JP2004252951A - Introductory operation support system for integrated business software - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that it is difficult for a person who does not have much knowledge about customized items of application requirements or an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) package, to specify customized items corresponding to application requirements from documents generated from an introductory project or the like of the ERP package even if the documents are shared. <P>SOLUTION: In order to make it easy to specify customized items corresponding to application requirements, elements of applications described in documents are associated with customized items, their locations, and the documents by a database. When an application element is designated, locations of customized items corresponding to the application element and application elements being in the lower layer of the application element are retrieved from the database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for supporting introduction of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) package.

  The ERP package is package software for integrating and managing the core business of a company. In the ERP package, various modules or components such as inventory purchase management, sales management, financial accounting, management accounting, and personnel management are prepared for each core business field such as logistics, accounting, and human resources. The data handled by these modules is not managed on a module-by-module basis, but is logically managed centrally on one database. When each module accesses this database in real time, a series of processes related to a plurality of modules, such as from inventory management to financial accounting, are automatically performed. This means that the ERP package provides specific and timely evaluation materials for optimizing the entire business within a company and between companies.

  A company that intends to introduce an ERP package appropriately selects a module to be used from various modules according to its own business. Although the selected module may not be suitable for a company-specific process as it is, by providing a large number of customization items, the ERP package supports various types of businesses, business types, countries and cultures. As long as the customization items are adapted to the business process of the company by setting parameters, there is no need to develop a new program, and the information system can be built and maintained by the company itself. In comparison, the cost and time burden are reduced. If there is a gap between the functions provided by the ERP package and the business processes of the company even after setting the parameters, develop additional programs or modify the ERP package itself to close the gap. Or you can. However, the development of additional programs or changes to the ERP package itself means that the merit of reducing the load on introduction or maintenance is impaired, and thus it is preferable to avoid them.

  For this reason, when introducing an ERP package, it is necessary to analyze a business process and determine whether to develop an additional program or change the ERP package itself. This judgment requires know-how on parameter setting of the ERP package in addition to the analytical capability of the business process. Although an ERP package has an introduction guide for appropriately setting parameters, the customization items are enormous and the relationship between business requirements and customization items is generally complicated. In the introduction guide, explanations of each customization item are described hierarchically according to the hierarchical structure of customization items, but it is difficult for end users to obtain fragmentary knowledge about customization items from the description. . It is more difficult to reflect business requirements in parameter settings while considering the relationship between customization items. Therefore, when examining the relationship between the business requirements and the parameter settings or reflecting the business requirements on the parameter settings, it often depends on the know-how of a consultant.

  Consultants are trained separately through the modular system of the ERP package. On the other hand, since business requirements are related to a plurality of modular systems, a project to introduce an ERP package usually involves a plurality of consultants. In setting the parameters, each consultant individually examines the module in charge and adjusts between the module systems according to the results.

  Such parameter settings may be made by trial and error.If information on parameter settings of those involved in the project is lost, it is not possible to check what parameter settings were made in the project It becomes difficult. For this reason, the result of parameter setting is usually described in a document in preparation for system maintenance and operation. When the ERP package is introduced, various documents such as business procedure manuals, manuals, and functional specifications and technical specifications of the development program are created. These documents are stored in paper or electronic data. For example, electronic data of a document is classified into hierarchically created directories according to the type and content of the document.

  This allows end-users and others who are not involved in the implementation project to share some information about the project, for example, to use these documents to troubleshoot problems that may arise after the system is operational. can do.

  However, even if various documents are stored, not all of them obtain the necessary information from those documents because they do not describe all the knowledge of the stakeholders on the project. . In particular, it is difficult for many people to confirm what parameter setting satisfies a certain business requirement according to a document. As described above, the relationship between business requirements and parameter settings is complicated. For this reason, even if information on business requirements and customization items can be obtained from documents and implementation guides, if there is no personal know-how of consultants, the confirmation will be local and inadequate. Requires much labor and time. Therefore, in this case, if it is not possible to share know-how that is not directly described in the document, there are many tasks to change parameter settings in accordance with changes in business requirements and to roll out projects to group companies. It becomes difficult for people.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem in the related art, and provides a system in which many persons can relatively easily share knowledge that complements a document stored regarding an ERP package. It is intended for that purpose.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the above object.

  In the system of the present invention, the document management unit manages the related documents of the integrated business software including the business flow diagram expressing the flow of the business in the business area managed by the integrated business software by hierarchical business elements. The database associates customization items of integrated business software and their locations, and related documents with business domains and business elements. The search unit searches the database for the location of the customization item corresponding to the designated business element and the business element under the business element. Then, the output unit outputs the result of the search.

  Since the output search results include the location of the customization item corresponding to the business element, if the user specifies the business element appropriately according to the business requirements, the user can specify the business element under the business element. The location of the customization item related to the business requirement including the corresponding customization item can be easily known. If you know the location of the customization item, you can get the explanation of the customization item from the introduction guide. As a result, the user of this system can easily grasp the relationship between the business requirements and the customization items, and share not only the related documents but also the knowledge not described in the related documents. If the search result is output in combination with the corresponding business element, the user can also grasp what business element is below the specified business element.

  In this system, when the customization item is specified, the search unit may search the database for a business element corresponding to the customization item. As a result, the user can easily know the business elements related to the customization item, and can understand what business requirements are affected by changing the parameter setting for the customization item. it can. If the search for the customization item from the business element and the search for the business element from the customization item are combined, it becomes easier to grasp the relationship between the business requirement and the customization item.

  Further, if the customization item is associated with the section of the application area by the database, the search unit can also search the section of the application area corresponding to the customization item whose location has been searched. The division of the application area is given, for example, as global, regional, or local. By knowing such a division of the application area, the user can grasp the magnitude of the influence range when the customization item is changed.

  When a business area is specified instead of a business element, the search unit may search the database for the location of the customization item corresponding to the business area. As a result, the user can easily obtain rough knowledge of the related customization item in units of the business area.

  Furthermore, if a business entity such as a company that uses the integrated business software for business management is associated with a business domain and a business element by a database, the search unit will execute the processing when the business domain is specified without specifying the business domain. Search for all business entities. The output unit outputs the result of the search in combination with the corresponding business element and business entity. As a result, the user can compare what kind of business element the specified business area is configured for each company.

  Also, the search unit may search the database for a related document corresponding to the designated business element and the business element under the specified business element, instead of the location of the customization item. As a result, the user can easily specify a document corresponding to the business requirement even if there are many related documents.

  If the program development information is also associated with the business element by the database, the search unit replaces the customization item with the specified business element and the development element corresponding to the business element under that business element. Information can also be retrieved from the database. Thereby, the user can easily specify the development information corresponding to the business requirement.

  Further, if the related document includes the development document of the program and the development document is associated with the development information by the database, the search unit may search the development document corresponding to the searched development information. Good. As a result, the user can easily know not only which program corresponds to the business requirement but also the function specifications and technical specifications of the program.

  In addition, if the related document includes the program description and the database describes the program description in association with the business element, the search unit replaces the customization item with the specified business element and its An outline description of the program corresponding to the business element under the business element may be searched. Thus, the user can easily refer to the outline description of the program corresponding to the business requirement.

  Further, the system may further include a setting control unit that controls display of a setting screen corresponding to the item on the integrated business software according to the location of the customization item selected from the search results. . By providing the setting control unit, even a user who is not familiar with the integrated business software can easily and reliably find an appropriate customization item on the software.

  Further, the apparatus further includes a registration update control unit that controls registration of data to the database managed by the integrated business software or update of the database based on the content of data registration to the database or the content of update of the database. You may do so. By providing this registration update control unit, if predetermined data is registered or updated in the database of the system of the present invention, the same applies to the database managed by the integrated business software. Processing is performed. Therefore, the maintenance procedure for both databases can be simplified.

  In another aspect, the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to function as the above-described system. This program may be provided to the market through an electric communication line such as the Internet, or may be provided to the market in a state recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

  According to the present invention, since the location of the customization item corresponding to the business element described in the business flow diagram and the business element under the business element is provided to the user, the relationship between the business requirement and the customization item is determined by the user. Can easily introduce and maintain integrated operation software while easily grasping it, and is very useful for governance.

(Embodiment 1)
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the system according to this embodiment, a client computer 2 is connected to a server computer 1 via a local area network 3.

  On the server computer 1, a web server 11 operates. A user of this system can browse a web page from the web server 11 using a web browser 21 on the client computer 2.

  The client computer 2 includes an input unit 22 and an output unit 23 as a user interface. The user gives an instruction to the web browser 21 using the input unit 22, and browses the web page output by the output unit 23. A keyboard and a mouse can be used for the input unit 22, and a liquid crystal display or a CRT display can be used for the output unit 23.

  The web browser 21 transmits a web page transfer request to the web server 11 via the network 3 according to the user's instruction received by the input unit 22. Depending on the requested URL, the web server 11 processes the script on the server side and dynamically generates a web page. The script may be processed by an external program like CGI, but in the following, it is assumed that the web server 11 having the execution environment processes the script.

  On the dynamically generated web page, a list of the user's shared documents stored in the server computer 1 and the result of the search by the search unit 12 are expressed. The electronic data of the user's shared document is stored in the storage device 13 of the server computer 1. This storage device 13 is, for example, a hard disk drive. The shared document stored in the storage device 13 includes a related document of the ERP package. Related documents of the ERP package are business flow diagrams (BFD), development documents such as technical specifications and functional specifications of programs, and manuals. The BFD expresses the flow of business in the business area managed by the ERP package by hierarchical business elements. In FIG. 2, the business elements are represented by rectangular symbols, and the relationship between the business elements is represented by arrows. If the business domain is a stock order, the flow of the business is represented by business elements such as planning and sales orders. Business elements are hierarchized as needed. For example, one business element called planning can be expressed using a plurality of business elements as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a plurality of business elements representing a certain business element are described in another document, such as the document in FIG. 2 and the document in FIG.

  The document management unit 14 manages a shared document including the related document of the ERP package. The document management unit 14 reads the stored document data from the storage device 13, stores the document data in the storage device 13, or stores the document data stored in the storage device 13 in response to a call from the web server 11. Create a list of data. The document management unit 14 can be realized by a program or software component having these functions cooperating with hardware such as a CPU or a memory of the server computer 1. The data read from the document management unit 14 and the data of the list of created documents are passed to the web server 11. When a shared document or a list of documents is requested from the web browser 22, the web server 11 transmits the data passed from the document management unit 14 or a web page generated according to the data to the web browser 22.

  The search unit 12 searches the database 15 in response to the call from the web server 11, and returns a result of the search to the web server 11.

  The database 15 associates the customization items of the ERP package and their locations, and related documents with business areas and business elements. The customization item of the ERP package is a parameter setting target. Each customization item has a hierarchical structure. For example, in the case of SAP's R / 3, which is a typical ERP package, the customization items are located in Enterpise Structure \ Assignmnet \ Human Resources Management \…, Cross-Application Components \ Classification System \…, Financial Accounting \ Financial Accounting Global Settings \ Document \ ... can be expressed by the path to the customization item. In the introduction guide (IMG), the description of each customization item is described in a hierarchical manner. If the user can know the location of the customization item, the user can obtain the explanation from the IMG.

  In this embodiment, IMG identification information for identifying a customization item is assigned to each customization item. As shown in FIG. 4, the identification information of the IMG for each customization item is associated with the path of the IMG indicating the location of the customization item by the database 15. As in this example, the address of the web page indicating the note of the IMG that describes the outline of the customization item and the simple setting reason may be associated with the identification information of the IMG.

  Further, an ID for identifying each document is provided for all related documents including the BFD, and a BFD number for identifying each business element described in each BFD is provided. Even if the same BFD number is given to a plurality of business elements described in different BFDs, the business elements can be uniquely specified by a combination of the document ID and the BFD number.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the document ID and the BFD number are associated by the database 15 with the version number, the project number, and the identification number of the IMG. The above-described IMG identification information is a combination of three of the version number, the project number, and the IMG identification number, and the combination in FIG. 5 corresponds to the IMG identification information in FIG. The version number is a number indicating the version of the ERP package, and the project number is a number indicating the project. The IMG number is a number for identifying a customization item in the corresponding project. As described above, since the identification information of the IMG is associated with the path of the IMG, the document ID and the BFD number are associated with the identification information of the IMG, and further with the path of the IMG.

  In this embodiment, the BFD number specifies not only a business element but also a path of a hierarchical business element. In FIG. 5, the BFD number is represented by only a three-digit number string or a combination of two or more three-digit number strings with a hyphen. The number in the number string indicates the number of the business element corresponding to the BFD number, starting from the highest layer and counting therefrom. When the BFD number is represented only by a numeric string, the BFD number specifies a business element belonging to the uppermost layer. When the BFD number is represented by combining a plurality of numeral strings, each numeral string specifies a business element in each hierarchy. In FIG. 5, on the right side of the number string, a number string corresponding to a layer one level below the layer corresponding to the number string is connected. In this figure, the BFD number is represented only by the combination of one number string or two number strings, but the BFD number may be represented by the combination of three or more number strings. The leftmost numeral string among a plurality of numeral strings representing one BFD number indicates a business element belonging to the uppermost layer. Numeric strings on the right side thereof indicate business elements belonging to a layer in which the number when counting the number string from left to right matches the number when counting the layers from the top layer as the first layer. By combining the numeric strings in this way, not only business elements but also upper-layer business elements expressed using the business elements are specified. Further, not only the business element but also the business element under the business element are specified.

  A business area ID for identifying the business areas managed by the ERP package is also assigned. In the example of FIG. 6A, the database 15 associates the business area ID with the document ID together with the document name and the document type ID. The document type ID is used to identify a BFD or other document type. As shown in FIG. 6B, the database 15 associates the document type ID with the flag. This flag is for determining a document ID that is linked to the document ID in the table in FIG. 5 among the document IDs included in the table in FIG. 6A. Here, a value of 1 is given to only a flag corresponding to a BFD to which a document ID is linked, and a value of 0 is given to a flag corresponding to a document type other than the BFD to which a document ID is not linked. When document IDs are linked to document types other than the BFD, the value of the flag corresponding to the document type may be set to 1. As described above, since the document ID and the BFD number are associated with the identification information of the IMG, if the document ID is linked, the business area ID is associated with the identification information of the IMG and further with the path of the IMG. Become.

  Upon receiving a search request specifying a BFD number from the web server 11, the search unit 12 searches the database 15 for an IMG path corresponding to the specified BFD number. The search result is returned from the search unit 12 to the web server 11. The search unit 12 can be realized by a program or software component having such a function cooperating with hardware such as a CPU or a memory of the server computer 1.

  When a search result is obtained, the web server 11 dynamically generates a web page according to the search result. When a user wants to refer to such a search result, the user first gives a URL specifying a search form to the web browser 21. The web browser 21 having received the instruction transmits the search form transfer request to the web server 11.

  In response to this transfer request, the web server 11 returns, for example, a form as shown in FIG. In this form, an input field for inputting a business area ID, an input field for inputting a BFD number, a search button for instructing search execution, and a cancel button for canceling search execution are arranged. I have. Using this form, the user can perform a search by specifying only the business area ID or the business area ID and the BFD number. Which business area ID or BFD number is to be specified may be determined by the user according to the business requirements.

  It is assumed that the user performs an operation of inputting the business area ID and the BFD number using the input unit 22 in the input field of the form displayed by the output unit 23 and pressing the search button. At this time, the web browser 21 transmits a request to post the business area ID and the BFD number in the input fields to the web server 11 by designating the script on the server side. When the web server 11 receives this request, the web server 11 processes the specified script. As a result, a search request for the specified business area ID and BFD number is made from the web server 11 to the search unit 12.

  Upon receiving the search request, the search unit 12 searches the IMG path corresponding to the business area ID and the BFD number. Since the document ID is determined from the business area ID, the path of the IMG can be searched by the combination of the document ID and the BFD number. This search is performed not only for the designated BFD number, but also for a BFD number in which the designated BFD number matches the numeric string corresponding to the uppermost layer. For example, even if the designated BFD number is given only by the numeral string of 010, the search is performed not only for the BFD number but also for 010-010, 010-020, 010-010-010, 010-010-030, 010 This is also performed for BFD numbers such as -020-010. If the designated BFD number is given by the concatenation of the digit strings 010-010, the search is also performed for BFD numbers such as 010-010, 010-010-010, 010-010-030. The search unit 12 searches the database 15 for the document ID and the identification information of the IMG corresponding to these BFD numbers, and thereby obtains the business area ID and the path of the IMG corresponding to these BFD numbers.

  As described above, the result of the search is returned to the web server 11, and a web page is dynamically generated according to the result. When the web browser 21 receives the web page from the web server 11, the web page is output by the output unit 23. As a result, a search result is output.

  The output web page includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a list of a business area ID, a BFD number, a BFD number including the same numeric string as the BFD number, and an IMG path corresponding to the BFD number. . In FIG. 8, L10 is designated as the business area ID. Also, 010 is designated as the BFD number, and the list includes the IMG paths corresponding to the BFD numbers, such as 010, 010-010, 010-030-030, and 010-040. As in this example, one BFD number may correspond to a plurality of IMG paths.

  By browsing this web page, the user can know the IMG path corresponding to the business area ID and the BFD number. The user does not need to know the contents of many customization items in order to know what customization items the business elements correspond to. If users can easily obtain the knowledge to grasp, this knowledge will be shared by many people. Further, in this system, the IMG path is searched not only for the business element corresponding to the specified business area ID and BFD number, but also for the business element under the business element. For this reason, even if the user can specify only a rough business element from the business requirements, it is possible to roughly estimate the relevant IMG path. Further, in this example, the searched IMG path is output as a set together with the corresponding business area ID and BFD number. As in this example, if the search result is output in combination with the corresponding business element, the user can also know what business element is represented by the specified business element. .

  The search unit 12 may return, as a result of the search, not only the combination of the business area ID and the BFD number and the path of the corresponding IMG, but also the identification number and the identification information of the IMG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, an IMG identification number can be included in a web page dynamically generated according to the search result. Further, the URL of the web page indicating the note of the IMG may be returned. In this case, the web server 11 dynamically generates a search result web page by adding a link to the URL of the web page indicating the note corresponding to the identification number to the IMG identification number. If the link is added to the web page in this manner, the user can easily know the outline description of the customization item and the simple setting reason.

  When the user inputs only the business area ID in the input field of the search form, the search unit 12 searches the database 15 for the document ID corresponding to the business area ID, and obtains the document obtained by the search. The BFD number corresponding to the ID and the identification information of the IMG are obtained. Therefore, the search unit 12 can obtain the IMG path in the same manner as when the BFD number is input.

  Further, since the BFD number and the business area ID are associated with the document ID by the database 15, the search unit 12 replaces the document ID of the related document corresponding to the BFD number or the business area ID with the database instead of the IMG path. 15 can be searched.

  Further, the search unit 12 may search for the ID of the development information corresponding to the document ID of the BFD and the BFD number instead of the path of the IMG. In this case, the database 15 is provided with a table for associating the ID of the development information with the document ID. As the ID of the development information, a development request ID assigned by a developer for the development request to identify a program or the like for which a development request has been made can be used. As shown in FIG. 10A, in the table, one development request ID can be associated with a plurality of document IDs, and one document ID can be associated with a plurality of development request IDs. Here, the document corresponding to the document ID associated with the development request ID is a development document such as a technical specification or a function specification of a program among the documents managed by the document management unit 14. The database 15 also has a table for associating the combination of the BFD document ID and BFD number with the reference destination document ID. The referenced document ID is a document ID associated with the development request ID. As shown in FIG. 10B, in the table, one combination can be associated with a plurality of reference destination document IDs, and one reference destination document ID can be associated with a plurality of combinations.

  The combination of the BFD document ID and the BFD number is associated with the development request ID via the reference destination document ID. Therefore, if the user specifies the BFD document ID and BFD number, the search unit 12 can search for the development request ID corresponding to the combination.

  In order to select which of the IMG path, the related document, and the development request ID to search, a selection field is provided in the search form as shown in FIG. 11, for example. The user specifies which of the path of the IMG, the related document, and the development request ID to search in this selection field. The value indicating which of these is selected is posted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11 as in the case of the BFD number or the like. When making a search request to the search unit 12, the web server 11 also passes this value to the search unit 12. The search unit 12 determines which of the IMG path, the related document, and the development request ID to search according to this value.

  When retrieving the development request ID, since the document ID of the development document is associated with the development request ID, the retrieval unit 12 can also retrieve the document ID of the development document corresponding to the retrieved development request ID. . A directory in which the development document is stored may be specified from the document ID, and a link to the development document may be added to the search result web page.

  A user using such a system can easily specify not only the path of the IMG corresponding to the business requirement, but also the related document and the development request, and can further utilize the shared document.

  Further, when the shared document includes a document describing the outline of the development program, similarly to the development request ID and the document ID of the development document, the ID of the outline of the program is changed to the document ID and the BFD. The number may be associated with the database 15. If the ID of the program description is associated with the document ID and the BFD number, the search unit 12 can also search for the program description instead of the IMG path.

  The outline of the program is explained with an outline of the function of the program, a functional block diagram, a list of related objects, an interface screen, a list of variables, and a description of modification. If an ID is assigned to each description, the search unit 12 can also search for each description corresponding to the ID of the outline description of the searched program, if necessary.

  This allows the user to easily refer to the outline description of the program corresponding to the business requirement.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the search unit 12 searches the database 15 for the path of the IMG corresponding to the BFD number. However, the search unit 12 can also search the database 15 for the identification information of the IMG and the BFD number corresponding to the identification number.

  In this case, for example, a search form as shown in FIG. 12 is used. The search form includes not only an input field for inputting a business area ID and a BFD number, but also an input field for inputting IMG identification information.

  The user performs an operation of inputting only the IMG identification information in the input field of the form and pressing a search button. As the input IMG identification information, information that the user has already known may be used, or information that appears in the search result in the first embodiment may be used.

  When the operation is performed, the web browser 21 transmits a request to post the IMG identification information in the input field to the web server 11 by designating the script on the server side. When this request is received by the web server 11, a search request is made to the search unit 12 as in the first embodiment. The search unit 12 searches the database 15 for a combination of the document ID and the BFD number corresponding to the combination of the version, the project, and the identification number of the IMG that match the specified IMG identification information. In this example, since the business area ID and the BFD number are not specified, all combinations of the document ID and the BFD number are to be searched.

  The search result is returned to the web server 11 as in the first embodiment, and a web page is dynamically generated according to the result. When the web browser 21 receives the web page from the web server 11, the web page is output by the output unit 23. The output web page includes a list of IMG identification information and a business area ID and a BFD number corresponding to the identification information.

  By browsing the web page, the user can know the business area ID and the BFD number corresponding to the specified IMG identification information. Therefore, if the user has knowledge of the customization item, the user can easily specify the business requirement corresponding to the customization item even if he does not grasp the business requirement in detail. As a result, when a project is rolled out to a group company, it is easy to grasp the circumstances of parameter setting. Even if the user does not know both the customization item and the business requirement in detail, by repeatedly searching for the customization item corresponding to the business requirement and the business requirement corresponding to the customization item, Both can be easily understood.

(Embodiment 3)
When related documents of the ERP package are managed collectively for a plurality of companies, the company code may be associated with the document ID by the database 15 as shown in FIG. 13A. As the company code, a code specific to each company defined between the companies can be used. As shown in FIG. 13B, in the master table, the company code is associated with the company name and the like. Here, it is described as a company code. However, if the business entity that manages the business with the ERP package is not a company, a code for identifying the business entity other than the company may be used instead of the company code. Good. If the company code is associated with the document ID, a search specifying the company code can also be performed.

  When searching only for a specific company, the user specifies the company code or company name of the company in the search form. In the example of FIG. 14, an input field for inputting a company code is provided in the search form. The user inputs the company code of the company in this input field as needed. If the user is authenticated before the search form is transmitted from the web server 11 to the web browser 21 and the user ID is associated with the company code, the user is used in the search form input field in advance. The company code of the company to which the person belongs can be automatically inserted.

  If the company code is input when the operation of pressing the search button is performed, the web browser 21 transmits a request to post the company code to the web server 11 together with other input values. If the company code and the BFD number are specified, the search unit 12 searches for a document ID corresponding to the specified company code, and among the BFD numbers associated with the searched document ID, the specified BFD number Is searched for the identification information and the path of the IMG corresponding to.

  The search unit 12 returns a company code, a BFD number, an IMG path corresponding to the BFD number, and the like to the web server 11 as a search result. According to the result of the search, the web server 11 dynamically generates a web page expressing the IMG path in combination with the company code, the business area ID, and the BFD number, as shown in FIG.

  If the BFD number and the company code are not specified and the business area ID is specified, the search unit 12 searches all the company codes and the document IDs corresponding to the specified business area ID, and searches for the document ID. , And the identification information and path of the IMG.

  In this case, the company codes returned to the web server 11 as a result of the search include the company codes of all the companies having the document corresponding to the specified business area ID. Since the search results include all the BFD numbers and the IMG paths corresponding to those documents, the BFD numbers expressing the business flow of the business area corresponding to the specified business area ID and the BFD numbers corresponding to them are included. An IMG pass will be obtained for each company.

  Since the web page expressing the result of such a search is output by the output unit 23, by browsing the web page, the user can determine what business elements the business area is composed of, and those business elements. It is possible to compare what customization item is related to each company.

  Even if the same business area exists in multiple companies and there are many common business elements in that business area, some business elements are not Sometimes not aligned. If the above comparison is possible, the user can easily grasp the common points and differences.

  Even when the company code can be specified as in the third embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, not only the path of the IMG but also the related document and the development request ID can be searched.

(Embodiment 4)
When a project is rolled out to a group company, some customization items have the same parameter settings, while other customization items have different parameter settings in the group company to absorb differences in countries and cultures. . If you change a parameter setting that is common to many group companies, you must consider the possibility that the change will apply to other group companies.

  However, since the application region of the parameter setting for each customization item is unique to the group company, even if the introduction guide is referred to, the application region is not described there.

  Therefore, in the system according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, the identification information of the IMG is associated not only with the path and the note of the IMG but also with the section ID of the applicable area by the database 15. Here, the application area is divided into, for example, three areas: global, regional, and local. Global indicates that it applies to the entire group company. Regional indicates that it applies to all companies belonging to any of the regional divisions of the group company, such as Asia, Europe, and the United States. And local indicates that it applies only to a particular company. In the database 15, a section ID is given to each section by, for example, one letter alphabet of G, R and L.

  As described above, if the section ID is associated with the identification information of the IMG, the search unit 12 not only returns the BFD number and the path of the corresponding IMG as a search result, but also outputs the section ID to the web server 11. Can be returned.

  If the search result includes the section ID, the web server 11 dynamically generates a search result web page including the section ID.

  As shown in FIG. 17, if the section ID is indicated for each IMG path on the web page of the search result, the user refers to the web page to change the range of influence when the customization item is changed. The size can be grasped.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the search unit 12 and the document management unit 14 provide data to the client computer 2 via the web server 11 and the web browser 21. As a result, the display device of the client computer 2 functions as the output unit of the present invention, but is not limited to this. For example, if a web page is directly output to a display device connected to the server computer 1, it is possible to construct the system of the present invention using only one computer. Further, by distributing the search unit 12 and the database 15 to a computer different from the server computer 11, the system of the present invention can be constructed with three or more computers. Further, it is also possible to provide a program corresponding to the search unit 12 and the document management unit 14 and the web server 11 as a single program.

  Further, the computers are connected by the local area network 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the client computer 2 may be connected to the server computer 1 via the Internet.

(Embodiment 5)
The system of the present invention can be used with an information system based on an ERP package. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, a server computer 100 for implementing the information system is connected to a server computer 1 and a client computer 2 via a local area network 3.

  In the server computer 100, an application server 101 using an ERP package operates. The application server 101 provides clients with various applications related to various core business fields such as logistics, accounting, and human resources. Data relating to these tasks is centrally managed on the database 102. When there is a processing request from a client or other trigger, the application server 101 accesses the database 102 and performs input and update of data, output of a result, and the like. Various business transactions such as order registration and warehousing are reflected on the database 102 when the application server 101 accesses the database 102 according to the contents thereof.

  In this embodiment, the application server 101 has a communication interface with a web browser, and can receive a request from the web browser 21 on the client computer 2 and return a response thereto. A user interface for performing operations on the information system is provided using the web browser 21.

  The database 15 performs the association as described in each embodiment, corresponding to the ERP package used in the application server 101.

  By operating a plurality of web browsers 21 on the client computer 21, the user operates the information system while searching for customization items and the like, and operates the business system while operating the information system. For example. For example, suppose that the location of the customization item “... / database / table structure setting” is obtained as a result of a search specifying a BFD number. On the screen for selecting a customization item of the information system, as shown in FIG. 19, the customization items are hierarchized as obtained as a result of the search. Therefore, the user can easily select a customization item on the screen according to the location of the customization item obtained as a result of the search. When a customization item “setting of the table structure” is selected, a setting screen corresponding to the item is displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. When making settings on this screen, if the user wants to check which business element other than the business element corresponding to the BFD number specified by himself / herself is related to the setting, the user must further confirm that You can also search. Such a use form is very useful for introducing integrated business software to a new business entity or performing operation and maintenance by utilizing the settings of a past project.

  As described above, the system of the present invention can be operated not only in parallel with the information system but also in cooperation with the information system.

  In server computer 1 according to the present embodiment, interlocking control unit 16 controls cooperation with the information system. The interlock control unit 16 includes a setting control unit 161 and a registration update control unit 162.

  The setting control unit 161 requests the ERP server 101 to automatically display a setting screen corresponding to the item on the user interface of the information system according to the location of the customization item selected from the search results. The registration update control unit 162 registers data in the database 102 managed by the information system or updates the database 102 based on the content of data registration in the database 15 or the content of update of the database 15. Requests processing to the ERP server 101. The registration of the data in the database 15 and the update of the database 15 are managed by the management unit 17, and the management unit 17 gives the contents of the data registration and the contents of the update to the registration / update control unit 162.

  The ERP server 101 has an interface to a setting control unit 161 and a registration update control unit 162 for cooperation with the system of the present invention. Then, a processing request from the interlocking control unit 161 is received via the interface, and the processing result is returned to the client specified by the request.

  Usually, when using an information system, user authentication is required. When linking with the information system, the authentication information input when logging on to the system of the present invention can be used for the authentication.

  When logging on to the system of the present invention, for example, a web page as shown in FIG. 21 is transmitted from the web server 11 to the web browser 21. Displayed by the output unit 23. The logon screen has columns for inputting a user name, a password, and a company code. The user uses the input unit 22 to enter a correct combination in these fields, and logs on to the system of the present invention. The input information is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11 and temporarily stored in the management unit 17.

  When the management unit 17 confirms that the input information is correct, a web page as shown in FIG. 22 is transmitted from the web server 11 to the web browser 21 and displayed by the output unit 23. On this menu screen, items for selecting processes such as search and maintenance are arranged.

  When the user selects a search on this menu screen, a transfer request for a search form is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11. The web server 11 returns a search form as shown in FIGS. 7 and 14 in response to this request. A search is performed using the search form as described in each of the above embodiments, and the result is output by the output unit 22. Here, it is assumed that a result as shown in FIG. 23 has been output. The web page for outputting this result has almost the same form as that shown in FIG. 15 except that a selection box 2301 and a cooperation start button 2302 are provided.

  When the user of the system of the present invention desires a cooperative operation with the information system, the user gives an instruction using the select button 2301 and the cooperative activation button 2302.

  A selection box 2301 is provided for the location of each searched customization item. Using this selection box 2301, the user can select any of the locations of the searched customization items.

  When a selection is made using the selection box 2301 and the user operates the cooperation activation button 2302, a request including information for specifying the location of the selected customization item is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11.

  Upon receiving this request, the web server 11 gives the specific information to the setting control unit 161 of the interlock control unit 16. The setting control unit 161 acquires the user name and the password from the management unit 17 and uses them to log on to the information system on behalf of the user. This logon request is transmitted to the ERP server 101 via the web server 11, and the ERP server 101 performs authentication. When the authentication is performed by the ERP server 101, the corresponding application is activated, and the setting control unit 161 is notified via the web server 11 that the authentication has been normally performed. Upon receiving the notification, the setting control unit 161 transmits a processing request including information for specifying the location of the selected customization item to the ERP server 101. When receiving the processing request, the ERP server 101 dynamically generates a web page for performing setting corresponding to the item based on the specific information. Then, the web page is transferred to the web browser 21. This web page is for displaying a setting screen as shown in FIG.

  By providing the setting control unit 161, the setting screen is automatically displayed. Therefore, the user can easily and reliably find an appropriate customization item without referring to the screen for selecting the customization item of the information system.

  When the user selects maintenance on the menu screen shown in FIG. 22, the registration / update control unit 162 realizes cooperation between the system of the present invention and the information system.

  Here, it is assumed that registration of data in the database 15 has been selected. Instead of registering data, update of the database 15 such as change or deletion of data registered in the database 15 may be performed. When the user selects to register data from the menu screen, a request including the data registration content is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11.

  Upon receiving this request, the web server 11 gives the contents to the registration / update control unit 162 and the management unit 17 of the interlocking control unit 16. The management unit 17 registers the data in the database 15 based on the content. Further, the registration update control unit 162 acquires a user name and a password from the management unit 17 in the same manner as the setting control unit 161, and uses them to log on to the information system instead of the user. Upon receiving the notification that the authentication has been normally performed, the registration update control unit 162 transmits a processing request including the contents of the data registration to the ERP server 101. When receiving the processing request, the ERP server 101 accesses the database 102 based on the contents and registers the data in the database 102 as well. When the content of the update of the database 15 is given, the ERP server 101 updates the database 102 based on the content. Then, a web page notifying the result of the processing to the database 102 is transmitted to the web browser 21.

  By providing the registration update control unit 162 in this manner, when data is registered or the database is updated in the system of the present invention, the contents are automatically reflected in the database of the information system. For this reason, the maintenance procedure of both systems can be simplified, and information consistency between both systems can be easily ensured.

The integrated operation software introduction and operation support system according to the present invention has an effect that the user can easily grasp the relationship between the operation requirements and the customization items, and is useful for the introduction, maintenance, operation, and governance of the integrated operation software. Useful.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Diagram showing an example of a business flow diagram Diagram showing another example of business flow diagram The figure which shows the table which relates the identification information of IMG and a path The figure which shows the table which links | relates a document ID, a BFD number, and the identification information of IMG. The figure which shows the table which links a document ID and a business area ID Diagram showing an example of a search form The figure which shows an example of the web page which expressed the search result as a set with BFD number and business area ID The figure which shows an example of the web page which added and added the identification number of IMG to the search result The figure which shows the table which links a BFD number and a development request ID The figure which shows the search form in which the selection column for selecting which of the path of IMG, a related document, and a development request ID was searched was provided. The figure which shows the search form provided with the input column which inputs the identification information of IMG The figure which shows the table which associates the identification information of IMG, an application area, and the path of IMG. Figure showing a search form with an input field for entering a company code The figure which shows an example of the web page which expressed the search result as a set with a BFD number and a company code. The figure which shows the table which associates the identification information of IMG with an application area Diagram showing an example of a web page that expresses search results as a group with a business area FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Diagram showing an example of a screen for selecting a customization item of the information system The figure which shows an example of the setting screen of an information system Diagram showing an example of a web page for displaying a logon screen Diagram showing an example of a web page for displaying a menu screen Diagram showing an example of a web page that can instruct cooperation with an information system

Explanation of reference numerals

Reference Signs List 1 server computer 2 client computer 3 network 11 web server 12 search unit 13 storage device 14 document management unit 15 database 16 linkage control unit 17 management unit 21 web browser 22 input unit 23 output unit 100 server computer 101 ERP server 102 database 161 setting control Unit 162 Registration update control unit

Claims (13)

A document management unit that manages related documents of the integrated business software including a business flow diagram expressing a business flow of a business area managed by the integrated business software by a hierarchical business element;
A database for associating the customization items of the integrated business software and their locations, and related documents with business domains and business elements;
A search unit that searches the database for the location of a customization item corresponding to a specified business element and a business element under the business element,
And an output unit for outputting the result of the search. 2. The integrated operation software introduction / operation support system according to claim 1, wherein when a customization item is specified, the search unit searches the database for a business element corresponding to the customization item. The database associates a division of an application area with a customization item,
2. The integrated operation software introduction / operation support system according to claim 1, wherein the search unit also searches for a division of an application area corresponding to the customized item whose location has been searched. 2. The integrated operation software introduction / operation support system according to claim 1, wherein, when a business area is designated instead of a business element, the search unit searches the database for the location of a customization item corresponding to the business area. The database associates a business entity that uses the integrated business software for business management with a business area and a business element,
The search unit searches for all business entities when the business entity is not specified and the business area is specified,
The integrated operation software introduction / operation support system according to claim 4, wherein the output unit outputs the result of the search as a set with a corresponding business element and a business entity. The integrated operation software installation operation according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches the database for a specified business element and a related document corresponding to a business element under the business element, instead of the location of the customization item. Support system. The database also associates program development information with business elements,
2. The integrated operation software installation operation according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches the database for development information corresponding to a specified business element and a business element under the business element, instead of the location of the customization item. Support system. The related documents include a program development document,
The database associates development documents with development information,
The system according to claim 7, wherein the search unit also searches for a development document corresponding to the searched development information. The relevant document includes a brief description of the program,
The database associates a program description with a business element,
2. The integrated operation software introduction and operation support according to claim 1, wherein the search unit searches for a brief description of a program corresponding to a specified business element and a business element below the specified business element, instead of the location of the customization item. system. 2. The integrated business software according to claim 1, further comprising: a setting control unit configured to control display of a setting screen corresponding to the item on the integrated business software in accordance with the location of the customization item selected from the search result. 3. Introduction operation support system. A registration update control unit that performs control of registering data in a database managed by the integrated business software or updating the database based on the content of data registration in the database or the content of update of the database. The integrated operation software introduction / operation support system according to claim 1. Computer
A document management unit that manages related documents of the integrated business software including a business flow diagram expressing a business flow of a business area managed by the integrated business software by a hierarchical business element;
A database that associates the customization items of integrated business software and their locations, and related documents with business areas and business elements,
A search unit that searches the database for the location of a specified business element and a customization item corresponding to the business element under the business element, and an integrated business software for functioning as an output unit that outputs the result of the search A computer-readable recording medium that records the introduction operation support program. Computer
A document management unit that manages related documents of the integrated business software including a business flow diagram expressing a business flow of a business area managed by the integrated business software by a hierarchical business element;
A database that associates the customization items of integrated business software and their locations, and related documents with business areas and business elements,
A search unit that searches the database for the location of a specified business element and a customization item corresponding to the business element under the business element, and an integrated business software for functioning as an output unit that outputs the result of the search Introduction operation support program.

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