JP2005190280A - Work flow cooperation method and system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a work flow cooperation technique flexibly selecting a work flow system at a cooperation destination and suitable for a malfunction management system in software development. <P>SOLUTION: The work flow system at an external transition source selects an external transition destination (S502) when external transition is performed (YES in S501). Namely, the external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the work flow system and information for connection is prepared in advance, and the external transition destination is selected based on the external transition destination definition information. Then, field-restricted document data in a general-purpose form are prepared (S503) , an external transition request is performed, and information on the external transition destination is recorded (S504). The external transition destination work flow system records information on the external transition source (S512) when receiving the external transition request (YES in S511), converts the document data into data for a self-system (S513), and starts a work flow corresponding to the external transition (S514). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a workflow cooperation technique for linking a plurality of workflow systems, and more particularly to a workflow cooperation technique suitable for a defect management system in software development.

  In the test process of software development, a defect management system is used to manage discovered defects. In the defect management system, the main purpose is to manage the state transition of each detected defect (during confirmation, correction, etc.) and defect information. As a mechanism for controlling the state transition of defects, it is effective to use a workflow system, and in fact, some workflow systems are introduced in many defect management systems.

  On the other hand, with the increase in the scale of software, general-purpose functions (for example, browser, kanji conversion, etc.) have been developed as general-purpose software components and have been diverted to various products. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software product including such general-purpose software components. Software components such as “browser” α1, “mailer” α2, “kanji conversion” α3, etc. It shows a state of being incorporated in a product such as a digital home appliance A2.

[Independent workflow system]
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a defect management system for multiple products and a developer in such a development form. As shown in FIG. 11, when the software component α developed by the developer 1101 is incorporated in a plurality of products A and B, the defect management systems 1110 and 1120 of those products A and B are independent of each other. Since this is a stand-alone independent workflow system that individually executes the workflow, the developer 1101 of the software component α participates in the testing process by the developers 1111 and 1121 of the plurality of products A and B, and a plurality of defect management systems 1110, It was necessary to refer to 1120.

  In addition, the defects discovered for the products A and B in the respective defect management systems 1110 and 1120 are accumulated as they are in the storage means such as the defect databases 1112 and 1122 managed by the respective defect management systems 1110 and 1120. For this reason, the defect information of the software component α is scattered, and it is difficult for the developer 1101 of the software component α to statistically analyze the defect information. As described above, when the problems of the defect management system when general-purpose software components are incorporated into a product are arranged, the following three problems 1 to 3 are derived.

[Problem 1: It is necessary to refer to multiple defect management systems. ]
Generally, a comprehensive test or the like is performed to confirm the quality of a product incorporating all software. Therefore, since defect management is also performed for each product, a software component developer needs to access a defect management system for each product. As a result, as the number of products used increases, the number of defect management systems to be referenced increases, and the overhead of the entire system also increases.

[Problem 2: Software component failure data cannot be centrally managed. ]
For the reason of the above problem 1, since the defect data is accumulated in the defect management system of each product, the defect data of the software component is also buried in the defect management system of the product. Therefore, software component defect data cannot be centrally managed and effectively used.

[Problem 3: Software component development group specific defect management flow cannot be defined. ]
Since the defect workflow is determined for each product, the software component development group needs to match the defect management workflow with the flow of each product, and cannot define a unique workflow.

[Workflow linkage]
In order to solve the problems 1 to 3 of the single independent workflow system as described above, it is effective to link the workflow between the defect management systems. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a cooperation example of such a plurality of defect management systems. As shown in FIG. 12, when the software component α developed by the developer 1201 is incorporated in a plurality of products A and B, the defect management system 1200 for the software component α is set in each of the products A and B. The defect management systems 1210 and 1220 are linked to each other.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of cooperation of workflows between the defect management systems cooperated as illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, for example, the basic defect management workflow processing procedure for the software component α is as follows.

  First, in the software component α defect management system 1200, when the software component α is “discovered” by the developer 1201 or another person in charge (1301), the “discovered” defect is Depending on the importance of the defect, it is “assigned” whether it should be corrected (1302). In this case, generally, not only the determination as to whether or not to correct, but also the person in charge of the correction is assigned.

  The defect assigned to the software component α as the defect to be corrected is “corrected” by the developer 1201 (1303). In addition, after such a defect correction (1303), the distribution (1302) and correction (1303) may be repeated. In any case, after the defect is corrected, when the developer 1211 (or 1221) or other person in charge who has found the defect is “confirmed” that the defect has been corrected (1304), processing is performed. Is completed (1305).

  In addition, when the “discovered” defects are of low importance and do not need to be corrected in particular, if they do not become defective due to specification restrictions, or if a reported defect is registered, “no bug” Then, the processing is completed without taking any action (1306). In practice, no bugs are rare at this stage even if the importance is low.

  The basic defect management workflow processing procedure in the defect management systems 1210 and 1220 for the products A and B is the same as the basic defect management workflow processing procedure in the defect management system 1200 for the software component α.

  In FIG. 13, in order to link the defect management workflow in the defect management system 1200 of the software component α with the defect management workflow in the defect management systems 1210 and 1220 of the products A and B incorporating the software component α, the products A and B In the defect management workflow in the defect management systems 1210 and 1220, a “defect relating to software component α” process (1307) is added.

  The process (1307) of the “defect relating to software component α” is a defect management system 1200 for the software component α when there is a defect related to the software component α among the defects found in the product A and the product B. It is processing to transfer to. Also, the defect management system 1200 for the software component α performs defect management workflows (1301 to 1307) for the transferred defects, and returns them to the transfer source defect management systems 1210 and 1220 when the defects are corrected.

  Conventionally, as a technology for linking workflows in this way, a work definition part that centrally describes collaborative work linked with other workflow management systems, and that is executed by each workflow management system from the collaborative work described centrally. A technique has been proposed in which a work definition part is converted into an executable form, loaded into a workflow management system to be executed, and executed (see Patent Document 1).

  Also, means for exchanging data for process execution with another device, and means for exchanging inter-process association information for associating a process to be executed by the own device with a process executed by the other device with another device A technique for exchanging process execution data and inter-process association information at asynchronous timing is also proposed (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-302002 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-20387

  As described above, the above-mentioned problems 1 to 3 can be solved by linking the workflow between the defect management systems. However, the following problems 4 to 6 occur in the special field of defect management.

[Problem 4: It is necessary to be able to flexibly select a workflow to be linked. ]
In a workflow system such as a business system, which workflow system is linked with is determined in advance at the time of design. In the case of a defect management system, it is necessary to link with various defect management systems in the product life cycle and product introduction cycle. Comes out. For that purpose, it is necessary to be able to set the cooperation destination flexibly.

[Problem 5: Data confidentiality is required. ]
The developer of the product A and the developer of the software component α incorporated in the product A may be different in organization or company. Since the defect information is highly confidential data, it is often desired to send only the minimum data necessary for defect correction and protect other data.

[Problem 6: The fields are different. ]
The defect data is aggregated / analyzed. In order to aggregate / analyze such data, it is necessary to normalize and accumulate in a format such as a database table. However, the defect data related to products A and B developed by different developers may have different form fields from the defect data related to software component α, and a simple data copy is stored in the defect database for software component α. It may not be possible.

  Note that the above problems 4 to 6 are not limited to the field of defect management, and similarly, various workflows when the cooperation destination is not fixed in advance or when data is transmitted between different organizations or companies. This is a problem that occurs in the same way.

  The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to flexibly select a cooperation destination workflow system, and is particularly suitable for a defect management system in software development. Is to provide a simple workflow linkage method, system and program.

  Another purpose is to ensure the confidentiality of data even when data is transmitted between different organizations and companies, and to use the data of the link destination even when there are different form fields between linked systems. It is possible.

  The present invention prepares in advance external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the workflow system and information for connecting to the workflow system as information relating to each of the plurality of workflow systems. By selecting an external transition destination based on the destination definition information, a cooperation destination workflow system can be flexibly selected.

In the present invention, important terms are defined as follows.
The “workflow system” is not limited to a defect management system, but is a broad concept including various workflow systems that execute a wide variety of workflows.
“External transition” means that the state transitions from one workflow system to another workflow system.
“External transition return” means that the externally transitioned state reaches the end state in the external transition destination workflow system and is returned to the external transition source workflow system.

  The invention according to claim 1 has the following technical features in a workflow linkage method for linking a plurality of workflow systems via a communication network by using a computer. That is, first, by storing external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the workflow system and information for connecting to the workflow system as information regarding each of the plurality of workflow systems, Use pre-registered storage means. When one of the plurality of workflow systems is an external transition source and the state is externally transitioned, a transition destination selection step and an external transition step are performed on the external transition source workflow system side. Here, the transition destination selection step is a step of selecting another workflow system as the external transition destination based on the external transition destination definition information stored in the storage unit. The external transition step is a step of externally transitioning the state of the external transition source to the selected external transition destination via the communication network.

  According to the invention as described above, for each workflow system that can be an external transition destination, by storing the external transition destination definition information of the workflow system in the storage unit, When the state of the workflow system is externally transitioned, the external transition destination can be flexibly selected based on the external transition destination definition information. This method can be applied to linkage of workflow systems in various fields, but it is particularly suitable for defect management systems in software development. Linking defect management of software components embedded in products with product defect management. And can be done efficiently.

  As described above, according to the present invention, external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the workflow system and information for connecting to the workflow system is preliminarily stored as information related to each of the plurality of workflow systems. By preparing and selecting an external transition destination based on this external transition destination definition information, the workflow system of the cooperation destination can be selected flexibly, and in particular, a workflow cooperation method suitable for a defect management system in software development Systems and programs can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described here does not limit the present invention at all, and merely illustrates one aspect of the present invention.

  The present invention is typically realized by controlling a computer with software. The software in this case realizes the operational effects of the present invention by physically utilizing computer hardware, and a suitable conventional technique is applied to a portion to which the conventional technique can be applied. Furthermore, specific types and configurations of hardware and software that realize the present invention, a range processed by software, and the like can be freely changed. For example, a program that implements the present invention is one aspect of the present invention.

[1. System configuration]
1 and 2 are block diagrams showing a configuration of a workflow cooperation system according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 shows a data flow at the time of external transition, and FIG. The flow of data at the time of transition return is shown. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the own workflow system 100 is configured to cooperate with another workflow system 200 via the communication network N.

  Here, the communication network N is a communication medium used for connection between workflow systems, and the same can be realized by a local loopback of a machine local as well as a network such as TCP / IP or a dedicated line. The other workflow system 200 is a workflow system that has the same function as the own workflow system 100 and is a partner of external transition. In the figure, from the viewpoint of simplification, only a single system is shown as the other workflow system 200, but actually, there are a plurality of other workflow systems 200.

  First, the own workflow system 100 includes a workflow driving unit 101, a workflow definition 102, a state management database (DB) 103, a form database (DB) 110, and the like as basic configurations for realizing functions as a workflow system. ing.

  Here, the workflow driving unit 101 is a device that controls a defect state in accordance with the workflow definition 102, and the workflow definition 102 is information that defines a workflow state and a state transition. In addition, the state management database 103 is a database that records the current defect state of a workflow job (workflow execution unit). On the other hand, the form database 110 is a database in which data for which the workflow system operates is stored, and in the case of a defect management system, data in which detailed information on defects is recorded is stored. .

  In the present embodiment, the own workflow system 100 has a characteristic configuration for realizing a function for managing external transitions according to the present invention, in addition to the basic configuration as the workflow system as described above. . That is, the own workflow system 100 includes an external transition transmission unit 111, an external transition reception unit 112, a transmission data selection unit 113, a form data conversion unit 114, an external transition destination definition database (DB) 120, and an external transition destination management database (DB). 121, an external transition source management database (DB) 122, a selection rule group 123, a conversion rule group 124, and the like.

  Here, the external transition transmission unit 111 is a device that performs external transition to the other workflow system 200 and returns the external transition received from the other workflow system 200 to the external transition source. The external transition reception unit 112 is a device that accepts an external transition from the other workflow system 200 and accepts an external transition return from the other workflow system 200.

  The transmission data selection unit 113 is a part that selects form data to be transmitted at the time of transition to the transition destination and at the return to the transition source in accordance with the selection rule 123 and creates a general-purpose data format to be transmitted. The form data conversion unit 114 is a part that receives form data in a general-purpose data format and converts it into the data format of its own system when receiving from the transition destination or returning from the transition source according to the conversion rule.

  The external transition destination definition database 120 is a database that stores external transition destination definition information that defines a workflow system that can be an external transition destination. Here, the external transition destination definition information includes information for specifying a workflow system such as a transition destination and a transition destination server, and information for connecting to the workflow system such as login information. The external transition destination management database 121 is a database that stores information related to the relationship between a workflow job, a transition destination server, and a transition destination workflow job. Furthermore, the external transition source management database 122 is a database that stores information on the relationship between the transition source workflow job, the transition source server, and the workflow job.

  The selection rule group 123 is information regarding a plurality of selection rules in which fields to be transmitted in the form data are defined in advance. The conversion rule group 124 is information on a plurality of conversion rules for converting fields from the general-purpose data format in accordance with the form field of the own system.

  Although not shown, the other workflow system 200 has the same configuration as the own workflow system 100 in order to realize the function as the workflow system and the function of managing the external transition.

  In the workflow cooperation system according to the present embodiment, each of the units 101 to 103, 110 to 114, and 120 to 124 constituting the workflow systems 100 and 200 includes the main memory of the computer and the workflow execution and external transition management stored therein. It is realized by a program specialized for use, an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU controlled by the program, an auxiliary storage device for storing necessary data, and the like. Note that the hardware resources such as the main memory, the CPU, and the auxiliary storage device mentioned here are basic components that are generally provided in the computer, and thus further description thereof is omitted.

[2. Workflow system definition]
The “workflow system” is a system that manages the state transition of the target form data according to a predetermined order. For example, in the defect management system, the target form data is defect data.

As described above, the “workflow definition” in the workflow system is information that defines states and state transitions, and specifically defines individual states, the order of state transitions, and the like. The “state” includes “start state”, “intermediate state”, and “end state”. The transition starts from the “start state” and finishes in the “end state”. For example, each state has the following information.
"Start state: State name, transition destination state, branch condition",
"Intermediate state: state name, transition destination state, branch condition",
"Exit status: Status name"

Here, definitions of each information “state name”, “transition destination state”, and “branch condition” are as follows.
The “state name” is information for identifying a state, and is a concept that includes not only an actual name but also a wide variety of information that can identify the state, such as a simplified name and a number or symbol indicating the state.
The “transition destination state” (hereinafter simply referred to as “transition destination” but has the same meaning) is information indicating a candidate for the next transition state. Which transition destination candidate is in the corresponding state is determined by the branch condition.
The “branch condition” is a logic (condition) that determines a branch destination to transit to. This branch condition may include complicated determination and reference to form data or data passed from an application.

  By combining states defined by such information as “state name”, “transition destination state”, “branch condition”, workflow definitions for various processing procedures can be obtained. FIG. 3 is a state transition diagram showing an example of such a workflow definition. In FIG. 3, a total of eight states, ie, one start state 310, four intermediate states 321 to 324, and three end states 331 to 333, and their state transitions are represented.

  In FIG. 3, since all three intermediate states 321 to 323 other than intermediate state 4 (324) are defined as two transition states, the branch condition is evaluated and the next state is set. Will be determined. In FIG. 3, as an example, for the intermediate state 1 (321), a branch condition of “go to intermediate state 2 if approved, and to end state 3 if rejected” is defined, and in intermediate state 2 (322). On the other hand, a branching condition is defined such that “if the value of the“ amount ”field is less than 100,000, go to midway state 3 and if it is 100,000 or more, go to midway state 4.

  1 and 2, such a workflow definition is defined independently of the workflow driving unit 101 and may exist logically or physically independently. In some cases, the drive unit 101 is incorporated.

  On the other hand, each item (execution unit) processed in the workflow system is called a “workflow job”, and a data unit in the form database 110 corresponding to the workflow job is called a “form record”. A “form record” is composed of a plurality of “fields”. The association between “workflow job” and “form record” is that the ID of the form record is recorded in each workflow job in the state management database 103 or the workflow job is recorded in each form record in the form database 110. This is done by recording the ID.

[3. Definition of workflow system linkage technology]
As described above for the background art, the above-described problems 1 to 3 in the stand-alone independent workflow system can be solved by linking the workflow systems. In the present invention, as described above, a state transition from one workflow system to another workflow system is called “external transition”, and the workflow system can be linked by this external transition.

In order to realize such workflow system cooperation, specifically, the following four functions F1 to F4 are used.
“External transition transmission function F1:
Function to externally transition state to other workflow system ",
“External transition acceptance function F2:
Function to accept external state transitions from other workflow systems ",
“External transition return transmission function F3:
Function to return the state to the external transition source when the end state is reached in the external transition destination workflow system ",
“External transition return acceptance function F4:
Function to accept status return from external transition destination workflow system "

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cooperation example of the workflow system using such functions F1 to F4. 4 shows a case where the defect management system for the software component α is the external transition destination workflow system 400, and the defect management system for the product in which the software component α is incorporated is the external transition source workflow system 410. This corresponds to the cooperation example of the workflow system shown in FIG. Therefore, the workflow processing procedures 401 to 407 correspond to the workflow processing procedures 1301 to 1307 shown in FIG.

  In the workflow cooperation system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the external transition transmission unit 111 implements the external transition transmission function F1 and the external transition return transmission function F3, and the external transition reception unit 112 receives the external transition reception. A function F2 and an external transition return acceptance function F4 are realized.

In order to perform external transition, it is necessary to define in which state the state is to be transitioned in the workflow definition. Therefore, in the workflow definition, in addition to the “start state”, “intermediate state”, and “end state” described above, a state in which external transition is performed: “external transition state” is defined. That is, an external transition is performed when this “external transition state” is reached. For example, the “external transition state” has the following information.
"External transition state: state name, transition destination state, branch condition"
In this “external transition state”, “transition destination state” and “branch condition” are information for transitioning to the next state when the external transition returns when the state returns from the external transition destination.

[4. Outline of external transition]
Hereinafter, basic data and system operation for performing external transition between workflow systems using the workflow cooperation system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described.

  First, in order to perform external transition, it is necessary to record “where is the external transition” and “where the external transition is”. In the workflow linkage system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the external transition destination management database 121 and the external transition source management database 122 play a role. Hereinafter, specific data examples stored in the databases 121 and 122 will be sequentially described.

[4-1. External transition destination management database]
The external transition destination management database 121 is a database that records information indicating “where is the external transition”. The external transition destination management database 121 records the information at the time of an external transition request, and is used to specify a workflow job and a form record corresponding to an external transition return reception. The data recorded in the external transition destination management database 121 includes the following items, for example.

“Workflow job ID:
ID that identifies the workflow job that has transitioned externally ",
"External transition destination server address:
Information that identifies the external transition destination, such as the server address and workflow system name of the external transition destination ",
“External transition destination workflow job ID:
ID for identifying the corresponding workflow job at the external transition destination "

  These items vary depending on the database design. Further, when data that can directly specify a workflow job is included when returning from the external transition destination, the external transition destination management database 121 may be unnecessary.

Table 1 below shows an example of a specific data structure of data recorded in the external transition destination management database 121.

[4-2. External transition source management database]
The external transition source management database 122 is a database that records information indicating “from which external transition is performed”. The external transition source management database 122 records the information at the time of external transition reception, and is used to specify the external transition source workflow system to be connected when the external transition returns. The data recorded in the external transition source management database 122 includes the following items, for example.

“Workflow job ID:
ID that identifies the workflow job that has been externally transitioned ",
“External transition source workflow system:
Information that identifies the external transition source such as the server address and workflow system name of the external transition source ”,
“External transition source workflow job ID:
ID identifying the corresponding workflow job of the external transition source "

  These items vary depending on the database design.

Table 2 below shows an example of a specific data structure of data recorded in the external transition source management database 122.

[4-3. External transition operation flow]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when external transition is made between workflow systems in the workflow cooperation system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the following, the external transition processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG.

  The relationship between the workflow systems 100 and 200 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the external transition source / external transition destination workflow system shown in FIG. 5 will be described. When the own workflow system 100 is an external transition source workflow system. The other workflow system 200 becomes the external transition destination workflow system. Conversely, when the own workflow system 100 is an external transition destination workflow system, the other workflow system 200 is an external transition source workflow system.

  First, in the external transition source workflow system, when the workflow job reaches the external transition state during execution of the workflow (YES in S501), the external transition destination is selected (S502), and the field-limited general-purpose data format is sent. Credit form data is created (S503), an external transition request is made to the external transition destination, and information about the external transition destination is recorded (S504). Details of this series of processing (S501 to S504) by the external transition source workflow system are as follows.

  First, in the workflow driving unit 101 of the external transition source workflow system, when the workflow job reaches the external transition state (YES in S501), the workflow driving unit 101 instructs the external transition transmitting unit 111 to make an external transition. ((1) in FIG. 1). In response to this instruction, the external transition transmission unit 111 reads the external transition destination definition information of the workflow system that is a candidate for the external transition destination from the external transition destination definition database 120, and the external transition destination workflow system is read based on the external transition destination definition information. Determine ((2) in FIG. 1). (S502)

  Next, the external transition transmission unit 111 instructs the transmission data selection unit 113 to create form data for transmission ((3) in FIG. 1). In response to this instruction, the transmission data selection unit 113 selects and acquires a selection rule to be applied from the selection rule group 123 based on the external transition destination definition information of the external transition destination workflow system ((4) in FIG. 1). The transmission data selection unit 113 acquires the field of the form record to be transmitted from the form database 110 according to the acquired selection rule ((5) in FIG. 1), converts the field of the acquired form record into a general-purpose data format, Form data for transmission is created and returned to the external transition transmission unit ((6) in FIG. 1). (S503)

  Subsequently, the external transition transmission unit 111 uses the server address of the external transition destination workflow system recorded in the external transition destination definition database 120 to connect to the external transition destination workflow system through the communication network N, and sends an external transition request. I do. At this time, the form data in the general data format created by the transmission data selection unit 113 is attached ((7) in FIG. 1). The external transition transmission unit 111 also records the server address, workflow job ID, and the like of the external transition destination workflow system in the external transition destination management database 121 ((8) in FIG. 1). (S504)

  When the external transition destination workflow system receives an external transition request from the external transition source workflow system (YES in S511), information on the external transition source is recorded (S512), and the received general-purpose data format form The data is converted for the own system (S513), and the workflow job transition corresponding to the accepted external transition is started (S514). Details of this series of processing (S511 to S514) by the external transition destination workflow system are as follows.

  First, when the external transition receiving unit 112 of the external transition destination workflow system receives an external transition request ((9) in FIG. 1) from the external transition source workflow system (YES in S511), the external transition receiving unit 112 Records the server address, workflow job ID, and the like of the external transition source workflow system in the external transition source management database 122 ((10) in FIG. 1). (S512)

  Next, the external transition reception unit 112 passes the received general-purpose data form data to the form data conversion unit 114 ((11) in FIG. 1). The form data conversion unit 114 selects and acquires a conversion rule to be applied from the conversion rule group 124 based on the information of the external transition source workflow system recorded in the external transition source management database 122 ((12) in FIG. 1). The form data conversion unit 114 converts the received form data into a format or field that conforms to the form database 110 of its own system according to the acquired conversion rule, and stores it in the form database 110 ((13) in FIG. 1). (S513)

  Subsequently, the external transition receiving unit 112 creates a workflow job corresponding to the accepted external transition, and instructs the workflow driving unit 101 to start the transition of the workflow job ((14) in FIG. 1). (S514)

  Further, in the external transition destination workflow system, when the workflow job due to acceptance of the external transition request reaches the end state (YES in S515), the external transition source information is acquired (S516), and the field-limited general-purpose data format Is generated (S517), and an external transition return request is made to the external transition source (S518). Details of this series of processing (S515-S518) by the external transition destination workflow system are as follows.

  First, in the workflow driving unit 101 of the external transition destination workflow system, when the workflow job started by accepting the external transition request reaches the end state (YES in S515), the workflow driving unit 101 returns the external transition. To the external transition transmitter 111 ((1) in FIG. 2). In response to this instruction, the external transition transmission unit 111 acquires information on the external transition source workflow system from the external transition source management database 122 ((2) in FIG. 2). (S516)

  Next, the external transition transmission unit 111 instructs the transmission data selection unit 113 to create form data for transmission ((3) in FIG. 2). In response to this instruction, the transmission data selection unit 113 selects and acquires a selection rule to be applied from the selection rule group 123 based on the information of the external transition source workflow system ((4) in FIG. 2). The transmission data selection unit 113 acquires the field of the form record to be transmitted from the form database 110 according to the acquired selection rule (after (5) in FIG. 2, the field of the acquired form record is converted into a general-purpose data format, Form data for transmission is created and returned to the external transition transmission unit ((6) in FIG. 2) (S517).

  Subsequently, the external transition transmission unit 111 uses the server address of the external transition source workflow system recorded in the external transition source management database 122 to connect to the external transition source workflow system through the communication network N, and returns to the external transition return. Make a request. At this time, the form data in the general data format created by the transmission data selection unit 113 is attached ((7) in FIG. 2). (S518)

  When the external transition source workflow system receives an external transition return request from the external transition destination workflow system (YES in S505), the external transition destination information is acquired (S506), and the received general-purpose data format The form data is converted for the own system (S507), and the transition of the workflow job corresponding to the accepted external transition return is started (S508). The details of this series of processing (S505 to S508) by the external transition source workflow system are as follows.

  First, when the external transition receiving unit 112 of the external transition source workflow system receives an external transition return request ((8) in FIG. 2) from the external transition destination workflow system (YES in S505), the external transition receiving unit 112 acquires the workflow job ID corresponding to the accepted external transition return and information of the external transition destination workflow system from the external transition destination management database 121 ((9) in FIG. 2). (S506)

  Next, the external transition reception unit 112 passes the received general-purpose data form data to the form data conversion unit 114 ((10) in FIG. 2). The form data conversion unit 114 selects and acquires a conversion rule to be applied from the conversion rule group 124 based on the information of the external transition destination workflow system recorded in the external transition destination definition database 120 and the external transition destination management database 121 (FIG. (11)). The form data conversion unit 114 converts the received form data into a format or field that conforms to the form database 110 of its own system according to the acquired conversion rule, and stores it in the form database 110 ((12) in FIG. 2). (S507)

  Subsequently, the external transition receiving unit 112 instructs the workflow driving unit 101 to transition the workflow job corresponding to the accepted external transition return to the next state ((13) in FIG. 2). (S508)

[5. Select external transition destination]
Hereinafter, specific data for performing the process (S502) of selecting an external transition destination in the external transition operation flow illustrated in FIG. 5 and a selection method based on the data will be described.

[5-1. External transition destination definition database]
In order to select an external transition destination, in this embodiment, as described above, the external transition destination definition database 120 is used. In other words, the workflow linkage system of this embodiment is a workflow system necessary for performing external transition in order to cope with the case where the workflow system that needs to be linked is fluid and cannot be fixedly defined by workflow definition or the like. Is stored in the external transition destination definition database 120 as external transition destination definition information.

Table 3 below shows an example of a specific data structure of data recorded in the external transition destination definition database 120.

  In this external transition destination definition database 120, a server address for connecting to a server of the workflow system of the external transition destination via a network, and a target workflow system when a plurality of workflow systems exist in the server are identified. Identification information, a login ID / password for connecting to the workflow system, and the like are defined. Here, the server address is used as information for connecting to the workflow system. In addition, the server address is also used as information for specifying the workflow system together with the identification information of the workflow system.

[5-2. Specific selection method of external transition destination]
When a workflow job is externally transitioned, there are various methods for selecting an external transition destination workflow system based on the external transition destination definition database 120. Typical methods are as follows. There are three selection methods (1) to (3). In the process of selecting an external transition destination, any of these selection methods may be used, or alternatively, the selection method according to the situation from among the three selection methods (1) to (3). Use may be determined.

(1) A method in which the user directly selects from the external transition destination definition database 120:
This is a method of presenting a workflow system stored in the external transition destination definition database 120 to the user and directly selecting the transition destination when the workflow job makes an external transition.

(2) Method for associating the form database 110 with the external transition destination definition database 120:
This is a method of automatically selecting the workflow system of the external transition destination definition database 120 from the field values of the form database 110 by associating a field value of the form database 110 with the workflow system of the external transition destination definition database 120. .

  For example, if the value of the field “cause module” is registered as “browser” in the form database 110 and the workflow system of the browser team is defined in the external transition destination definition database 120, the field of the form database 110 The browser team's workflow system is automatically selected from the value of the “cause module”.

(3) Method for directly registering the external transition destination workflow system:
This is a method of automatically selecting a registered workflow system when a user who wants to make an external transition to an unregistered workflow system in the external transition destination definition database 120 newly registers the unregistered workflow system.

[6. Create form data for transmission]
In the following, a specific selection rule and a selection method for performing processing (S503, S517) for creating form data for transmission in the operation flow of external transition shown in FIG. 5 will be described.

[6-1. Selection rule]
In order to ensure the confidentiality of data sent to external transition destinations, confidentiality is protected by defining fields that can be transmitted for each external transition destination. Defining a field to be transmitted for each transition destination reduces maintainability.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, as the selection rule group 123, a field to be transmitted is defined in advance as a rule, and a plurality of selection rules associated with the workflow condition information are used and applied to the external transition destination. The selection rule is selected based on the information of the external transition destination workflow system (external transition source workflow system when the external transition returns). The “workflow condition information” means information that expresses a condition of the workflow system that can be an application destination of the selection rule.

Table 4 below shows an example of a specific data structure of selection rules used as the selection rule group 123.

  As shown in Table 4, by using a character string including a replaceable portion such as a wild card “*” as workflow condition information associated with a selection rule, a rule corresponding to each external transition destination on a one-to-one basis Instead of definition, a flexible selection rule that covers a plurality of transition destinations can be defined.

[6-2. Selection rule selection method]
As described above, when a replacement method such as a wild card is used, a plurality of selection rules may be candidates for a single external transition destination. Hereinafter, a method for selecting a more appropriate selection rule in such a case will be described.

  In general, there are a plurality of types of information as information for specifying an external transition destination. For example, in the example of Table 2, an external transition destination is specified by two types of information, that is, an external transition destination server address and workflow system identification information, but there are a plurality of systems in one server, and each system May have multiple workflows. As described above, there are generally a plurality of data representing one external transition destination workflow system. In such a case, it is desirable that the information that characterizes the target workflow system has the highest priority.

Therefore, the ordering of information that identifies the workflow system needs to be defined by the user. At the stage where such ordering is performed, the weight value of the rule definition information for the external transition destination workflow system (external transition source workflow system at the return of the external transition) is calculated using the following formula: And find the total. The rule with the largest sum is the most effective rule.

Such a rule selection method will be specifically described with reference to an example shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the workflow system is defined from three pieces of information: a server, a system, and a workflow system. here,
Server>System> Workflow system,
In this order, information shall be prioritized.

When the weight value of each piece of information of the workflow system shown in FIG. 6 is calculated according to the above mathematical formula, it becomes as shown in Table 5 below.

Next, the weight value of each selection rule is calculated using these weight values. Here, as an example, it is assumed that a selection rule as shown in Table 6 below is defined.

With respect to these selection rules, the result of calculating the weight value of each selection rule when making an external transition to the workflow system wf_β (server = wf.toshiba.co.jp, system = system_A) shown in FIG. As shown.

  When calculating the weight value in this way, if any item does not match, the rule is excluded from the selection candidates. Then, among the remaining candidates, the rule having the largest total weight value is selected. In the examples shown in FIG. 6, Table 6, and Table 7, the selection rule rule_2 is selected.

  In order to select a selection rule by the above-described method, it is necessary to obtain information of the external transition destination workflow system (external transition source workflow system when the external transition returns). In the present embodiment, information about the external transition destination workflow system at the time of external transition can be acquired from the external transition destination definition database 120. Also, the information of the external transition source workflow system at the time of return of the external transition needs to record the information of the external transition source workflow system at the time of accepting the external transition and use the data. In the present embodiment, as described above, such information of the external transition source workflow system is recorded in the external transition source management database 122 at the time of accepting the external transition. Data can be used when returning from an external transition.

[7. Conversion of accepted form data]
In the following, a specific conversion rule and a selection method for performing processing (S507, S513) for converting received form data in the operation flow of external transition shown in FIG. 5 will be described.

[7-1. Conversion rule]
Since the external transition destination and external transition source workflow systems are generally different systems, the fields and data types of the form database 110 are not necessarily the same. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the form data to be transmitted is converted into general-purpose data form form data at the time of external transition or external transition return, and the received form data at the time of external transition reception or external transition return reception Is converted into a format that can be stored in the form database of its own system.

  That is, in this embodiment, in order to convert the form data into a format that can be stored in the form database 110 of the own system, the following two types of conversion “field mapping” and “data type conversion” are used as conversion rules. Is defined in association with combination condition information regarding a combination of an external transition destination and an external transition source. The “combination condition information” means information that expresses a combination condition of an external transition destination and an external transition source workflow system that can be a conversion rule application destination.

(1) Field mapping:
This is a mapping between an external transition source field and an external transition destination field.
(2) Data type conversion:
This is data type conversion when the field type is different in the field where the external transition source and the external transition destination are mapped.

  Among these, “data type conversion” will be described in more detail. For example, when substituting data of a “numeric type” field at the external transition source into a “character string type” field at the external transition destination, it is necessary to convert the numeric value into a character string. When a selection type field (data type in which one is selected from a plurality of selection candidates and data is stored by ID) is stored in a character string type field as shown in FIG. There are cases where it is desired to store the ID, and there are cases where it is desired to store the ID. Furthermore, some fields cannot be converted. For example, a character string cannot be stored in a numeric field. In such a case, there are various measures such as “Null” data or an error.

[7-2. How to select a conversion rule]
Similar to the selection rule described above, the conversion rule can be set flexibly by using a character string including a replaceable part such as a wild card “*” as combination condition information associated with the conversion rule. The procedure for selecting a rule to be applied from a plurality of conversion rules is the same as the selection rule.

Table 8 below shows an example of the definition of the conversion rule using the wild card “*”.

  In order to select a conversion rule, it is necessary to obtain information of an external transition source workflow system (external transition destination workflow system when receiving an external transition return). In the present embodiment, as described above, the external transition source management database 122 can be used when an external transition is accepted. Also, when receiving an external transition return, the external transition destination management database 121 and the external transition destination definition database 120 can be used.

In addition, in order to change the two types of conversion “field mapping” and “data type conversion” as described above according to the conversion rule, the form data to be transmitted is a general-purpose data having the following data: Must be in data format.
“Form data:
Field name, field type, value, display value "

  That is, “form data in general data format” in the present embodiment also means at least general data form data having such data.

[8. Effects of Embodiment]
According to the workflow linkage system of the present embodiment as described above, for each workflow system that can be an external transition destination, by storing the external transition destination definition information of the workflow system in the external transition destination definition database 120, each workflow system Is registered in advance, the external transition destination can be flexibly selected based on the external transition destination definition information when the state of any workflow system is externally transitioned. Such a method of the present embodiment can be applied to cooperation of workflow systems in various fields, but is particularly suitable for a defect management system in software development, and manages defect management of software components incorporated in products. This can be done efficiently in conjunction with product defect management.

  Also, when external transition or external transition return, it is possible to select the appropriate selection rule according to the destination workflow system from among the multiple selection rules, and transmit the form data with limited fields. Even when data is transmitted between organizations or companies, data confidentiality can be ensured.

  When receiving an external transition request or an external transition return request, select an appropriate conversion rule according to the combination of the requesting workflow system and the own workflow system from the multiple conversion rules, and automatically convert the received form data. Since it can be converted into form data that can be used by the system, even when the form system has different form fields, the data at the cooperation destination can be used reliably.

  In addition, for selection rules and conversion rules, individual rules are not defined for each external transition destination or external transition source, but are associated with the workflow system that can be applied or the conditions of its combination, By using a replacement method such as a wild card as a condition, a flexible rule that covers a plurality of application destinations can be defined. Therefore, the rule to be applied can be selected flexibly, so that the form data to be transmitted can be created and the received form data can be converted flexibly.

[9. Modification using external transition destination management server]
As a modification of the above-described embodiment, instead of managing various types of information necessary for external transition by individual workflow systems, a configuration in which the external transition destination management server common to a plurality of workflow systems can manage the information centrally is also possible. is there.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of such an external transition destination management server 800. The external transition destination management server 800 includes an external transition destination definition database 801, a common field definition database 802, and a common field mapping database 803. , A common field option database 804, and the like. The external transition destination management server 800 manages information stored in the databases 801 to 804 to manage external transitions between the external transition source 810 and the external transition destination 820. Details of each of the databases 801 to 804 are as follows.

  In the external transition destination definition database 801, each of the workflow systems is registered in advance by storing external transition destination definition information defining workflow systems that can be external transition destinations. This external transition destination definition information includes the URL and authentication information of the external transition destination workflow system. If each workflow system can only authenticate access to the external transition destination management server, it is not necessary to individually manage authentication information for other servers of the external transition destination.

  In the common field definition database 802, common field definition information that defines general common fields for covering the workflow system registered in the external transition destination definition database 801 is stored, so that each common field is registered. ing. The common database mapping database 803 defines a mapping between common non-yield definitions registered in the common field definition database 802 and individual fields used in individual workflow systems.

  That is, as described in the above embodiment, the fields of the form database possessed by each workflow system may be different for each workflow system, and therefore must be converted at the time of external transition. In the external transition destination management server 800 in FIG. 8, in order to avoid setting complexity by mapping fields for each combination of conversion source and conversion destination, common fields are defined, and Only mapping is defined.

  In the common field option definition database 804, common options registered in the common field definition database 802 are defined. Since it may not be possible to analyze unless the options are shared, the information is defined in order to ensure analysis.

  The following Tables 9 to 11 show examples of data structures stored in the respective databases 801 to 803. Table 9 is an example of external transition destination definition information, Table 10 is an example of common field definition information, Table 11 shows examples of mapping definitions with common fields.

  A specific operation between the workflow system serving as the external transition source 810 or the external transition destination 820 and the external transition destination management server 800 is as follows.

  At the time of external transition, the workflow system serving as the external transition source 810 accesses the external transition destination management server 800 and acquires the external transition destination definition information of the workflow system that can be the external transition destination 820. In addition, the workflow system of the external transition destination 820 accesses the external transition destination management server 800 and acquires a conversion rule when accepting an external transition.

  The workflow system of the external transition destination 810 accesses the external transition destination management server 800 at the time of external transition return, and acquires external transition destination definition information of the external transition return destination. In addition, the workflow system of the external transition source 820 accesses the external transition destination management server 800 and acquires a conversion rule when receiving an external transition return.

  Further, when applied to a defect management system in software development, the defect management system accesses the external transition destination management server 800 at the time of defect registration, obtains common field options, and copies them to its own system.

  The conversion rule acquired from the external transition destination management server 800 is generated from “common field definition” and “mapping with common field” as shown in FIG.

  According to the external transition destination management server 800 of FIG. 8 as described above, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, in the above embodiment, since the transition destination is set for each server as the definition of the external transition destination, it is necessary to set the same setting for a plurality of servers, and the setting becomes complicated. On the other hand, according to the external transition destination management server 800 of FIG. 8, since the setting of the external transition destination can be centrally managed, the information setting for realizing the external transition between a large number of workflow systems is simplified. Therefore, the amount of data managed in each workflow system can be reduced. Therefore, the workflow cooperation can be efficiently realized as the entire workflow cooperation system.

[10. Other Embodiments]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other variations can be implemented within the scope of the present invention. That is, the configuration, processing procedure, data structure, and the like of the workflow cooperation system shown in the embodiment are merely examples, and the specific configuration, processing procedure, data structure, and the like can be freely changed.

  Further, as described above, the present invention is suitable for a defect management system in software development, but is not limited thereto, and can be similarly applied to cooperation between workflow systems in various other fields. In other words, in the case of linkage between workflow systems in other fields, when the workflow system of the cooperation destination is not fixed in advance, or when various workflow systems are linked when data is transmitted between different organizations or companies By applying the present invention, excellent effects can be obtained similarly.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the workflow cooperation system which concerns on one Embodiment to which this invention is applied, and the data flow at the time of external transition. The block diagram which shows the flow of the data at the time of the external transition return in the workflow cooperation system shown in FIG. The state transition diagram which shows an example of the workflow definition shown in FIG. The figure which shows the cooperation example of the workflow system by the workflow cooperation system shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows the process sequence in the case of making the external transition between workflow systems in the workflow cooperation system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the hierarchy information of a workflow system in order to demonstrate the selection method of the selection rule at the time of "creation of the form data for transmission" shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of selection type data for explaining a conversion rule used at the time of “conversion of accepted form data” shown in FIG. 5. The block diagram which shows an example of the external transition destination management server used for the modification of the workflow cooperation system shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of a production | generation of the conversion rule by the external transition destination management server shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the software product containing a general purpose software component. The figure which shows an example of the relationship between the defect management system of multiple products, and a developer in the product development form shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of a cooperation of a some defect management system. The figure which shows the example of a cooperation of the workflow between the defect management systems cooperated as shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

N ... Communication network 100 ... Own workflow system 101 ... Workflow driver 102 ... Workflow definition 103 ... State management database (DB)
110 ... Form database (DB)
111 ... external transition transmission unit 112 ... external transition reception unit 113 ... transmission data selection unit 114 ... form data conversion unit 120 ... external transition destination definition database (DB)
121 ... External transition destination management database (DB)
122 ... External transition source management database (DB)
123 ... Selection rule group 124 ... Conversion rule group

Claims (13)

In a workflow linkage method that links multiple workflow systems via a communication network by using a computer,
Each workflow system is registered in advance by storing external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the workflow system and information for connecting to the workflow system as information regarding each of the plurality of workflow systems. Using storage means,
When one of the plurality of workflow systems is an external transition source and the state is externally transitioned, on the workflow system side of the external transition source,
A transition destination selection step of selecting another workflow system as an external transition destination based on the external transition destination definition information stored in the storage means;
Performing an external transition step of externally transitioning the state of the external transition source to the selected external transition destination via the communication network;
A workflow linkage method characterized by that. The transition destination selection step includes:
A direct selection step of causing the user of the external transition source workflow system to directly select the external transition destination by presenting another workflow system registered in the storage unit;
Based on information that pre-associates the field value of the form data managed in the workflow system of the external transition source with another workflow system registered in the storage unit, the external value is determined according to the value of the field of the form data. Automatic selection step to select the transition destination,
A registration selection step of selecting the newly registered workflow system as an external transition destination when a new workflow system is registered in the storage unit based on an instruction from the user of the external transition source workflow system;
Including at least one or more of the three types of steps
The workflow cooperation method according to claim 1. On the requesting workflow system side that is requesting the external transition or the external transition return,
Stored in the storage means for the external transition or the external transition return request destination workflow system from among a plurality of selection rules that predefine the field to be transmitted to the selected external transition destination workflow system. A selection rule selection step for selecting a selection rule to be used based on the external transition destination definition information related to the workflow system of the request destination,
A data creation step of creating form data for transmission by limiting the fields of form data to be transmitted at the time of requesting the external transition or the external transition return based on the selected selection rule,
The workflow cooperation method according to claim 1, wherein the workflow cooperation method is performed. Each of the plurality of selection rules is obtained by associating a workflow definition information representing a workflow system condition that can be a rule application destination with a rule definition.
The workflow cooperation method according to claim 3. On the side of the reception workflow system that has received the external transition or external transition return request with the form data attached,
Among the plurality of conversion rules in which the correspondence relationship between the workflow systems in the plurality of workflow systems is defined in advance, stored in the storage unit with respect to the workflow system requesting the external transition or the external transition return. A conversion rule selection step for selecting a conversion rule to be used based on the external transition destination definition information related to the workflow system of the request source or information related to the workflow system of the request source stored in another storage unit;
A data conversion step of converting the attached form data based on the selected conversion rule to generate form data usable on the reception workflow system side;
5. The workflow cooperation method according to claim 1, wherein the workflow cooperation method is performed. Each of the plurality of conversion rules is obtained by associating a rule definition with combination condition information expressing a combination condition of an external transition destination and an external transition source workflow system that can be an application destination of the rule.
The workflow cooperation method according to claim 5, wherein: The workflow condition information or the combination condition information of the selection rule or the conversion rule is expressed by a character string including a replaceable part.
The workflow cooperation method according to claim 4 or 6, characterized by the above. In the selection rule selection step or the conversion rule selection step, when the external transition destination definition information related to the workflow system includes a plurality of types of specific information for specifying the workflow system, the selection rule selection step or the conversion rule selection step corresponds to the importance for each specific information. Calculating a weight value for each rule by weighting, and selecting a rule having the largest sum,
The workflow cooperation method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the workflow cooperation method is characterized in that: The plurality of workflow systems are defect management systems;
9. The workflow cooperation method according to claim 1, wherein the workflow cooperation method is any one of claims 1 to 8. In a workflow linkage system that links multiple workflow systems via a communication network by using a computer,
Each workflow system is registered in advance by storing external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the workflow system and information for connecting to the workflow system as information regarding each of the plurality of workflow systems. A storage means,
At least one of the plurality of workflow systems uses another workflow system based on the external transition destination definition information stored in the storage unit when the state is externally transitioned using the own workflow system as an external transition source. Is configured as an external transition destination management system that externally transitions the state of the own workflow system that is the external transition source to the selected external transition destination via the communication network.
A workflow linkage system characterized by this. The external transition destination management system is configured to manage the external transition destination definition information stored in the storage unit.
The workflow cooperation system according to claim 10. The storage means includes, in addition to the external transition destination definition information, common field definition information defining common fields related to form data, defined common fields, and individual fields used in the plurality of workflow systems, respectively. Field relationship information about the correspondence of
External transition destination management that centrally manages various types of information regarding the setting of the external transition destination by managing the three types of information, the external transition destination definition information, the common field definition information, and the field relationship information stored in the storage unit A server was provided,
The workflow cooperation system according to claim 10. In a workflow cooperation program applied to a computer that realizes at least one workflow system in order to link a plurality of workflow systems via a communication network,
Each workflow system is registered in advance by storing external transition destination definition information including information for specifying the workflow system and information for connecting to the workflow system as information regarding each of the plurality of workflow systems. An information management function for managing the storage means;
When making the external transition source the own workflow system realized by the computer as an external transition source, another workflow system is selected as the external transition destination based on the external transition destination definition information stored in the storage means Transition destination selection function to
An external transition function that externally transitions the state of the own workflow system as the external transition source to the selected external transition destination via the communication network;
Is realized by the computer.

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