JP5598177B2 - Information search apparatus, information search program, and information search method - Google Patents

Description

  This case relates to an information search apparatus, an information search program, and an information search method.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, database construction / use techniques have advanced, and multi-database search techniques for searching for information across a plurality of databases connected to a network have been developed. When a multi-database search technique is used, a plurality of databases can be searched with a single search command.

  In the above-mentioned multi-database search, a technique for shortening the time required for data search has been proposed in order to improve user convenience (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-311777 JP-A-7-105238

  However, in terms of improving user convenience in multi-database search, it may not be sufficient to reduce the time for data search processing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information search device, an information search program, and an information search method that improve user convenience in information search across a plurality of databases. To do.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an information search device disclosed in the specification is an information search device that performs information search for a plurality of databases each including at least one or more different items . A reception unit that accepts a search target including a search condition including a value and a display item to be displayed as a search result, a database from which the value of the display item is obtained, and an item of the database for each display item For each display item, a storage unit that stores the priority item and a database and an item from which the value of the display item is obtained according to the priority order, and the database is searched based on a search condition and the item is retrieved from the item. and a acquisition unit that acquires a value of the display items in the storage unit, a main database comprising mainly acquisition destination of a value of the display item The first priority is set for the database and the item of the main database, and the second or lower priority is set for the other database having items that can replace the item of the main database and the item of the other database. It is .

In order to solve the above-described problem, an information search program disclosed in the specification is an information search program for performing an information search on a plurality of databases each including at least one different item . A reception step for receiving a search target specification including a search condition including a value and a display item to be displayed as a search result, a database for acquiring the value of the display item for each display item stored in a storage unit, and the acquisition A selection step for selecting a database and an item from which to obtain the value of the display item for each display item specified in the reception step according to the priority order of the items in the destination database, and the selection step based on the search condition an acquisition step of searching for selected database to obtain the value of the display items from said item in Cause the computer to execute, in the storage unit, the priority of the first position is set in the item of the main database and main database which is a major acquisition destination of the value of the display item, the item that can replace the item of the main database The second and lower priorities are set for the other databases and the items of the other databases.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an information search method disclosed in the specification is an information search method in which a computer executes information search for a plurality of databases each having at least one or more different items . A receiving step for receiving a search target specification including a search condition including an item and a search value, and a display item to be displayed as a search result; and a database from which a value of the display item is stored for each display item stored in a storage unit And a selection step of selecting a database and an item from which the value of the display item is acquired for each of the display items specified in the reception step according to the priority order of the item of the acquisition source database, and based on the search condition search for and retrieve selected databases in the selection step to obtain the value of the display items from said item step When provided with, in the storage unit, the priority of the first position is set in the item of the main database and main database which is a major acquisition destination of the value of the display item, the item that can replace the item of the main database The second and lower priorities are set for the other databases provided and the items of the other databases .

  According to the information search device, information search program, and information search method disclosed in the specification, the convenience of the user is enhanced in information search across a plurality of databases.

It is a figure which shows an example of the system configuration | structure of the information processing system containing the information search device of this case. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of an information search device. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of the function with which an information search device is provided. It is a figure which shows an example of an access control table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which an information search device performs. It is an example of the specific data explaining an example of the process which an information search device performs. It is a figure which shows an example of an item definition table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process of step S15 in FIG. It is an example of the table which shows the database used as an acquisition destination for every display item. It is a figure which shows an example of a related DB definition table. It is a figure which shows an example of the search command used for a search process. It is a specific example for demonstrating the process which a display part performs. It is a figure which shows an example of a display format definition table. It is a figure which shows another example of the display method of the search result on a display apparatus. It is another example of the functional block diagram of an information search device. It is a figure which shows another example of the system configuration | structure of the information processing system containing the information search device of this case. It is a figure which shows an example of the table which integrated the item definition table and the related DB definition table. It is a figure which shows another example of the table used for determination of the database used as the acquisition destination of a display item.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, a configuration example of an information processing system including the information retrieval apparatus of the present case will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 includes an information search device 10, a purchase DB (Data Base) 20, an environment DB 30, a CAD DB 40, and a component DB 50.

  The information search apparatus 10 is, for example, a personal computer, and may be a wireless communication terminal or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The information search apparatus 10 includes a so-called multi-database search function that can perform information search across a plurality of databases. The information retrieval apparatus 10 performs information retrieval across a plurality of databases including a purchase DB 20, an environment DB 30, a CAD DB 40, and a component DB 50 connected by a network 60 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

  The purchase DB 20 is a database provided in, for example, a purchase system that manages parts procurement operations and the like. The purchase DB 20 includes items such as “article number”, “article unit price”, “main supplier”, “minimum order quantity”, and “delivery lead time”. The “article number” is a number that uniquely identifies an article to be procured. “Item price” represents the unit price of the item identified by the item number. “Main supplier” represents the main supplier of the article identified by the article number. “Minimum order quantity” indicates the lower limit of the order quantity when ordering an article identified by the article number. “Delivery lead time” represents a lead time from when an article identified by an article number is ordered until delivery.

  The environment DB 30 is a database provided in, for example, an environmental management system for complying with environmental regulations. In this embodiment, the environment DB 30 has items such as “article number”, “regulation flag”, and “green purchase target”. The “article number” is a number that uniquely identifies an article. The “regulation flag” indicates whether or not use of an article identified by an article number is restricted. “Green purchase target” indicates whether or not the item identified by the item number conforms to the criteria for determination defined in the basic policy of the Green Purchasing Law.

  The CAD DB 40 is a database provided in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) system, for example. In the present embodiment, the CAD DB 40 includes items such as “part name”, “regulation flag”, “standardization flag”, “alternative part”, “unit price”, “part shape type”, and “symbol”. . “Part name” is an item for uniquely identifying a part. The “regulation flag” indicates whether or not the use of the component identified by the component name is restricted. The “standardization flag” indicates whether or not the part identified by the part name is a standard product. The “substitute part” represents a part that can be used as a substitute for the part identified by the part name. “Item unit price” indicates the unit price of the part identified by the part name. “Part shape type” represents the shape of the part identified by the part name. “Symbol” represents a circuit symbol when a component identified by a component name is arranged on a CAD screen.

  The component DB 50 is a database provided in, for example, a component management system that manages information on each component. In the present embodiment, the parts DB 50 includes items such as “article number”, “regulation flag”, “handling classification”, “substitute article”, “part unit price”, “part shape type name”, and “symbol name”. Prepare. The “article number” is a number for uniquely identifying each part. The “regulation flag” indicates whether or not the use of the part identified by the article number is restricted. “Handling category” indicates whether or not the part identified by the article number is a standard product. The “substitute article” represents a part that can be used as a substitute for the part identified by the article number. “Parts unit price” represents the unit price of the part identified by the article number. “Part shape type name” represents the shape of the part identified by the article number. The “symbol name” represents a circuit symbol when a part identified by an article number is arranged on a CAD screen.

  The purchase DB 20 to the parts DB 50 are different databases, but there are cases where items included in any of the databases can be replaced with items of other databases. For example, the “restriction flag” included in the CAD DB 40, the “restriction flag” included in the component DB 50, and the “restriction flag” included in the environment DB 30 all indicate whether or not the use of the component or article is restricted. That is, it can be said that each item of the three databases is an equivalent item. Therefore, the “restriction flag” included in the CAD DB 40, the “restriction flag” included in the component DB 50, and the “restriction flag” included in the environment DB 30 can replace the respective items. Further, the “standardization flag” included in the CAD DB 40 represents an item equivalent to the “handling classification” in the component DB 50 because it represents whether or not the article is a standard product. Accordingly, the “standardization flag” provided in the CAD DB 40 can replace the “handling classification” in the component DB 50.

  Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the information search apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The information search device 10 includes, for example, an input / output unit 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a central processing unit (CPU) 103, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 104, and a hard disk drive (hardware drive). HDD: Hard Disk Drive (105).

  The input / output unit 101 transmits / receives data to / from each database. The ROM 102 stores a program (details will be described later) for executing an information search across the purchase DB 20 to the parts DB 50. The CPU 103 reads and executes a program stored in the ROM 102. Further, the functions of the monitoring unit 111, the reception unit 112, the acquisition unit 113, and the display unit 114 illustrated in FIG. 3 are realized by the calculation performed by the CPU 103 of the program stored in the ROM 102. The RAM 104 stores temporary data used when executing the program. Further, the HDD 105 stores a table and the like (details will be described later) for managing the correspondence between the search item and the display item and the items included in each database of the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50.

  Next, an example of means for realizing the functions of the information search apparatus 10 will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the information search device 10 includes a monitoring unit 111, a reception unit 112, an acquisition unit 113, a display unit 114, and a storage unit 115.

  The monitoring unit 111 accesses each database of the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 every predetermined time (for example, every second), and monitors the operating state of each database. The monitoring unit 111 writes the operating state of each database in the access control table.

  Here, an example of the configuration of the access control table will be described with reference to FIG. The access control table includes items of “DB name”, “operating state”, and “response speed”. In the “DB name”, the name of the database that is monitored by the monitoring unit 111 is set. “Operating status” represents the operating status of the database set in “DB name”. For example, if the monitoring unit 111 cannot receive a response within a predetermined time from the database that requested access, the monitoring unit 111 sets “stop” in the “operational state” of the database. In this embodiment, when “stop” is set in the “operation state”, it is assumed that the search process for the database set in the “DB name” cannot be executed. On the other hand, when “operation” is set in the “operation state”, it is assumed that the search process for the database set in the “DB name” can be executed. “Response speed” represents the time from when the database set in “DB name” receives an access request from the monitoring unit 111 until it responds.

  In FIG. 4, “stop” is set in the “operation state” of the purchase DB and the environment DB. This indicates that search processing for the purchase DB and the environment DB cannot be executed. On the other hand, “operation” is set in the “operation state” of the CAD DB, and “50” is set in the “response speed”. This indicates that the search process for the CAD DB can be executed and the response speed is 50 (msec). Similarly, it can be seen from FIG. 4 that the search processing for the component DB can be executed and the response speed is 80 (msec).

  The receiving unit 112 receives a search condition and display item designation from the user. Specifically, the accepting unit 112 accepts an item to be searched (search item) and a search value as search conditions. In addition, the reception unit 112 receives items (display items) to be displayed on the display device 11 as search results. The reception unit 112 outputs the search condition and the display item to the acquisition unit 113.

  The acquisition unit 113 receives search conditions and display items from the reception unit 112. The acquisition unit 113 performs a search process across the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 based on the search condition received from the reception unit 112, and acquires display item data. Specifically, the acquisition unit 113 determines whether to acquire each of the received display items from the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 based on the access control table and the item definition table. Next, the acquiring unit 113 searches each database based on the search condition according to the determination result, and acquires display item data as the search result.

  The acquisition unit 113 outputs the search results acquired from each database to the display unit 114. The acquisition unit 113 updates the “operation state” of the access control table when there is a database that does not respond when the search is executed. Then, the acquisition unit 113 re-determines from which of the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 the display item is acquired. Details of the item definition table will be described later.

  The display unit 114 merges the search results of the databases received from the acquisition unit 113 and displays the search results on the display device 11. At that time, the display unit 114 converts the display format of the search result based on the display format definition table (details will be described later). Details of the display format definition table will be described later.

  The storage unit 115 is, for example, the HDD 105 and stores the above-described access control table, item definition table, related DB definition table, and display format definition table. In this embodiment, the item definition table, the related DB definition table, and the display format definition table are set in advance by the user.

  Next, an example of the multi-database search process executed by the information search apparatus 10 will be described using a specific example. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of multi-database search processing executed by the information search apparatus 10.

  The accepting unit 112 determines whether or not there is a multi-database search request from the user (step S11). If there is no request for multi-database search from the user (step S11 / NO), the reception unit 112 repeats the process of step S11.

  When there is a multi-database search request from the user (step S11 / YES), the receiving unit 112 receives the search condition and display item designation (step S13). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, the reception unit 112 receives “article item” as a search item and “NANDGATE-A” as a search value. In addition, the reception unit 112 receives an article number, a restriction flag, a standardization flag, a substitute part, a purchase price, a part shape, and a circuit symbol as display items. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the data shown in FIGS. 6B to 6E are stored in the purchase DB 20 to the parts DB 50.

  Next, the acquisition part 113 determines the database which acquires a display item (step S15). Specifically, the acquisition unit 113 determines from which of the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 each display item is acquired based on the access control table and the item definition table.

  Here, the details of the item definition table will be described. FIG. 7 shows an example of the item definition table. The item definition table defines a main database that is a main acquisition destination of the display item specified by the reception unit 112, and a database that acquires a display item instead of the main database when search processing for the main database cannot be performed.

  In this embodiment, the item definition table includes items of “search / display item name”, “unique item”, and “priority”. “Search / display item name” represents the name of the search item and the display item that the receiving unit 112 receives from the user. “Unique item” indicates whether or not only one record has a specific value in the item set in “search / display item name”. For example, in the item “item number”, when only one record has a value of “NANDGATE-A”, “◯” is set in “unique item”. In addition, in the item “regulation flag”, since there may be a plurality of records having a value “EOL” indicating that the article is a production end product, “x” is set in the “unique item”.

  The “priority order” has a purchase DB, an environment DB, a CAD DB, and a parts DB as sub-items. In this embodiment, “1” is set for the main database that is the main acquisition source of the display items among the purchase DB, the environment DB, the CAD DB, and the parts DB. In addition, when the search process for the main database cannot be executed, a value of “2” or later is set for a database that acquires display items instead of the main database. When there are a plurality of databases from which display items can be acquired instead of the main database, the priority order is set according to the priority of the search.

  For example, in FIG. 7, in the “regulation flag”, “1” is set in the environment DB, and “2” is set in the CAD DB and the component DB. This indicates that the main database from which the display item “restriction flag” is acquired is the environment DB, and the database searched when the search process for the environment DB cannot be executed is the CAD DB or the parts DB. Since the article number is a unique item, “1” is set for all databases.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the process of step S15 executed by the acquisition unit 113. The acquisition unit 113 first selects any of the display items specified by the reception unit 112 (step S151). Next, the acquiring unit 113 acquires a main database that is a main acquisition destination of the display item selected in step S151 from the item definition table (step S152). For example, the acquisition unit 113 selects “regulation flag” as the display item in step S151. Then, the acquisition unit 113 acquires the main database that is the main acquisition destination of the “regulation flag”, that is, the environment DB in which “1” is set as the priority order as the main database (step S152).

  Next, the acquisition unit 113 determines whether or not search processing for the main database is possible based on the access control table (step S153). When the search process for the main database is possible (step S153 / YES), the acquisition unit 113 determines the main database as a database for acquiring display items (step S154). The acquisition unit 113 determines that the search process for the main database is possible if “operation” is set in the “operation state” in the access control table. Further, if “stop” is set in the item of “operation status”, the acquisition unit 113 determines that the search process for the main database is impossible.

  When the search process for the main database is impossible (step S153 / NO), the acquisition unit 113 acquires the next highest priority database in the item definition table (step S155). In the access control table of FIG. 4, “stop” is set in the “operation state” of the environment DB which is the main database of the “restriction flag”. Therefore, the acquisition unit 113 determines that the search process for the environment DB is impossible (step S153 / NO). Next, the acquisition unit 113 acquires a database (CAD DB or component DB) in which the priority order “2” next to the priority order “1” is set in the item definition table of FIG. 7 (step S155). ). When the same priority is set for a plurality of databases, the database with the higher response speed in the access control table may be acquired in step S155. For example, in the CAD DB and the component DB in which the same priority “2” is set, since the response speed of the CAD DB is faster than the response speed of the component DB, the acquisition unit 113 steps the CAD DB. Obtained in S155.

  Next, the acquiring unit 113 determines whether or not the search process for the database acquired in step S155 is possible based on the access control table (step S156). When the determination in step S156 is YES, the acquisition unit 113 determines the database acquired in step S155 as a database for acquiring display items (step S157). When the determination in step S156 is NO, the acquisition unit 113 re-executes the processing from step S155. In the access control table shown in FIG. 4, since “operation” is set in the “operation state” of the CAD DB, search processing is possible (step S156 / YES). Therefore, the acquisition unit 113 determines the CAD DB as a database for acquiring the display item “restriction flag” (step S157).

  Next, the acquisition unit 113 determines whether or not a database from which all display items are acquired has been determined (step S158). If the determination in step S158 is YES, the acquisition unit 113 ends this process. When the determination in step S158 is NO, the acquisition unit 113 repeats the process from step S151 until the acquisition source database is determined for all display items.

  The processing of the acquisition unit 113 described above determines from which database each display item is acquired as shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows a database that is the acquisition destination of each display item determined by the acquisition unit 113. In the table of FIG. 9, “◯” represents a database from which the item set in “search / display item name” is acquired. “×” indicates that there is an item corresponding to the item set in “search / display item name”, but acquisition is impossible because the database is stopped. “-” Indicates that the item corresponding to the item set in “search / display item name” does not exist in the database. “*” Is an item corresponding to the item set in “search / display item name” and can be acquired. However, since data is acquired from another database, it is excluded from the search target. It shows that. According to FIG. 9, the article number, the restriction flag, the part shape, and the circuit symbol data are acquired from the CAD DB. Further, the article number, standardization flag, substitute part, and purchase price data are acquired from the parts DB.

  Returning to FIG. The acquisition unit 113 determines a database to be searched for from the databases determined in step S15 (step S17). For example, in FIG. 9, the databases to be searched are the CAD DB and the component DB. Therefore, the acquisition unit 113 first determines the CAD DB among the CAD DB and the component DB as a database to be searched (step S17).

  Next, the acquisition unit 113 performs a search process on the database determined in step S17 (step S19). Specifically, the acquisition unit 113 uses the related DB definition table illustrated in FIG. 10 to replace the search item and the display item with the item name of the CAD DB. The acquisition unit 113 executes the search command replaced with the CAD DB item, and searches the CAD DB.

  Details of the related DB definition table will be described here. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a related DB definition table. In this embodiment, the related DB definition table includes “search / display item name”, “DB name”, “unique item”, “corresponding item name for each DB”, “copy source DB name”, and “copy delay time”. (Minutes) ". “Search / display item name” represents the name of the search item and the display item that the receiving unit 112 receives from the user. In the “DB name”, databases of the purchase DB 20 to the parts DB 50 are set. “Unique item” indicates whether or not a record having a specific value is only one record in the item set in “corresponding item name for each DB”. “Corresponding item name for each DB” represents an item name of each database corresponding to “search / display item name”.

  For example, in FIG. 10, the item name of each database corresponding to the search / display item name “article number” is “article number” in the purchase DB, “article number” in the environment DB, “part number” in the CAD DB, In the parts DB, it is “article number”. Further, for example, the item name of each database corresponding to the search / display item name “standardization flag” is “standardization flag” in the CAD DB and “handling classification” in the component DB. In the figure, “-” indicates that there is no corresponding item in the database.

  The “copy source DB name” represents the copy source of the item value when the item value is copied between the databases. “Copy delay time (minutes)” represents a time interval for executing copy when item values are copied between databases. For example, in FIG. 10, the environment DB, the CAD DB, and the component DB include items corresponding to the search / display item name “restriction flag”. “Environment DB” is set in “Copy source DB name” of CAD DB and parts DB, and “40” is set in “Copy delay time (minutes)”. This indicates that the item value of the “regulation flag” in the CAD DB and the parts DB is copied from the “regulation flag” in the environment DB, and the copying is executed every 40 minutes. In addition, for example, an item corresponding to the search / display item name “purchase price” is provided in the purchase DB, the CAD DB, and the component DB. “Purchase DB” is set in the “copy source DB name” of the component DB, and the value of “copy delay time (minutes)” is “20”. This indicates that the item value of “part price” in the parts DB is copied from “item price” in the purchase DB, and the copying is executed every 20 minutes. Similarly, the item value of “unit price” in the CAD DB is copied from the “part price” in the parts DB, and the copying is executed every 30 minutes.

  The acquisition unit 113 refers to the related DB definition table described above, and replaces each display item of the article number, the restriction flag, the part shape, and the circuit symbol acquired from the CAD DB with the item name in the CAD DB. Specifically, the acquisition unit 113 acquires the item name of the CAD DB corresponding to the search / display item name from the related DB definition table. For the search / display item name “article number”, “part name” is set in “corresponding item name for each DB” in the CAD DB. Accordingly, the acquisition unit 113 replaces the display item “article number” with the item “part name” in the CAD DB. Further, the acquisition unit 113 replaces the display item “component shape” with the item “component shape type” of the CAD DB, and replaces the display item “circuit symbol” with the item “symbol” of the CAD DB. The acquisition unit 113 executes the search command (FIG. 11A) that has been replaced with the CAD DB item, and searches the CAD DB.

  Next, the acquisition unit 113 determines whether a timeout has occurred (step S21). Here, the time-out means that a response cannot be received from the database that is the target of the search process within a predetermined time after the search process is executed. The access control table is updated by the monitoring unit 111 at predetermined time intervals. Therefore, even if “operation” is set in the “operation state” of the database to be searched in the access control table, it may be “stopped” during the search. Therefore, when the timeout occurs (step S21 / YES), the acquisition unit 113 determines that the database that is the target of the search process is stopped. Then, the acquisition unit 113 sets the “operation state” of the database that is the target of the search process to “stop” in the access control table (step S23). For example, when a time-out occurs in the search process for the CAD DB (step S21 / YES), the “operation state” of the CAD DB is updated from “operation” to “stop” in the access control table (step S23). And the acquisition part 113 performs a process again from step S15.

  When the timeout has not occurred (step S21 / NO), the acquisition unit 113 determines whether or not the search processing for all the databases determined in step S17 has been completed (step S25).

  When the search processing for all the databases has not been completed (step S25 / NO), the acquiring unit 113 determines a database to execute the search processing next (step S17) and executes the search processing (step S19). In the example of FIG. 9, since the search process for the component DB is not completed among the CAD DB and the component DB (step S25 / NO), the acquisition unit 113 sets the component DB as a database to be searched. Determine (step S17). Then, the acquisition unit 113 uses the related DB definition table shown in FIG. 10 to replace the search item and the display item with the item name of the component DB, and executes the search command shown in FIG. To do.

  When the search processing for all databases is completed (step S25 / YES), the display unit 114 merges the search results of the databases (step S27). FIG. 12A shows search results of the CAD DB and the component DB. The display unit 114 receives the search results shown in FIG. 12A from the acquisition unit 113 and merges the search results as shown in FIG. 12B (step S27).

  Next, the display unit 114 converts the display format of the search result based on the display format definition table (step S29), and displays the search result on the display device 11 (step S31).

  Details of the display format definition table will be described here. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display format definition table. In this embodiment, the display format definition table includes “search / display item name”, “DB name”, “DB item name”, “search / display item value”, and “DB item value”. “Search / display item name” represents the name of the search item and display item received by the receiving unit 112. In the “DB name”, any one of the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 is set. “DB item name” indicates an item name corresponding to “search / display item name” in the database set in “DB name”. The “search / display item value” represents an item value used when the item set in the “search / display item name” is displayed on the display device 11. In the example of FIG. 13A, when the “standardization flag” is displayed on the display device 11, it indicates that “standard product” or “end product” is displayed as the item value. “DB item value” indicates an item value corresponding to the search / display item value in the database set to “DB name”. In the example of FIG. 13A, the DB item value “A” corresponds to the “standard product” of the search / display item value, and the DB item value “E” is “end item” of the search / display item value. Correspond.

  The display unit 114 converts the display format of items acquired from each database into the display format of display items based on the above-described display format definition table. For example, in the search result shown in FIG. 12B, the item value of “standardization flag” is “E”, but in the display format definition table shown in FIG. The display item value corresponding to the value “E” is “end item”. Accordingly, the display unit 114 converts the item value “E” of the “standardization flag” into “end product” and displays it on the display device 11 as shown in FIG.

  In the conventional multi-database search, for each display item, a database for acquiring the display item is uniquely determined from a plurality of databases. That is, when the search process cannot be executed on the main database, the search result is displayed without executing the search process on another database having items that can be substituted. Therefore, display items that could not be acquired from the main database were displayed blank when displayed on the display device 11. In this case, the user has to perform processing such as re-searching another database in order to obtain display item data displayed in blank. Further, when searching for another database, the user has to convert each display item into an item name of the database to be searched and input a search command. Or, when the response speed of the main database deteriorates, the search becomes impossible or the search time becomes long.

  However, according to the information search apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the acquisition unit 113 stores the storage unit when the operation state of the main database of the display item specified by the reception unit 112 is not in a state where search processing can be performed. The other database stored in 115 is searched based on the search condition, and the display item specified by the receiving unit 112 is acquired as the search result. That is, the acquisition unit 113 switches the display item acquisition destination to another database based on the operating state of the main database, and acquires the display item as a search result. As a result, even if the main database is stopped, display items are acquired from other databases, so that the possibility that the search result is displayed blank is reduced. Therefore, the user does not need to re-execute the search process for another database in order to obtain a display item that has not been displayed, so that convenience for the user is enhanced. The storage unit 115 stores a main database and a database from which display items can be obtained instead of the main database for each display item. For example, it is assumed that another database is uniquely set as a search destination instead of a certain database, not for each display item. In this case, the other set database is not necessarily an appropriate database as a display item acquisition source. However, in this embodiment, the user can set a more appropriate database for each display item as a database for acquiring display items instead of the main database. Thereby, even when the display item cannot be acquired from the main database, the user can acquire data from a database more appropriate as an acquisition destination of the display item.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the acquisition unit 113 searches a database with a fast response speed based on a search condition when there are a plurality of other databases including items that can replace items in the main database. As a result, the time required for multi-database search processing can be shortened, and user convenience can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the storage unit 115 stores a display format definition table in which the display format of the display items received by the receiving unit 112 is associated with the display format of items included in each database. Then, the display unit 114 converts the display format of the search result (display item) acquired from each database based on the display format definition table. Thus, even when the user acquires display items from another database instead of the main database, the user's convenience is improved because the display of the search result need not be read.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Is possible.

  In the embodiment described above, the display unit 114 may display a database from which each display item is acquired, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 14A, from which database the display item is acquired (actual search DB name), whether the database from which the display item is acquired is the main database (alternative search), and the main database of the display items (main Search DB name) is displayed. When “O” is set in the alternative search item, the display item was acquired from the database indicated in the actual search DB name because the display item could not be acquired from the main database set in the “main search DB name”. It is shown that. Thereby, the user can confirm from which database each item has been acquired, and can determine whether or not the displayed item value is the latest value. Therefore, user convenience is further enhanced. For example, as shown in FIG. 14B, the display unit 114 may display only information about whether or not an alternative search has been performed, instead of displaying information about a database that has been actually searched.

  In the above embodiment, the item definition table is set in advance by the user. However, as shown in FIG. 15, the priority setting unit 116 may be provided in the information search apparatus 10, and the priority setting unit 116 may create the item definition table. FIG. 15 shows another example of a functional block diagram of the information search apparatus 10. In FIG. 15, the functions of each unit other than the priority order setting unit 116 are the same as the functions of the units described with reference to FIG.

  The priority order setting unit 116 acquires data of the related DB definition table. When the item value is copied between the databases, the priority order setting unit 116 sets the copy source database as the main database and sets “1” as the priority order of the item definition table. Next, the priority order setting unit 116 sets a higher priority order in the item definition table in the order of databases in which the time interval from when the copy source item value is updated to when the copy destination item value is updated is short. To do. Further, the priority order setting unit 116 sets “1” as the priority order for all databases for unique items.

  For example, in the related DB definition table shown in FIG. 10, since the restriction flag copy source is the environment DB, the priority setting unit 116 sets the priority “1” in the environment DB as shown in FIG. . Since the copy delay times of the CAD DB and the component DB are both “40”, the priority setting unit 116 sets the priority “2” in both databases. At the purchase price, the item value of the purchase DB is copied to the component DB, and then the item value copied to the component DB is copied to the CAD DB. Therefore, the priority order setting unit 116 sets the priority order of the purchase DB as a copy source to “1”. In FIG. 10, the database in which the item value is updated by copying after the item value of the purchase DB is updated is the component DB. Therefore, the priority setting unit 116 sets the priority of the component DB to “2” and sets the priority of the CAD DB to “3”.

  Thus, since the priority setting unit 116 creates the item definition table, the user can change the related DB definition table when there is a change in the copy relationship or the copy delay time. There is no need to change. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the item definition table from being changed. Further, since the acquisition unit 113 acquires display items according to the priority order set by the priority order setting unit 116, the newest data in the operating database is displayed. Thereby, since the user can confirm the newest data in the database in operation, the convenience for the user is enhanced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the information search apparatus 10 executes the search process across the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 connected by the network 60 such as a LAN. However, as shown in FIG. 16, the information search apparatus 10 may execute a search process across a plurality of databases provided via a network 80 such as the Internet.

  In the above-described embodiment, the acquisition unit 113 uses two tables, an item definition table and a related DB definition table, in order to acquire each display item from the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50. However, the acquisition unit 113 may acquire each display item from the purchase DB 20 to the component DB 50 using the table shown in FIG. 17 in which the item definition table and the related DB definition table are integrated. In FIG. 17, the item name of each database corresponding to each search / display item name is defined. Since the items in each database are given priorities, the acquisition unit 113 can acquire the items in each database corresponding to the designated display item as search results according to the priorities.

  Moreover, the acquisition part 113 may acquire each display item from purchase DB20-components DB50 using the table shown in FIG. In FIG. 18, the “main search DB name” is set to the main database that is the main acquisition source of the display items. Further, in “alternative item 1” and “alternative item 2”, when a search process for the main database cannot be executed, a database to be searched instead of the main database and its items are set.

  In the above-described embodiment, the monitoring unit 111 monitors each database and updates the “operation state” of the access control table. And the acquisition part 113 confirmed the operation state of the database used as the acquisition destination of each display item based on the "operation state" of an access control table. However, the acquisition unit 113 may access each database and check its operating state when determining the database from which each display item is acquired without using the access control table.

  Note that the functions of the information search apparatus 10 can be realized by a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. In that case, a program describing the processing contents of the functions that the information search apparatus 10 should have is provided. By executing the program on a computer, the above processing functions are realized on the computer. The program describing the processing contents can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  When the program is distributed, for example, it is sold in the form of a portable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) on which the program is recorded. It is also possible to store the program in a storage device of a server computer and transfer the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

  The computer that executes the program stores, for example, the program recorded on the portable recording medium or the program transferred from the server computer in its own storage device. Then, the computer reads the program from its own storage device and executes processing according to the program. The computer can also read the program directly from the portable recording medium and execute processing according to the program. Further, each time the program is transferred from the server computer, the computer can sequentially execute processing according to the received program.

  In addition, for example, a server computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet is used as the information search apparatus of the present case, and a service for performing multi-database search is provided from the server computer to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer connected thereto. (ASP (Application Service Provider)).

10 ... Information retrieval device 11 ... Display device 20 ... Purchase DB
30 ... Environment DB
40 ... DB for CAD
50 ... Parts DB
111 ... Monitoring unit 112 ... Reception unit 113 ... Acquisition unit 114 ... Display unit 115 ... Storage unit 116 ... Priority order setting unit

Claims (10)

An information search apparatus that performs information search for a plurality of databases each including at least one or more different items ,
A reception unit that receives a search target specification including a search condition including a search item and a search value, and a display item to be displayed as a search result;
For each display item, a database that stores the value of the display item, and a storage unit that stores the items of the database together with priorities,
For each display item, the database and the item from which the display item value is acquired are determined according to the priority order, the database is searched based on a search condition, and the display item value is acquired from the item. And
Equipped with a,
In the storage unit, a main database that is a main acquisition destination of the value of the display item, and another database including an item in which the first priority is set for the item in the main database and the item in the main database can be substituted. An information search apparatus in which the second or lower priority is set in the other database items . The information search apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a database from which the value of the display item is acquired and a priority setting unit that sets a priority of the items of the database .   The priority order setting unit verifies whether or not the database set as the acquisition source of the display item value can be searched, and if there is a database from which the display item value cannot be acquired, the priority setting unit stores the database in the storage unit. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the priority order is updated.   The information search device according to claim 2, wherein the priority setting unit sets the priority based on a response speed when there are a plurality of databases from which the values of the display items are acquired.   In the case where the item values of substitutable items are copied between the plurality of databases, the priority setting unit sets the priority of the copy source database as the first and sets the value of the display item as the priority. Cannot be obtained from the first database, the priority order is based on the time interval from the update of the item value of the database having the first priority to the update of the item value of the copy destination database. The information search device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein:   The information search device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a correspondence table in which display formats of display items received by the reception unit are associated with display formats of items included in each database. .   A display unit for displaying that the value of the display item is obtained by searching the database of the second and lower ranks when the value of the display item is obtained by searching the database of the second and lower priority order; The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. An information search program for performing an information search for a plurality of databases each including at least one or more different items ,
A reception step for receiving a search target including a search condition including a search item and a search value, and a display item to be displayed as a search result;
According to the acquisition destination database of the value of the display item for each display item stored in the storage unit and the priority order of the item of the acquisition destination database, the value of the display item for each display item specified in the reception step A selection step for selecting the database and items to be acquired;
An acquisition step of searching the database selected in the selection step based on the search condition and acquiring the value of the display item from the item ;
To the computer,
In the storage unit, a main database that is a main acquisition destination of the value of the display item, and another database including an item in which the first priority is set for the item in the main database and the item in the main database can be substituted. An information search program in which the second or lower priority is set in the other database items . An information search method in which a computer executes information search for a plurality of databases each having at least one or more different items .
A reception step for receiving a search target including a search condition including a search item and a search value, and a display item to be displayed as a search result;
According to the acquisition destination database of the value of the display item for each display item stored in the storage unit and the priority order of the item of the acquisition destination database, the value of the display item for each display item specified in the reception step A selection step for selecting the database and items to be acquired;
An acquisition step of searching the database selected in the selection step based on the search condition and acquiring the value of the display item from the item ;
Equipped with a,
In the storage unit, a main database that is a main acquisition destination of the value of the display item, and another database including an item in which the first priority is set for the item in the main database and the item in the main database can be substituted. An information retrieval method in which the second or lower priority is set in the other database item .   The update step of updating the priority when there is a database that cannot acquire the value of the display item in the acquisition destination database of the value of the display item stored in the storage unit. Item 10. The information search method according to Item 9.

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