JP2005174076A - Database system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a database system enabling update of a material data file while confirming material additional information, when updating the material data file, in a database including image data or the like in the system as material data. <P>SOLUTION: This database system has an interactive input means for receiving input of a user to update record contents. The interactive input means provides an interactive screen interface simultaneously displaying a preview image of an old material file that is an update target, a preview image of a new material file registered instead of the old material file, the record contents of a record unit of an additional information database designating the old material file, and allowing the determination of whether executing the update or not. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a database system. In particular, the present invention relates to a database system that is characterized by material data update processing when image data, line drawing data, and the like are included in the system as material data.

  Up to now, in a database system that includes image data and the like as material data in the system, it has been necessary to confirm material detailed information after uploading the material data file once to confirm the material file update. The work of updating the material file itself and the information recorded in relation to the material file had to be performed separately.

  For example, in the catalog production system disclosed in Patent Document 1, provisional image registration means for registering temporary image data, main image registration means for registering main image data, product information registration means for registering spec information, Information retrieval means is provided. A catalog producer (printing company) registers temporary image data and main image data as material data, and product specification data related to the material data in a database. On the other hand, catalog production orderers (manufacturers, trading companies, etc.) normally used the product information search means to check whether the correspondence between the material data and the spec data was definitely taken. .

  As described above, the consistency of the material data and the information related to the material (abbreviated as “material additional information” here), and whether there is any omission or mistake in the material additional information, are entered in the data. A person other than the person who entered the data or a person who entered the data can only confirm on the paper based on the information such as the instruction sheet, or can confirm the data already entered.

This is because many database systems use a database engine that implements a database based on a relational database model, and in that case, create a database by adding the path name (file name) of the material data file to the material additional information. By configuring the database. Therefore, whether the information itself, which includes the material data file path name (file name) in addition to the material additional information, is consistent with the material data entity is a separate issue from the database design problem. There was no other way to check manually.
JP 2001-84388 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a database system capable of updating a material data file while checking material additional information when a material data file is updated in a database including image data or the like as material data.

The invention according to claim 1 is an additional information database in which a plurality of material files, information specifying a specific file among the material files, and some information related to the specified material file are recorded and accumulated as a recording unit. In the database system comprising a database management means for managing the additional information database,
The database system includes dialog input means for accepting user input and updating recorded contents, and the dialog input means includes:
After displaying the preview image of the old material file to be updated, the preview image of the new material file registered instead of the old material file, and the recorded contents of the recording unit of the additional information database that specifies the old material file A database system characterized by providing an interactive screen interface capable of determining whether or not to execute an update.

  For example, when the material file is a product image, the certain information related to the material file is spec information of the product. The recording unit is a unit in which the database holds and manages information, and is usually a record that records data in the database. According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the user issues an update instruction, not only the preview of the material file but also the contents of the additional information related to the material file can be confirmed at the same time. You can eliminate mistakes.

  The invention according to claim 2 is one of the more desirable modes of the database system according to claim 1, wherein the dialog input unit is configured to update the dialog input unit when updating the old material file to the new material file. Is configured to accept input for updating the recorded contents of the additional information database displayed on the interactive screen interface provided by the user, and simultaneously update the corresponding recording unit of the additional information database along with the update of the material file. It is a database system characterized by that.

  Although the additional information may have to be updated along with the update of the material file, in the database system according to claim 2, since both can be performed by an integrated operation, a user's workload is reduced. The

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the case where the material file is a type of file in which a preview image cannot be presented, the dialogue input unit displays a substitute image file prepared in advance as a preview image. A database system according to claim 2.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a database system in which the database system according to any one of the first to third aspects is realized by a network configuration in which a server device and a client device are connected, and the dialog input means is on the client device. Is a database system configured to operate with Realizing a system in a server client configuration via a network has been widely performed. In this case, the material file, the additional information database, and the database management means will be provided on the server device side, and the previous period dialogue input means provided in the client device will update and refer to the database management means through the network, A search request will be sent.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the database system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the database management unit, the material file, the database server device including the additional information database, and the dialog screen interface by the dialog input unit. The database system is realized by an IP (Internet Protocol) network configuration in which a Web server device having a program for providing a communication device and a client device having a Web browser for displaying an interactive screen interface by the interactive input means are connected. In this case, the Web server device is provided with an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) server, and the database server device, the Web server device, and the client device exchange information by HTTP.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is a client device of the database system according to the fourth aspect.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is a computer program that operates on the Web server device in the database system according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, and provides a dialog screen interface by the dialog input means to the client device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to update the material file while confirming the additional information as well as the material preview, and there is an effect that there is no work mistake. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the additional information can be updated at the same time as the material file is updated, and the operation load on the operator is reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a database system 1 (hereinafter, system 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 takes a form in which a database server 10, a Web server 20, and a large number of client computers 30 are connected via a network 9. The network 9 is a network through which information is exchanged by the Internet protocol (IP). It may be a network used as an intranet that is an in-house network of a single company, or may be a network constructed on the Internet using a virtual private network mechanism.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating the database server 10 and the Web server 20 in more detail. The database server 10 holds all material data files 17 handled by the system 1, a material database 18 for managing the material data files, and an additional information database 19 that records and stores information related to the use of the material data. to manage. The material data file (also simply referred to as “material file”) is an image file or a line image file such as a design drawing. Further, there is provided database management means 11 for accepting requests for reference, search, update, etc. to these databases through the network 9, actually referring to, searching, and updating the databases 18, 19 and returning the results.

  On the other hand, the Web server 20 is provided with an HTTP server 21 for exchanging information by HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) when exchanging information with the client computer 30. The client computer 30 is provided with a WWW browser. Further, the Web server 20 is provided with database utilization means 22 that is an application program that is called from the HTTP server 21 and executes application logic using the databases 18 and 19.

  The database utilization means 22 is called through the HTTP server 21 by access from the client computer 30, provides the client computer 30 with an interactive screen for performing operations on the databases 18 and 19, and requests processing to handle the databases 18 and 19. In response to this, it issues a request to the database management means 11 to perform necessary processing such as search reference update to the databases 18 and 19 and returns the result to the client computer 30.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the material database 18 and the additional information database 19. The material database 18 is a set of records whose items are the path name of the material file and the attribute information of the material file itself. In order to uniquely identify the record, a key (primary key) called material information ID is included. That is, the material database 18 is a database configured as an accumulation of records including items of a material file path, material type, resolution, color mode, and material information ID.

  On the other hand, the additional information database 19 can be said to be a database that records and holds some information related to individual material data specified through the material information ID for a specific usage purpose using a set of material data. . FIG. 3 shows a typical example. In FIG. 3, classification, material number, person in charge, and remarks are listed as information related to material data. And the record which described these information, and material data itself are couple | bonded through material information ID.

  The specific purpose of using the material data (or a set thereof) means that, for example, when the material data is product photography data, the material data is handled as a material to be published in the product catalog. Therefore, in this case, information necessary for using the photography data as a material for the product catalog, for example, the product number, the selling price, the stock status, and the like are registered in the additional information database 19.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation flow of processing relating to the material data update in the database utilization means 22 in particular. The material data update process will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, the Web server 20 displays an initial screen in response to an access from the client computer 30 (S10). The initial screen usually includes a procedure for requesting a user name and password, and a procedure for authenticating the user in response to the request. Next, the user designates the update of the material data, designates the target material information ID number, and accepts this (S12).

  The new material data file is uploaded from the client computer 30 to the Web server 20 (S14). It is assumed that the user prepares new material data in a specific folder of the client computer 30 in advance. As a result of the upload, the new material data file is copied to a predetermined folder of the Web server 20.

  When the new material data is uploaded to a predetermined folder, the database utilization unit 22 creates a preview image (S16). A normal bitmap data thinning process may be performed. If the new material data is not an image file, alternative preview image data prepared in advance is used as a preview image.

  A search request for the material database 18 is issued to the database server 10 using the material information ID specified in step S12 as a key. The record information (hereinafter “file attribute information”) of the material database 18 having the material information ID is obtained. Further, a search request for the additional information database 19 is issued to the database server 10 using the material information ID designated in step S12 as a key. Record information (“additional information”) in the additional information database 19 having the material information ID is obtained. (S18).

  An update record is created based on the new material file, the preview image of the new material file, file attribute information, and additional information (S20). In the update record of the material database 18, the item describing the material file path (file name) is changed to the path (file name) of the new material file for the record of the material database 18 having the corresponding material information ID, and the material type Each item of resolution, color mode is also a record in which data about the new material file is entered. An update confirmation screen is displayed (S22).

  FIG. 5 shows an update confirmation screen 100. For new and old materials, previews, material file attributes, and additional file information are displayed in a list. The user can confirm on the screen 100 that there is no mistake. Additional information can be updated as the material file is updated. When the additional information is updated, an update record is created by overwriting the updated item for the record of the utilization information database 19 having the corresponding material information ID.

  When update execution is selected on the screen 100, first, the new material data file is moved to a predetermined folder of the database server 10. Then, the corresponding record in the material database 18 and the corresponding record in the additional information database 19 are updated with the contents of the respective update records (S26). These processes are actually performed through the database management means 11.

  If update cancel is selected on the screen 100, the record for update prepared in step S20 is discarded (S28). If it continues to update other material data, the process returns to step S12 (S29).

  The above is the operation of the database utilization unit 22 particularly related to the material data update. Such database utilization means 22 can be created and realized by a normal programming technique.

  If the system 1 is used, when the material data is updated, not only the preview image but also the additional information can be confirmed. Therefore, it can be confirmed that there is no mistake in registering the new material data instead of the old material data. Further, all or part of the additional information can be changed with a single operation in accordance with the update of the material data.

  The gist of the present invention is not limited to the case where there is only one type of additional information database 19 as in the system 1 (that is, the case where there is one type of additional information). When the material data is of a nature that can be used for multiple purposes, there are multiple types of usage purposes and usage modes for using the material data, and there may be multiple additional information databases for each purpose and mode. . Even in such a case, a screen similar to the update confirmation screen 100 can be provided if the records of those databases are uniquely combined with the material file by the material information ID. In that case, multiple types of additional information are displayed.

The system 1 has a configuration in which a client computer equipped with a WWW browser, a web server equipped with an HTTP server, and a database server are connected by an IP network based on the web technology. However, the present invention is not limited to this form. It may be configured by a client server system in which a database server and a client device are connected through a network. In this case, the client device is provided with the database use means 22 for providing the update confirmation screen 100, and the database use means 22 of the client device refers to the database management means 11 provided in the database server. Issue a request for search, update, etc.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a database system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram explaining the database server 10 and the Web server 20 in more detail. It is a figure explaining the material database 18 and the additional information database 19. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the operation | movement flow about the process in particular regarding material update of the database utilization means. It is an update confirmation screen 100 provided by the database using means 22.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Material database system 9 Network 10 Database server 11 Database management means 17 Material file 18 Material database 19 Additional information database 20 Web server 21 HTTP server 22 Database utilization means 30 Client computer

Claims (7)

A plurality of material files, an additional information database in which information specifying a specific file among the material files and some information relating to the specified material file are recorded and accumulated as a recording unit, and a database for managing the additional information database In a database system configured with management means,
The database system includes dialog input means for accepting user input and updating recorded contents, and the dialog input means includes:
After displaying the preview image of the old material file to be updated, the preview image of the new material file registered instead of the old material file, and the recorded contents of the recording unit of the additional information database specifying the old material file A database system characterized by providing an interactive screen interface capable of making a decision as to whether or not to perform an update.   The dialogue input means also accepts an input for updating the recorded contents of the additional information database displayed on the dialogue screen interface provided by the dialogue input means when updating the old material file to the new material file, The database system according to claim 1, wherein the database system is configured to be able to simultaneously update a corresponding recording unit in the additional information database.   3. The database system according to claim 1, wherein the dialog input unit displays a substitute image file prepared in advance as a preview image when the material file is a type of file that cannot present a preview image. 4.   4. A database system in which the database system according to claim 1 is realized in a network configuration in which a server device and a client device are connected, wherein the dialog input means is configured to operate on the client device. system.   4. The database system according to claim 1, wherein the database management unit, the material file, a database server device including the additional information database, and a Web server including a program for providing an interactive screen interface by the interactive input unit. A database system realized by an IP network configuration in which a client device having a web browser for displaying a dialogue screen interface by the device and the dialogue input means is connected.   The client device of the database system according to claim 4. The computer program which operates in a Web server apparatus in the database system of Claim 5, and provides the dialog screen interface by the said dialog input means to a client apparatus.

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