JP3852849B2 - Integrated business software introduction and operation support system - Google Patents

Description

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

  The ERP package is package software for integrating and managing a company's core business. In the ERP package, various modules or components such as inventory purchasing management, sales management, financial accounting, management accounting, and personnel management are prepared for each field of the core business such as logistics, accounting, and human resources. Data handled by these modules is not managed on a module-by-module basis, but is logically managed on a single database. When each module accesses this database in cooperation with each other in real time, a series of processes related to a plurality of modules such as inventory management to financial accounting are automatically performed. This means that the ERP package provides specific and timely evaluation materials for optimization within and across businesses.

  A company that intends to introduce an ERP package appropriately selects a module to be used from various modules in accordance with its own business. The selected module may not be adapted to the company-specific process as it is, but by preparing a number of customization items, the ERP package can cope with various types of industries, business formats, countries and cultures. If the parameters are set for the customization items and the business process of the company is adapted, there is no need to develop a new program, and the information system can be built and maintained by the company. Compared to the cost and cost burden. If there is still a gap between the functions provided by the ERP package and the business process of the company even after setting the parameters, an additional program is developed or the ERP package itself is changed to eliminate the gap. You can also. However, development of additional programs and changes to the ERP package itself mean that the merit of reducing the burden of introduction or maintenance is impaired, so it is preferable to avoid it.

  For this reason, when an ERP package is introduced, a business process is analyzed to determine whether to develop an additional program or change the ERP package itself. This determination requires know-how for parameter setting of the ERP package in addition to business process analysis ability. Although an introduction guide is prepared in the ERP package for appropriately setting parameters, the number of customization items is enormous, and the relationship between business requirements and customization items is generally complicated. In the introduction guide, the explanation of each customization item is described hierarchically according to the hierarchical structure of the customization items, but it is a hard work for the end user just to obtain fragmentary knowledge about the customization items from the explanation. . It is even more difficult to reflect business requirements in parameter settings while taking into account the relationship between customization items. Therefore, when examining the relationship between business requirements and parameter settings or reflecting business requirements in parameter settings, the consultant know-how is often relied upon.

  Consultants are trained separately by the ERP package module system. On the other hand, since business requirements are related to a plurality of module systems, a plurality of consultants usually participate in a project for introducing an ERP package. When setting parameters, each consultant individually examines the modules in charge, and adjustments are made between the module systems according to the results.

  Such parameter setting may be done by trial and error, and if the information about the parameter setting of the person involved in the project is lost, what kind of parameter setting was done in that project is It becomes difficult. For this reason, the parameter setting result is usually described in a document in preparation for system maintenance operation. When the ERP package is introduced, various documents such as business procedure manuals, manuals, development program functional specifications and technical specifications are created. These documents are stored in the form of paper or electronic data. For example, electronic data of a document is classified into a directory created hierarchically according to the type and content of the document.

  This allows end users and others who were not involved in the implementation project to share some information about the project. For example, if a problem occurs after the system is operational, use these documents to solve the problem. can do.

  However, even if various documents are stored, not all of the participants' knowledge about the project is described in those documents, so not all people get the necessary information from those documents. . In particular, it is difficult for many people to confirm according to the document what parameter setting satisfies a certain business requirement. As described above, the relationship between business requirements and parameter settings is complicated. For this reason, even if information on business requirements and customization items can be obtained from documents and implementation guides, if there is no consultant's personal know-how, the confirmation will be local and insufficient. Requires a lot of labor and time. For example, when searching for a document related to a specific content on a computer, if a directory to be searched is specified based on the content, the search target is narrowed down and it is possible to avoid a large number of unrelated documents being searched. However, the desired document is not always obtained from the directory. Also, it is generally difficult to determine the directory where the desired document is located from the search result.

  Therefore, if know-how that is not directly described in the document cannot be shared, it is difficult for many people to change the parameter settings as the business requirements change or to roll out the project to a group company. become.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems in the conventional technology, and an object of the present invention is to provide a system that can easily introduce and operate an ERP package in a short period of time.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an integrated business software introduction and operation system that supports the introduction and operation of integrated business software by a computer. The system has the following configuration.

In this system, a document management unit manages the data of the relevant document of ERP software, including workflow diagram describing the flow of business operations. The authentication database stores authentication information for users of the introduction operation support system in advance. When the authentication unit receives a user authentication request, the authentication unit compares the authentication information included in the authentication request with the authentication information stored in the authentication database, and the authentication information included in the authentication request corresponds to the authentication database. Is stored in the authentication data storage unit. Database is remembers in association with ERP software identification data to data of the identification information and the customizing item location of customizing item given to describe the elements of a business flow diagram of. Upon receiving a search request from an authenticated user , the search unit receives the identification data of the description element specified in the request and the identification information of the customized item associated with the identification data partially matching the identification data and its location. Data from the database . The output unit outputs the result of the search. When the data registration unit receives a request including information for specifying the location of the customization item selected from the search results, the data registration unit acquires the data specifying the request source and stores the data in the transfer data storage unit. The specific information on the location of the customization item included in the request is stored in the specific data storage unit. The authentication information acquisition unit acquires authentication information from the authentication data storage unit. The authentication agent transmits an authentication request including the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition unit to the integrated business software system. When the processing agent receives a response approving the authentication request from the integrated business software system, the processing agent includes the specific information of the location of the customized item read from the specific data storage unit, and the setting screen corresponding to the item of the integrated business software A request for data transfer is transmitted to the integrated business software system, and the setting screen data received from the integrated business software system is transferred to the request source read from the transfer data storage unit.

Since the output of the search result includes the location of the customization items corresponding to the description elements of the workflow diagram , if the user appropriately specifies the description elements according to the business requirements, the user will be placed under the description element. It is possible to easily know the location of customization items related to business requirements, including customization items corresponding to a description element. If you know where the customization item is, you can get an explanation of the customization item from the introduction guide. As a result, the user of the system, the relationship between the business requirements and customize items can be easily grasped, as well as related documents, knowledge that is not described in the relevant document also Ru are shared.

Furthermore, in this introduction and operation support system, the user can select the appropriate customization item because the setting screen corresponding to the appropriate customization item is displayed even if the user does not select the customization item on the setting screen of the integrated business software system. Not only can customization items be found easily and reliably, but the introduction and operation support system acts as an authentication and processing request at that time, so there is no need to change the operation of the integrated business software.

According to another aspect, the integrated business software introduction and operation support system provided by the present invention includes a document management unit, an authentication database, an authentication unit, identification information of customized items of the integrated business software, and the location of the customized items. A database that stores the data in association with the identification data given to the description element of the business flow diagram, and when receiving a search request by an authenticated user, the identification data of the description element specified in the request and the identification data Request for registration or update of data in database of search operation, output unit, and introduction operation support system for retrieving identification information and location data of customization item associated with identification data partially matching from the database The database included in the operation support system Acquired by a data processing unit to be registered, an authentication information acquisition unit for acquiring authentication information from the authentication data storage unit, and an authentication information acquisition unit upon receipt of a request for registration or update of data in the database of the introduction operation support system When an authentication agent that sends an authentication request including authentication information to the integrated business software system and a response that approves the authentication request from the integrated business software system are received, the contents registered in the database of the operation support system are integrated. A processing proxy unit that transmits a request for processing to be registered in the database.

Even when this introduction operation support system is used, the user can easily grasp the relationship between the business requirements and the customization items. Furthermore, if you register data and update the database with this introduction operation support system, the contents are reflected in the database of the integrated business software system, so you can not only simplify the maintenance procedure of both systems, Since the introduction and operation support system takes over authentication and processing requests at that time, there is no need to change the operation of the integrated business software.

According to still another aspect , the present invention provides a method for introducing and supporting integrated business software that supports the introduction and operation of integrated business software using a computer. In this method, a document management unit, an authentication database, and a database for storing identification information of customized items of integrated business software and data of location of the customized items in association with identification data given to description elements of the workflow diagram are stored. Use the provided computer. In this method, when a user authentication request is received as a procedure executable by the computer, the authentication information included in the authentication request is compared with the authentication information stored in the authentication database, and included in the authentication request. If the authentication information and corresponding data are stored in the authentication database, specify the procedure for storing the authentication information included in the authentication request in the authentication data storage unit and the search request from the authenticated user The identification data of the described description element, the identification information of the customization item associated with the identification data partially matching with the identification data, and the procedure for retrieving the data of the location from the database, and the result of the retrieval to the output device Includes information to specify the location of the customized items selected from the output procedure and the search results When receiving the request, the data for specifying the request source is acquired and stored in the transfer data storage unit, and the specific information on the location of the customization item included in the request is stored in the specific data storage unit, and the authentication data storage Upon receipt of a procedure for acquiring authentication information from the unit, a procedure for transmitting an authentication request including the acquired authentication information to the integrated business software system, and a response for approving the authentication request from the integrated business software system. The request to transfer the data of the setting screen corresponding to the item of the integrated business software was sent to the integrated business software system and received from the integrated business software system. Transferring the setting screen data to the request source read from the transfer data storage unit Provided with a door.

According to still another aspect, the integrated operation software introduction and operation support method provided by the present invention receives the authentication request of the user as a procedure executable by the computer, and the authentication information and authentication included in the authentication request. A procedure for comparing authentication information stored in the database and storing authentication information included in the authentication request in the authentication data storage unit when data corresponding to the authentication information included in the authentication request is stored in the authentication database When the search request is received by the authenticated user, the identification data of the description element specified in the request, the identification information of the customization item associated with the identification data partially matching the identification data, and the data of the location For searching the database from the database, a procedure for outputting the search result to the output device, and an introduction operation support system Receive a request to register or update data in the database, and register the contents included in the request in the database of the introduction operation support system and a request to register or update data in the database of the introduction operation support system. Upon receipt, a procedure for acquiring authentication information from the authentication data storage unit, a procedure for transmitting an authentication request including the acquired authentication information to the integrated business software system, and a response for approving the authentication request from the integrated business software system are received. Then, there is provided a procedure for transmitting a request for processing for registering the contents registered in the database of the introduction operation support system into the database of the integrated business software.

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

  By adopting the above configuration, in the present invention, the location of the customized items corresponding to the business elements described in the business flow diagram and the business elements below the business elements is provided to the user. While the user can easily grasp the relationship between the business requirements and the customization items, the integrated business software can be introduced and maintained, and it is very useful for governance.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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

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

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

  In accordance with the user instruction received by the input unit 22, the web browser 21 transmits a web page transfer request to the web server 11 through the network 3. Depending on the requested URL, the web server 11 processes a script on the server side to dynamically generate a web page. Although the script may be processed by an external program like CGI, in the following, it is assumed that the web server 11 having an execution environment processes the script.

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

  The document management unit 14 manages data of a shared document including a related document of such an ERP package. Here, the shared document data is stored in the database 141 arranged in the storage device 13. The document management unit 14 reads the stored document data from the database 141 of the storage device 13 or stores the document data in the database 141 of the storage device 13 in response to a call from the web server 11. Create a list of documents. The document management unit 14 can be realized by a program or software component having these functions cooperating with hardware such as a CPU or a memory of the server computer 1. Data read by the document management unit 14 and data of a list of created documents are passed to the web server 11. When the web browser 21 requests a shared document or a list of documents, the web server 11 transmits data passed from the document management unit 14 or a web page generated according to the data to the web browser 21.

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

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

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

  Also, IDs for identifying each document are given to all related documents including BFD, and further, BFD numbers for identifying them are given to business elements described in each BFD. Even if the same BFD number is given to a plurality of business elements described in different BFDs, the business elements can be uniquely specified by a combination of the document ID and the BFD number.

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

  In this embodiment, the BFD number data not only identifies business elements, but also identifies hierarchized business element paths. In FIG. 5, the BFD number is represented by only a three-digit number string or two or more three-digit number strings connected by a hyphen. The number of numeric strings indicates the number of business elements corresponding to the BFD number in which the business element corresponding to the BFD number is counted from the top. When the BFD number is expressed only by a numeric string, the BFD number specifies a business element belonging to the top layer. When the BFD number is expressed by combining a plurality of numeric strings, each numeric string specifies a business element in each hierarchy. In FIG. 5, a number string corresponding to a layer one level lower than a layer corresponding to the number string is coupled to the right side of the number string. In this figure, a BFD number is represented only by a combination of one numeric string or two numeric strings, but a BFD number may be represented by a combination of three or more numeric strings. Among a plurality of number strings representing one BFD number, the leftmost number string indicates a business element belonging to the uppermost layer. The number sequence on the right side indicates business elements belonging to a layer in which the number when counting the number sequence from left to right and the number when counting the hierarchy from the top layer are the first. By combining numeric strings in this way, not only business elements but also upper-layer business elements expressed using the business elements are specified. Further, not only the business element but also the business element below the business element is specified.

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

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

  When the search result is obtained, the web server 11 dynamically generates a web page according to the search result.

  When the user wants to refer to such a search result, first, the URL for designating the search form is given to the web browser 21. Receiving the instruction, the web browser 21 transmits a search form transfer request to the web server 11 as shown in FIG. 7 (S1).

  In response to this transfer request, the web server 11 returns, for example, a form as shown in FIG. 8 to the web browser 21 (S2). This form includes an input field for inputting a business area ID, an input field for inputting a BFD number, a search button for instructing search execution, and a cancel button for canceling search execution. Yes. Using this form, the user can perform a search by specifying only the business area ID or the business area ID and the BFD number. Which business area ID or BFD number is designated may be determined by the user according to business requirements.

  It is assumed that the user inputs a business area ID and a BFD number using the input unit 22 in the input field of the form displayed by the output unit 23 and presses the search button (S3). At this time, the web browser 21 designates a server-side script and transmits a request to post the business area ID and the BFD number in the input field to the web server 11 (S4). When the web server 11 receives this request, the web server 11 processes the designated script. Thereby, a search request for the specified business area ID and BFD number is made from the web server 11 to the search unit 12 (S5).

  Upon receiving the search request, the search unit 12 searches for an IMG path corresponding to the business area ID and the BFD number (S6). Since the document ID is determined from the business area ID, the IMG path data can be searched using the combination of the document ID and the BFD number. This search is performed not only for the designated BFD number but also for the BFD number where the designated BFD number and the numeric string corresponding to the uppermost layer match. For example, even if the designated BFD number is given only by the numeric string 010, the search is performed not only on the BFD number but also on 010-010, 010-020, 010-010-010, 010-010-030, 010. This is also done for BFD numbers such as -020-010. If the specified BFD number is given by the concatenation of the numeric strings 010-010, the search is also performed for BFD numbers such as 010-010, 010-010-010, 010-010-030. The search unit 12 searches the database 15 for document IDs and IMG identification information corresponding to these BFD numbers, thereby obtaining business area IDs and IMG path data corresponding to these BFD numbers.

  As described above, the search result is returned to the web server 11 (S7), and a web page is dynamically generated according to the result. When the web browser 21 receives the web page from the web server 11 (S8), the web page is output by the output unit 23. As a result, the search result is output (S9).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the output web page includes a list of business area IDs, BFD numbers, and BFD numbers including the same numeric strings as the BFD numbers and IMG paths corresponding to the BFD numbers. . In FIG. 9, L10 is designated as the business area ID. Also, 010 is designated as the BFD number, and the list includes IMG paths corresponding to the BFD numbers such as 010, 010-010, 010-030-030, and 010-040. As in this example, a single BFD number may correspond to a plurality of IMG paths.

  By browsing this web page, the user can know the IMG path corresponding to the business area ID and the BFD number. The user does not need to know the contents of many customization items in order to know what customization items the business element corresponds to. If the user can easily obtain the knowledge to keep track of, this knowledge will be shared with many people. Further, in this system, the IMG path is searched not only for the business element corresponding to the designated business area ID and BFD number, but also for the business element below the business element. For this reason, even if the user can specify only a rough business element based on the business requirements, it is possible to roughly determine the related IMG path. In this example, the searched IMG path is output in combination with the corresponding business area ID and BFD number. As in this example, if the search result is output in combination with the corresponding business element, the user can also know what business element the specified business element is expressed in. .

  The data in the database 15 is created by a skilled person who has detailed knowledge about the introduction and operation of integrated business software, such as a consultant. The skilled person can register the created data in the database 15 using the client computer 2. When there is a registration instruction using the input unit 22, the web browser 21 designates a server-side script and transmits a request to post the data to the web server 11. When the web server 11 receives this request, the web server 11 processes the designated script. As a result, a processing request is made from the web server 11 to the registration unit 50, and the registration unit 50 registers the received data in the database 15.

  Further, as a result of the search, the search unit 12 may return not only the combination of the business area ID and the BFD number and the IMG path corresponding to the combination, but also the IMG identification number and identification information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the IMG identification number can be included in the web page dynamically generated according to the search result. Further, the URL of a web page indicating an IMG note may be returned. In this case, the web server 11 adds a link to the URL of the web page indicating the note corresponding to the identification number to the identification number of the IMG, and dynamically generates a web page as a search result. If the link is added to the web page in this way, the user can easily know the outline of the customization item and the simple setting reason.

  When the user inputs only the business area ID in the input field of the search form, the search unit 12 searches the database 15 for the document ID corresponding to the business area ID and obtains the document obtained thereby. A BFD number corresponding to the ID and identification information of the IMG are obtained. Accordingly, the search unit 12 can obtain IMG path data as in the case where the BFD number is input.

  Since the database 15 associates the BFD number and the business area ID with the document ID, the search unit 12 stores the document ID of the related document corresponding to the BFD number or the business area ID in place of the IMG path. 15 can be searched.

  Further, the search unit 12 may search for the ID of the development information corresponding to the BFD document ID and the BFD number instead of the IMG path. In this case, the database 15 has a table for associating the ID of the development information with the document ID. As the ID of the development information, a development request ID assigned by the developer with respect to the development request can be used to identify the program that has requested the development. As shown in FIG. 11A, in the table, one development request ID can be associated with a plurality of document IDs, and one document ID can be associated with a plurality of development request IDs. Here, the document corresponding to the document ID associated with the development request ID is a development document such as a technical specification or a functional specification of the program among the documents managed by the document management unit 14. The database 15 also includes a table for associating a combination of a BFD document ID and BFD number with a reference document ID. The document ID of the reference destination is a document ID associated with the development request ID. As shown in FIG. 11B, in the table, one combination can be associated with a plurality of reference destination document IDs, and one reference destination document ID can be associated with a plurality of combinations.

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

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

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

  A user who uses such a system can easily specify not only IMG path data corresponding to business requirements but also related documents and development requests, and can further utilize shared documents.

  Further, when the document describing the outline of the development program is included in the shared document, the outline ID of the program is set to the document ID and the BFD in the same manner as the development request ID and the document ID of the development document. The number may be associated with the database 15. If the ID of the program summary description is associated with the document ID and the BFD number, the search unit 12 can also search for the program summary description instead of the IMG path.

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

  As a result, the user can easily refer to the outline description of the program corresponding to the business requirement.

Further, the search unit 12 can search not only the data of the IMG path corresponding to the BFD number from the database 15 but also the data of the BFD number corresponding to the identification information of the IMG and the identification number from the database 15.

  In this case, for example, a search form as shown in FIG. 13 is used. This search form is provided with not only an input field for inputting a business area ID and a BFD number but also an input field for inputting IMG identification information.

The user performs an operation of inputting only the identification information of the IMG in the input field of the form and pressing the search button. The identity of the IMG to enter, may be used as the user already knew, it may be used those reflected in the results of search.

When the operation is performed, the web browser 21 designates a server-side script and transmits a request for posting IMG identification information in the input field to the web server 11. When the web server 11 receives this request, a search request is made to the search unit 12 as described above . The search unit 12 searches the database 15 for a combination of a document ID and a BFD number corresponding to a combination of a version, a project, and an IMG identification number that matches the specified IMG identification information. In this example, since the business area ID and the BFD number are not specified, all combinations of the document ID and the BFD number are targeted for the search.

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

  The user can know the business area ID and the BFD number corresponding to the specified identification information of the IMG by browsing the web page. Therefore, if the user has knowledge about the customization item, the user can easily specify the business requirement corresponding to the customization item even if the user does not grasp the business requirement in detail. As a result, it is also easy to grasp the details of parameter setting when the project is rolled out to a group company. In addition, even if the user has not grasped both the customization item and the business requirement in detail, by repeating the search for the customization item corresponding to the business requirement and the search for the business requirement corresponding to the customization item, You can easily deepen your understanding of both.

When the related documents of the ERP package are managed collectively for a plurality of companies, the company code may be associated with the document ID based on the data in the database 15 as shown in FIG. 14A. As the company code, a code unique to each company defined between the companies can be used. As shown in FIG. 14B, the company code is associated with a company name or the like in the master table. Here, although described as a company code, if the business entity that manages the business by the ERP package is not a company, a code for identifying a business entity other than the company may be used instead of the company code. Good. If the company code is associated with the document ID, a search specifying the company code can also be performed.

  When searching only for a specific company, the user designates the company code or company name of the company in the search form. In the example of FIG. 15, an input field for inputting a company code is provided in the search form. The user inputs the company code of the company in this input field as necessary. When the user is authenticated before the search form is transmitted from the web server 11 to the web browser 21 and the user ID is associated with the company code, it is used in the search form input field in advance. It is also possible to automatically insert the company code of the company to which the person belongs.

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

  The search unit 12 returns the company code, the BFD number, IMG path data corresponding to the BFD number, and the like to the web server 11 as a result of the search. As shown in FIG. 16, the web server 11 dynamically generates a web page that expresses an IMG path in combination with a company code, a business area ID, and a BFD number according to the search result.

  When the business area ID is specified without specifying the BFD number and the company code, the search unit 12 searches all document IDs corresponding to the company code and the specified business area ID, and the retrieved document ID All BFD numbers corresponding to, ID information of IMG and path data are obtained.

  In this case, the company code returned to the web server 11 as a result of the search includes the company codes of all companies having documents corresponding to the designated business area ID. The search results also include all BFD numbers and IMG path data corresponding to those documents. Therefore, the BFD numbers representing the business flow of the business area corresponding to the designated business area ID and Corresponding IMG path data is obtained for each company.

  Since the web page expressing the search result is output by the output unit 23, the user can view what business elements the business area is composed of by viewing the web page. It is possible to compare the customization items related to each company.

  Even if there are many common business elements in multiple companies, even if there are many common business elements in those business areas, some business elements are in those companies as a result of considering the business processes unique to each company. Sometimes it doesn't fit. If the comparison as described above is possible, the user can easily grasp those common points and differences.

It should be noted that, even if a good sea urchin company code of this can be specified, as well as the data of the path of I MG, it is possible to search for relevant documents and the development request ID.

By the way, even if a project is rolled out to a group company, there are customization items that have the same parameter settings, but customization items that have different parameter settings in that group company in order to absorb differences in countries and cultures. There is also. If parameter settings common to many group companies are changed, the possibility of the change being applied to other group companies must be considered.

  However, since the application area of the parameter setting for each customization item is unique to the group company, the application area is not described in the introduction guide.

  Therefore, in the system according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the identification information of the IMG is associated not only with the IMG path and notebook, but also with the classification ID of the application area, based on the data in the database 15. Here, the application area is classified into, for example, global, regional, and local. Global indicates that it applies to the entire group company. The regional indicates that it applies to all companies belonging to one of the regional divisions in the group companies such as Asia, Europe and the United States. And local indicates that it applies only to a specific company. In the database 15, for each section, a section ID is given by, for example, a single letter alphabet such as G, R, and L.

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

  If the category ID is included in the search result, the web server 11 dynamically generates a web page of the search result including the category ID.

  As shown in FIG. 18, if the category ID is shown for each IMG path on the search result web page, the user can refer to the web page to change the range of influence when the customization item is changed. The size can be grasped.

Incidentally, search unit 12 and the document management section 14, was providing data to the client computer 2 in mediation of the web server 11 and the web browser 21. Thus, the display device of the client computer 2 functions as the output unit of the present invention, but is not limited to this. For example, if a web page is directly output to a display device connected to the server computer 1, the system of the present invention can be constructed with only one computer. Further, if the search unit 12 and the database 15 are distributed on a computer different from the server computer 11, the system of the present invention can be constructed with three or more computers. It is also possible to provide the program corresponding to the search unit 12 and the document management unit 14 and the web server 11 as a single program.

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

This onset Ming system can be used with an information system by ERP package. In this case, as shown in FIG. 19, the server computer 100 for implementing the information system is connected to the server computer 1 and client computer 2 through a local area network 3.

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

In here, the application server 101 has a communication interface with the web browser, accepting a request from the web browser 21 on the client computer 2 may further return a response to it. A user interface for operating the information system is provided using the web browser 21.

The database 15 associates as described above corresponding to the ERP package used in the application server 101.

  A user operates a plurality of web browsers 21 on the client computer 21 to perform operations on the information system while searching for customization items and the like. You can search for and so on. For example, it is assumed that the location of the customization item “... / Database / table structure setting” is obtained as a result of the search specifying the BFD number. On the screen for selecting customization items of the information system, as shown in FIG. 20, the customization items are hierarchized as obtained as a result of the search. Therefore, the user can easily select the customization item on the screen according to the location of the customization item obtained as a result of the search. When the customization item “setting of table structure” is selected, a setting screen corresponding to the item is displayed as shown in FIG. 21, for example. When making settings on this screen, if the user wants to check what business elements other than the business elements corresponding to the BFD number specified by the user are related to the settings, the user can You can also search. This type of usage is very useful for introducing integrated business software into a new business entity and performing operation and maintenance by making use of past project settings.

Not only parallel to operate the system of the present invention an information system, as described above, Ru by linking the information system.

In the server computer 1 in the example of this, interlock control unit 16 controls the cooperation with the information system. The interlock control unit 16 includes a setting control unit 161 and a registration update control unit 162.

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

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

  Normally, when an information system is used, user authentication is required. When linking with the information system, the authentication information input when logging on to the system of the present invention can be used for the authentication. FIG. 22 shows the procedure of the authentication process.

When logging on to the system of the present invention, the user requests the web server 11 to transmit a form for inputting authentication information using the web browser 21 (S101). When you log on to the system of the present invention by this request, the user requests the transmission of a form for inputting authentication information by using a web browser 21 to the web server 11 (S101). In response to this request, for example, a web page as shown in FIG. 23 is transmitted from the web server 11 to the web browser 21 (S102) and displayed by the output unit 23. This logon screen has fields for entering a user name, password, and company code. The user inputs the correct combination in these fields using the input unit 22 (S103), and logs on to the system of the present invention. The input authentication information is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11 (S104). The web server 11 requests the management unit 17 to process the authentication information (S105). As illustrated in FIG. 24, the management unit 17 includes an authentication unit 171, and the authentication unit 171 includes an authentication information registration unit 172, an authentication data storage unit 173, and a determination unit 174. Upon receiving the request, the authentication information registration unit 172 of the authentication unit 171 temporarily holds the authentication information in the authentication data storage unit 173 (S106), and the authentication unit 171 performs processing on the authentication information (S107). For the authentication process, the determination unit 174 determines whether data corresponding to the authentication information is registered in the authentication database 175 provided in the storage device 13. Authentication is performed normally when the corresponding data is registered. The authentication result is transmitted from the management unit 17 to the web server 11 (S108).

  When it is confirmed that the information input by the management unit 17 is correct, a web page as shown in FIG. 25 is transmitted from the web server 11 to the web browser 21 (S109) and displayed by the output unit 23. (S110). On this menu screen, items for selecting processing such as search and maintenance are arranged.

When the user selects search on this menu screen, a search form transfer request is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11. In response to this request, the web server 11 returns a search form as shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. Search As above mentioned is performed by using the search form, the result is output by the output unit 22. Here, it is assumed that a result as shown in FIG. 26 is output. The web page for outputting this result has almost the same form as that shown in FIG. 16 except that a selection box 2301 and a cooperation activation button 2302 are provided.

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

  A selection box 2301 is provided for the location of each retrieved customization item. The user can use the selection box 2301 to select one of the locations of the searched customization items.

  FIG. 27 shows the procedure of the cooperation process. When the user makes a selection using the selection box 2301 and operates the cooperation activation button 2302, a request including information for specifying the location of the selected customization item is transmitted from the web browser 21 to the web server 11 ( S201).

  Upon receiving this request, the web server 11 gives the specific information to the setting control unit 161 of the interlock control unit 16 (S202). As illustrated in FIG. 24, the setting control unit 161 includes a data registration unit 1611, an authentication information acquisition unit 1612, an authentication proxy unit 1613, and a processing proxy unit 1614. When receiving the request, the data registration unit 1611 of the cooperation control unit 16 acquires data specifying the request source such as the IP address from the request header and the like, and stores the data in the transfer data storage unit 1601. Further, the specific information included in the request is stored in the specific data storage unit 1602 (S203). The authentication information acquisition unit 1612 acquires the user name and password from the authentication data storage unit 171 of the management unit 17 (S204), and the authentication proxy unit 1613 uses them to log on to the information system instead of the user. This logon request is transmitted to the ERP server 101 via the web server 11 having a web client function (S205, S206), and the ERP server 101 performs authentication (S207). When the authentication is performed by the ERP server 101, the corresponding application is activated, and the authentication agent 1613 of the setting control unit 161 is notified via the web server 11 that the authentication has been normally performed (S208, S209). . Upon receiving this notification, the processing proxy unit 1614 of the setting control unit 161 reads out data of information for specifying the location of the selected customization item from the specific data storage unit 1602 (S210), and via the web server 11 A processing request including the data is transmitted to the ERP server 101 (S211 and S212). Upon receiving this processing request, the ERP server 101 dynamically generates a web page for performing settings corresponding to the item based on the specific information (S213). Then, the web page is transferred to the web server 11 (S214). When the web page corresponding to the processing request is received from the ERP server 101 via the web server 11 (S215), the processing proxy unit 161 reads the data specifying the request source from the transfer data storage unit 1601 (S216). The server 11 is used to transfer the web page to the requesting web browser 21 (S217, S218). This web page is for displaying a setting screen as shown in FIG.

  By providing the setting control unit 161 as described above, the setting screen is automatically displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, the setting page of FIG. 21 and the search result output page of FIG. 26 may be displayed in two different windows W1 and W2 on one screen IM1.

  The user can easily and reliably find an appropriate customization item without referring to a screen for selecting the customization item of the information system. Further, since the setting control unit 161 acts as a request for authentication and processing, it is not necessary to change the operation of the ERP server 101.

  When the user selects to perform maintenance on the menu screen shown in FIG. 25, the registration update control unit 162 realizes cooperation between the system of the present invention and the information system.

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

  Upon receiving this request, the web server 11 gives the contents to the registration update control unit 162 and the management unit 17 of the interlock control unit 16. As shown in FIG. 29, the management unit 17 includes a data processing unit 176 in addition to the authentication unit 173. The data processing unit 176 registers the data in the database 15 based on the given contents. Similarly to the setting control unit 161, the registration update control unit 162 includes a data registration unit 1621, an authentication information acquisition unit 1622, an authentication agent unit 1623, and a processing agent unit 1624. The data registration unit 1621 stores data specifying the request source in the transfer data storage unit 1601. Similarly to the setting control unit 161, the authentication information acquisition unit 1622 acquires the user name and password from the authentication data storage unit 171 of the management unit 17, and the authentication agent unit 1623 uses them to provide information instead of the user. Log on to the system. When the notification that the authentication has been normally performed is received, the processing proxy unit 1624 of the registration update control unit 162 transmits a processing request including the data registration content to the ERP server 101. Upon receiving this processing request, the ERP server 101 accesses the database 102 based on the contents and registers the data in the database 102 as well. When the update contents of the database 15 are given, the ERP server 101 updates the database 102 based on the contents. And the web page which notifies the result of the process to the database 102 is transmitted to the web server 11 which has a web client function. When the web page is received via the web server 11, the processing proxy unit 1624 reads the data specifying the request source from the transfer data storage unit 1601, and uses the web server 11 to read the data to the request source web browser 21. Forward web pages.

  By providing the registration update control unit 162 in this way, when data registration or database update is performed in the system of the present invention, the contents are automatically reflected in the information system database. For this reason, the maintenance procedure of both systems can be simplified, and the consistency of information between both systems can be easily ensured. Furthermore, since the registration / update control unit 162 acts as a proxy for authentication and processing requests, it is not necessary to change the operation of the ERP server 101.

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

The figure which shows schematic structure of the system in embodiment of this invention Diagram showing an example of a business flow diagram Diagram showing another example of business flow diagram The figure which shows the table which associates the identification information and path | pass of IMG. The figure which shows the table which matches document ID and BFD number, and the identification information of IMG. The figure which shows the table which links | relates document ID and business area ID Diagram explaining search processing procedure Figure showing an example of a search form The figure which shows an example of the web page which expressed the search result as a pair with the BFD number and the business area ID The figure which shows an example of the web page expressed by adding the identification number of IMG to the search result The figure which shows the table which links | relates a BFD number and development request ID The figure which shows the search form provided with the selection column for selecting which of IMG path | pass, a related document, and development request ID is searched. The figure which shows the search form provided with the input column which inputs the identification information of IMG The figure which shows the table which matches the identification information of IMG, an application area, and the path | pass of IMG. Figure showing a search form with an entry field for entering a company code The figure which shows an example of the web page which expressed the search result as a pair with the BFD number and the company code The figure which shows the table which associates the identification information of IMG with an application area. A diagram showing an example of a web page that expresses search results in pairs with business areas The figure which shows schematic structure of the system in embodiment of this invention The figure which shows an example of the screen for selecting the customization item of an information system The figure which shows an example of the setting screen of an information system The figure which shows an example of the procedure of an authentication process The figure which shows an example of the web page for displaying the logon screen The figure for demonstrating the setting control part of a cooperation control part The figure which shows an example of the web page for displaying the menu screen The figure which shows an example of the web page which can instruct | indicate cooperation with an information system The figure which shows an example of the procedure of cooperation processing The figure which shows the example which displayed the setting page and the search result output page in different windows The figure for demonstrating the registration update control part of a cooperation control part

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Server computer 2 Client computer 3 Network 11 Web server 12 Search part 13 Storage device 14 Document management part 15 Database 16 Interlocking control part 17 Management part 21 Web browser 22 Input part 23 Output part 100 Server computer 101 ERP server 102 Database 161 Setting control Unit 162 Registration Update Control Unit 171 Authentication Unit 172 Authentication Information Registration Unit 173 Authentication Data Storage Unit 174 Determination Unit 1611, 1621 Data Registration Unit 1612, 1622 Authentication Information Acquisition Unit 1613, 1623 Authentication Proxy Unit 1614, 1624 Processing Proxy Unit

Claims (6)

An integrated business software introduction and operation support system that supports the introduction and operation of integrated business software using a computer,
The computer is
A document management unit that manages data of related documents of integrated business software including a business flow diagram describing a business flow;
An authentication database for storing authentication information for users of the introduction operation support system in advance;
Upon receiving a user authentication request, the authentication information included in the authentication request is compared with the authentication information stored in the authentication database, and the data corresponding to the authentication information included in the authentication request is stored in the authentication database. An authentication unit that stores authentication information included in the authentication request in an authentication data storage unit,
A database for storing the identification information of the customization items of the integrated business software and the data of the location of the customization items in association with the identification data given to the description element of the workflow diagram;
Upon receiving a search request by an authenticated user, the identification data of the description element specified in the request, the identification information of the customized item associated with the identification data partially matching the identification data, and the data of the location are A search unit for searching from a database;
An output unit for outputting the search result;
When a request including information for specifying the location of the customization item selected from the search results is received, data specifying the request source is acquired and stored in the transfer data storage unit, and included in the request A data registration unit for storing the specific information of the location of the customization item in the specific data storage unit;
An authentication information acquisition unit for acquiring authentication information from the authentication data storage unit;
An authentication agent that transmits an authentication request including the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition unit to the integrated business software system;
Upon receiving a response to approve the authentication request from the integrated business software system, the location information of the customization item read from the specific data storage unit is included, and data of the setting screen corresponding to the item of the integrated business software A processing proxy unit that transmits a request for transfer to the integrated business software system and transfers the setting screen data received from the integrated business software system to the request source read from the transfer data storage unit
Integrated operation software introduction and operation support system. An integrated business software introduction and operation support system that supports the introduction and operation of integrated business software using a computer,
The computer is
A document management unit that manages data of related documents of integrated business software including a business flow diagram describing a business flow;
An authentication database for storing authentication information for users of the introduction operation support system in advance;
Upon receiving a user authentication request, the authentication information included in the authentication request is compared with the authentication information stored in the authentication database, and the data corresponding to the authentication information included in the authentication request is stored in the authentication database. An authentication unit that stores authentication information included in the authentication request in an authentication data storage unit,
A database for storing the identification information of the customization items of the integrated business software and the data of the location of the customization items in association with the identification data given to the description element of the workflow diagram;
Upon receiving a search request by an authenticated user, the identification data of the description element specified in the request, the identification information of the customized item associated with the identification data partially matching the identification data, and the data of the location are A search unit for searching from a database;
An output unit for outputting the search result;
A data processing unit that receives a request to register or update data in the database of the introduction operation support system, and registers the content included in the request in the database of the introduction operation support system;
Upon receiving a request for registration or update of data in the database of the introduction operation support system, an authentication information acquisition unit that acquires authentication information from the authentication data storage unit;
An authentication agent that transmits an authentication request including the authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition unit to the integrated business software system;
When a response for approving the authentication request is received from the integrated business software system, a processing proxy unit that transmits a request for processing to register the contents registered in the database of the introduction operation support system in the database of the integrated business software; Prepare
Integrated operation software introduction and operation support system. A method for introducing and supporting integrated business software that supports the introduction and operation of integrated business software using a computer,
The computer is
A document management unit that manages data of related documents of integrated business software including a business flow diagram describing a business flow;
An authentication database for storing authentication information for users of the introduction operation support system in advance;
A database for storing the identification information of the customization item of the integrated business software and the data of the location of the customization item in association with the identification data given to the description element of the workflow diagram;
When the computer receives a user authentication request, the computer compares authentication information included in the authentication request with authentication information stored in the authentication database, and data corresponding to the authentication information included in the authentication request is If stored in the authentication database, a procedure for storing the authentication information included in the authentication request in the authentication data storage unit;
When the computer receives a search request from an authenticated user, the identification data of the description element specified in the request, the identification information of the customization item associated with the identification data partially matching the identification data, and the location thereof Retrieving data from the database;
A procedure for the computer to output the search result to an output device;
When the computer receives a request including information for specifying the location of the customization item selected from the search results, the computer acquires the data specifying the request source and stores it in the transfer data storage unit. A procedure for storing the specific information of the location of the customization item included in the request in the specific data storage unit;
A procedure for the computer to obtain authentication information from the authentication data storage unit;
A procedure in which the computer sends an authentication request including the acquired authentication information to the integrated business software system;
When the computer receives a response for approving the authentication request from the integrated business software system, the computer includes the specific information of the location of the customization item read from the specific data storage unit, and corresponds to the item of the integrated business software A procedure for transmitting a request for transfer of setting screen data to the integrated business software system, and transferring the setting screen data received from the integrated business software system to the request source read from the transfer data storage unit;
A method for introducing and supporting integrated business software. An integrated business software introduction and operation support system that supports the introduction and operation of integrated business software using a computer,
The computer is
A document management unit that manages data of related documents of integrated business software including a business flow diagram describing a business flow;
An authentication database for storing authentication information for users of the introduction operation support system in advance;
A database for storing the identification information of the customization item of the integrated business software and the data of the location of the customization item in association with the identification data given to the description element of the workflow diagram;
When the computer receives a user authentication request, the computer compares authentication information included in the authentication request with authentication information stored in the authentication database, and data corresponding to the authentication information included in the authentication request is If stored in the authentication database, a procedure for storing the authentication information included in the authentication request in the authentication data storage unit;
When the computer receives a search request from an authenticated user, the identification data of the description element specified in the request, the identification information of the customization item associated with the identification data partially matching the identification data, and the location thereof Retrieving data from the database;
A procedure for the computer to output the search result to an output device;
The computer receives a request to register or update data in the database of the introduction operation support system, and registers the contents included in the request in the database of the introduction operation support system;
When the computer receives a request to register or update data in the database of the introduction operation support system, a procedure for acquiring authentication information from the authentication data storage unit;
A procedure in which the computer sends an authentication request including the acquired authentication information to the integrated business software system;
When the computer receives a response to approve the authentication request from the integrated business software system, a procedure for transmitting a processing request for registering the contents registered in the database of the introduction operation support system in the database of the integrated business software When
A method for introducing and supporting integrated business software. 5. A computer-readable recording medium on which an integrated business software introduction / operation support program for causing a computer to execute the integrated business software introduction / operation support method according to claim 3 is recorded. An integrated business software introduction / operation support program for causing a computer to execute the integrated business software introduction / operation support method according to claim 3.

Images