processing module corresponding to the conversion method is added and the format conversion parameter file is corrected, without modifying the format conversion processing unit. A remarkable practical effect that the format conversion can be performed is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a preferred embodiment of a format conversion apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation of the format conversion apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an example of a conversion method parameter file of the format conversion apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an example of conversion source data of the format conversion apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an example of conversion destination data of the format conversion apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional format conversion device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing operation of the conventional format conversion apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 conversion source data 102 conversion method parameter file 103 conversion destination data 104 alarm log file 105 format conversion processing unit 106 external conversion processing module group 301 conversion destination data output order 302 format conversion method 303 conversion source data input order 304 data format 305 number of digits

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A conversion method parameter file in which an output order, a format conversion method, and a conversion source data input order of conversion destination data are listed as one set, and the conversion method parameter file and the conversion source data are read. A format conversion processing unit that extracts data items from the original data according to the input order of the conversion source data described in the conversion method parameter file, performs conversion according to the corresponding format conversion method, and outputs according to the output order of the conversion destination data; A format conversion device comprising: 2. The conversion method parameter file includes a data format, a number of digits, and the like for each item of the conversion source data, and the format conversion processing unit performs conversion of the conversion source data based on the data format, the number of digits, and the like. 2. The format conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the format conversion apparatus verifies the validity and, when determined to be invalid, notifies the outside and shifts to the next data processing without processing the data. 3. An external conversion processing module is connected to the format conversion processing unit, and the external conversion processing module can be called by the format conversion method of the conversion method parameter file. Item 3. The format conversion device according to item 1 or 2. 4. The format conversion apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of said external conversion processing modules are provided and can be added as needed. 5. An alarm log file is connected to the format conversion unit, and when illegal data is detected,
5. The format conversion apparatus according to claim 1, wherein error data is written by performing error processing. 6. A conversion method parameter file in which the output order of conversion destination data, the format conversion method, and the input order of conversion source data are listed as a set, and the conversion method parameter file and the conversion source data are read. Data items are extracted from the original data in accordance with the input order of the conversion source data described in the conversion method parameter file, converted according to the corresponding format conversion method, and output according to the output order of the conversion destination data. Format conversion method.