JP7472650B2 - Auxiliary method, control program and device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an assistance method, a control program, and an apparatus.

JP 2002-366401 A (Patent Document 1) discloses a data mart construction and operation support system. In this data mart construction and operation support system, the user generates a data mart creation program by using a template of a program structure prepared in advance. Therefore, this data mart construction and operation support system allows the user to generate a data mart creation program in a short amount of time (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-366401 A

In a program development environment that supports visual programming, a program is developed by connecting objects (e.g., icons) on the screen. In such a program development environment, for example, icons representing program elements, multiple input items included in the input data to the program elements, and multiple output items included in the output data of the program elements are displayed on the screen. For example, a program is developed by connecting input items and output items on the screen.

However, it is not necessarily easy for a beginner in visual programming to construct the correct connections between input items and output items to obtain the desired program. The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose a solution to this problem.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and its purpose is to provide an auxiliary method, control program, and device that make program development using visual programming easier.

An assistance method according to one aspect of the present invention is an assistance method for visual programming in a program development environment in which a program can be developed that processes input data to generate output data. The input data includes a plurality of input items. The output data includes a plurality of output items. In the program development environment, a program is developed by connecting the input items and the output items on a screen. The assistance method includes a step of displaying an image that allows a program developer to recognize candidates for connection relationships between the input items and the output items based on the dimensions of each of the plurality of input items and the dimensions of each of the plurality of output items.

When a connection relationship between an input item and an output item is established, the dimensions on the input side and the output side match. Because of this premise, the connection relationship between the input item and the output item can be estimated based on the dimensions of the input item and the dimensions of the output item. In the assistance method according to the present invention, an image is displayed that allows the program developer to recognize candidates for the connection relationship between the input item and the output item based on the dimensions of each of the multiple input items and each of the multiple output items. Therefore, the program developer can learn the candidates for the connection relationship between the input item and the output item by referring to the displayed image, making it easier to develop a program.

The auxiliary method may further include a step of comparing the dimensions of each of the plurality of input items with the dimensions of each of the plurality of output items, and the image may be displayed based on the comparison result.

The above assistance method may further include a step of determining the strength of the dependency between the input items and the output items based on the comparison result, and different types of images may be displayed depending on the strength of the dependency.

In this assistance method, different types of images are displayed depending on the strength of the dependency between the input items and the output items. Therefore, by referring to the displayed images, the program developer can also know the strength of the dependency between the input items and the output items, making program development easier.

In the above assistance method, the image may be a line connecting the input item and the output item.

In the above assistance method, the program may be configured to execute ETL (Extract/Transform/Load) processing.

A control program according to another aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute auxiliary operations of visual programming in a program development environment in which a program can be developed that processes input data and generates output data. The input data includes a plurality of input items. The output data includes a plurality of output items. In the program development environment, a program is developed by connecting the input items and the output items on a screen. The control program causes the computer to execute a step of displaying an image that allows a program developer to recognize candidates for connection relationships between the input items and the output items based on the dimensions of each of the plurality of input items and the dimensions of each of the plurality of output items.

When this control program is executed by a computer, an image is displayed that allows the program developer to recognize potential connection relationships between input items and output items based on the dimensions of each of the multiple input items and the dimensions of each of the multiple output items. Therefore, the program developer can learn potential connection relationships between input items and output items by referring to the displayed image, making it easier to develop programs.

An apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention provides a program development environment in which a program can be developed that processes input data to generate output data. The input data includes a plurality of input items. The output data includes a plurality of output items. In the program development environment, a program is developed by connecting the input items and the output items on a screen. The apparatus includes a display unit and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the display unit. The control unit controls the display unit to display an image that allows a program developer to recognize candidates for connection relationships between the input items and the output items based on the dimensions of each of the plurality of input items and the dimensions of each of the plurality of output items.

In this device, an image is displayed that allows a program developer to recognize potential connection relationships between input items and output items based on the dimensions of each of a plurality of input items and the dimensions of each of a plurality of output items. Therefore, a program developer can learn potential connection relationships between input items and output items by referring to the displayed image, making it easier to develop a program.

The present invention provides an auxiliary method, control program, and device that make program development using visual programming easier.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the device. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of the apparatus. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining dimensions of basic physical quantities. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a dimension of a physical quantity configured by combining basic physical quantities. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a manufacturing related dimension. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a program developed in a program development environment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of input side metadata. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of output side metadata. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how the strength of the dependency relationship between an input item and an output item is determined. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display image of an auxiliary image. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for displaying an auxiliary image. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in step S120 of FIG. 11. 12 is a flowchart showing a process procedure in step S130 of FIG. 11.

Below, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, the present embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. Various improvements and modifications are possible to this embodiment within the scope of the present invention. In other words, in implementing the present invention, specific configurations can be appropriately adopted depending on the embodiment.

[1. Overview]
Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. Referring to Fig. 1, the apparatus 100 is configured to provide a program development environment. In the apparatus 100, a program is developed by visual programming.

The program developed in device 100 is, for example, a program that performs ETL (Extract/Transform/Load) processing on data (hereinafter also referred to as an "ETL program"). ETL programs are effectively used, for example, in the manufacturing field. When an ETL program is executed, data is read from an external device such as a production line, the read data is processed, and the processed data is provided to another external device.

The reason why ETL programs are necessary in the manufacturing field will be explained below. In the manufacturing field, data output from manufacturing equipment, inspection equipment, sensors, etc. is collected. By utilizing the collected data, the manufacturing quality is confirmed, the cause of defects is analyzed, equipment failure is predicted, and the manufacturing process is improved. On the other hand, the data output from manufacturing equipment, inspection equipment, sensors, etc. is so-called raw data, and it may not be possible to use it as it is. For example, if the raw data contains a lot of unnecessary data, if the data quality of the raw data is poor, if the data format of the raw data is not appropriate, or if the physical quantities of the raw data are not suitable for analysis, the raw data cannot be used as it is. In order to deal with such problems with raw data, ETL programs are used. When an ETL program is executed, the raw data, which is the input data, is processed and usable output data is generated. For example, such an ETL program is developed in the device 100.

In the program development environment provided by device 100 (hereinafter also referred to simply as the "program development environment"), multiple types of program elements are prepared in advance. Each of the multiple types of program elements is configured to execute a specific information processing. The desired program is developed by freely combining icons associated with the program elements on the screen.

The device 100 includes a display unit 140 and a control unit 110. The display unit 140 is configured to display, for example, a screen 200. The control unit 110 is configured to control the display unit 140.

Screen 200 is, for example, an editing screen for the processing content of a program element configured to convert input data 210 into output data 220. The input data 210 includes multiple input items 211, and the output data 220 includes multiple output items 221. A program developer specifies the processing in the program element by placing multiple input items 211 and multiple output items 221 on screen 200 and connecting the input items 211 and output items 221 with lines 230.

For example, when input item 211 and output item 221 are simply connected, the value of input item 211 becomes the value of the connected output item 221. Also, when input item 211 and output item 221 are connected via a processing block such as processing blocks X1-X4, the value of input item 211 after processing in the processing block becomes the value of the connected output item 221.

However, for a beginner in visual programming, it is not necessarily easy to correctly connect the input items 211 and the output items 221. In the device 100 according to the present embodiment, a function is implemented that allows the program developer to recognize candidates for the connection relationship between the input items 211 and the output items 221. In other words, in the device 100, an image (hereinafter also referred to as an "auxiliary image") that allows the program developer to recognize candidates for the connection relationship between the input items 211 and the output items 221 is displayed based on the dimensions of each of the multiple input items 211 and the dimensions of each of the multiple output items 221. The "dimension" will be explained in more detail later.

By referring to the displayed auxiliary image, a program developer can learn possible connection relationships between input items 211 and output items 221, making program development easier. The device 100 will be described in detail below.

2. Hardware configuration of the device
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the device 100. In this embodiment, the device 100 is realized by, for example, a general-purpose computer. In the example of Fig. 2, the device 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication I/F (interface) 130, a display unit 140, a reception unit 150, and a storage unit 120, and each component is electrically connected via a bus.

The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 113, and is configured to control each component in response to information processing.

The communication I/F 130 is configured to communicate with an external device, such as a manufacturing line, provided outside the device 100 via a network. The communication I/F 130 is configured, for example, with a wired LAN (Local Area Network) module or a wireless LAN module.

The display unit 140 is configured to display the screen 200 (FIG. 1) and the like. The display unit 140 is configured, for example, with a monitor such as a liquid crystal monitor or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) monitor.

The reception unit 150 is configured to receive input from a user such as a program developer. The reception unit 150 is configured, for example, with some or all of a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone.

The storage unit 120 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive or a solid state drive. The storage unit 120 is configured to store, for example, an ETL program DB 101 that manages multiple ETL programs that have been developed, and a control program 102.

The control unit 110 provides a program development environment, for example, by executing the control program 102. In this program development environment, at least an ETL program creation function and an ETL program execution function are realized. The ETL program creation function is a function that enables a program developer to create a new ETL program. The ETL program execution function is a function that executes the created ETL program.

As described above, this program development environment is implemented with a function to assist in the development of an ETL program. That is, when editing the processing content of a program element configured to convert input data 210 (FIG. 1) into output data 220, the control unit 110 controls the display unit 140 to display an image (auxiliary image) that allows the program developer to recognize candidates for connection relationships between input items 211 and output items 221 based on the dimensions of each of the multiple input items 211 and the dimensions of each of the multiple output items 221. Next, the term "dimension" will be explained.

3. Dimensions
The "dimension" may be, for example, the "dimension" of a physical quantity and the "dimension" of a quantity in the manufacturing field. Here, the dimension of the physical quantity will be described first, and then the dimension of the quantity in the manufacturing field (hereinafter also referred to as the "manufacturing-related dimension").

(3-1. Dimensions of physical quantities)
Various physical quantities are composed of combinations of basic physical quantities such as time, length, and weight. The dimension of a physical quantity is not a unit but indicates what combination of basic physical quantities the physical quantity is composed of.

Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the dimensions of basic physical quantities. As shown in Figure 3, for example, the dimension of "time" is represented by "T", and the dimension of "length" is represented by "L". The dimension of "mass" is represented by "M", and the dimension of "electric current" is represented by "I". The dimension of "thermodynamic temperature" is represented by "Θ", the dimension of "amount of substance" is represented by "N", and the dimension of "luminosity" is represented by "J".

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the dimensions of physical quantities formed by combining basic physical quantities. As shown in Fig. 4, for example, "area" and "volume" are combinations of "length", which is a basic physical quantity. The dimension of "area" is represented by " ^L2 ", and the dimension of "volume" is represented by " ^L3 ". Furthermore, "velocity" and "acceleration" are combinations of "length" and "time", which are basic physical quantities. The dimension of "velocity" is represented by "LT ^-1 ", and the dimension of "acceleration" is represented by "LT ^-2 ".

In a mathematical formula that indicates a physical relationship, the dimensions of each side match. That is, in the process of converting input data 210 (FIG. 1) into output data 220, the dimensions match on the input side and the output side. Because of this premise, it is possible to estimate the connection relationship between input item 211 and output item 221 based on the dimensions of input item 211 included in input data 210 and the dimensions of output item 221 included in output data 220.

(3-2. Manufacturing-related dimensions)
The manufacturing-related dimension indicates what combinations of basic physical quantities constitute various physical quantities and indicators related to production and manufacturing. In addition to "time," basic physical quantities in the manufacturing field include the number of products, the number of employees, and the amount of money.

For example, the dimension of "production volume" is equal to the dimension of "number of products," and the dimension of "product cost" is equal to the dimension of "amount." In addition, the dimension of "manufacturing cost" is expressed as the product of the dimension of "product cost" and the dimension of "number of products," and the dimension of "production labor hours" is expressed as the product of the dimension of "number of employees" and the dimension of "time."

Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a manufacturing-related dimension. As shown in Figure 5, for example, the dimension of "time" is represented by "T" and the dimension of "amount" is represented by "M". In addition, the dimension of "number of products" is represented by "Q" and the dimension of "number of employees" is represented by "N".

For example, "availability" is calculated by dividing actual working hours by scheduled time. The dimensions of "actual working hours" and "scheduled time" are each represented by "T". Therefore, the dimension of "availability" is represented by "TT ^-1 ". Furthermore, "performance" is calculated by dividing actual efficiency (number of pieces/hour) by standard efficiency (number of pieces/hour). The dimensions of "actual efficiency" and "standard efficiency" are each represented by "QT ^-1 ". Therefore, the dimension of "performance" is represented by "QTQ ^-1 T ^-1 ". Furthermore, "quality" is calculated by dividing the number of conforming items by the initial production number. The dimensions of "number of conforming items" and "initial production number" are each represented by "Q". Therefore, the dimension of "quality" is represented by "QQ ^-1 ".

Moreover, the "overall equipment effectiveness" is calculated by multiplying the availability, performance, and quality. The dimensions of the availability, performance, and quality are as described above. Therefore, the dimension of the "overall equipment effectiveness" is expressed as "(TT ^-1 ) (QTQ ^-1 T ^-1 ) (QQ ^-1 )."

In each of "availability", "performance", "quality" and "overall equipment effectiveness", the dimensions cancel each other out, making the dimensions dimensionless. However, in this embodiment, each manufacturing-related dimension is defined in a state before the cancellation. That is, the dimension of availability is defined as "TT ^-1 ", and the dimension of performance is defined as "QTQ ^-1 T ^-1 ". In addition, the dimension of quality is defined as "QQ ^-1 ", and the dimension of "overall equipment effectiveness" is defined as "(TT ^-1 ) (QTQ ^-1 T ^-1 ) (QQ ^-1 ) ". This is to leave the dimensional information of each parameter necessary for calculating the quantity in the manufacturing field. Next, an example of the operation of the device 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[4. Examples of auxiliary actions in programming]
(4-1. Program example)
Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a program developed in a program development environment provided by the device 100. Referring to Fig. 6, in this example, a program 240 is developed. The program 240 is a program that reads input data 210 indicating product inspection results from a production line, and generates output data 220 by processing the read input data 210. The input data 210 includes a plurality of input items 211, and the output data 220 includes a plurality of output items 221.

Program 240 includes program elements PE1-PE3. Program element PE1 is configured to execute a process of reading input data 210. Program element PE2 is configured to execute a process of processing the read input data 210 to generate output data 220 used in analyzing the status of the production line. Program element PE3 is configured to execute a process of writing the generated output data 220.

In the program element PE2, it is specified what processing is performed on the value of each input item 211 included in the input data 210, and which output item 221 the processed value is set to. Specifically, in the program element PE2, the processing content is specified by connecting the input item 211 and the output item 221 with a line 230, etc. In the device 100 according to the present embodiment, in order to facilitate program development, when editing the processing content in the program element PE2, etc., an image (auxiliary image) showing candidates for the connection relationship between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is displayed. The auxiliary image will be described in detail later. The auxiliary image is displayed based on the result of comparing the dimension of each of the multiple input items 211 with the dimension of each of the multiple output items 221. In the device 100, the dimension of each input item 211 is recognized by referring to the input side metadata 215, and the dimension of each output item 221 is recognized by referring to the output side metadata 225. Next, the input side metadata 215 and the output side metadata 225 will be described.

(4-2. Examples of metadata for input data and output data)
Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the input-side metadata 215. As shown in Fig. 7, the input-side metadata 215 includes dimensional information of each input item 211 included in the input data 210. The input-side metadata 215 is stored in advance in, for example, a production line. The device 100 receives the input-side metadata 215 from the production line via, for example, the communication I/F 130.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of output side metadata 225. As shown in FIG. 8, the output side metadata 225 includes information on the dimensions of each output item 221 included in the output data 220. The output side metadata 225 is generated by a program developer. That is, when developing the program 240, the program developer decides what output items 221 are to be included in the output data 220. At that time, the program developer specifies the dimensions of each output item 221 by generating the output side metadata 225. The generated output side metadata 225 is stored, for example, in the storage unit 120.

(4-3. How to determine the dependency between input items and output items)
In the device 100, an auxiliary image is displayed according to the strength of the dependency relationship between the input item 211 and the output item 221. The strength of the dependency relationship between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is determined by comparing the dimension of the input item 211 with the dimension of the output item 221.

Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining how the strength of the dependency between input item 211 and output item 221 is determined. As shown in Figure 9, when the dimension of input item 211 and the dimension of output item 221 are the same, the dependency between input item 211 and output item 221 is determined to be "strong". When the dimension of input item 211 and the dimension of output item 221 partially match, the dependency between input item 211 and output item 221 is determined to be "slightly strong". When the dimension of input item 211 and the dimension of output item 221 do not match even partially, the dependency between input item 211 and output item 221 is determined to be "weak".

(4-4. Display examples)
Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a display image of an auxiliary image. Referring to Fig. 10, each line 230 displayed between an input item 211 and an output item 221 is an auxiliary image in this embodiment. The auxiliary image is displayed at a stage before a program developer connects input items 211 and output items 221 with lines 230. Therefore, a program developer can know candidates for connection relationships between input items 211 and output items 221 by referring to the displayed auxiliary image, and thus can develop a program more easily.

In the device 100, different types of auxiliary images are displayed depending on the strength of the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221, for example. For example, if the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is "strong", an auxiliary image showing a solid line between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is displayed; if the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is "slightly strong", an auxiliary image showing a thick dotted line between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is displayed; and if the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is "weak", an auxiliary image showing a thin dotted line between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is displayed. Therefore, a program developer can know the strength of the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 by referring to the multiple auxiliary images of different types displayed, and can more easily develop a program.

5. Operation of the Device
11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for displaying an auxiliary image. The process shown in this flowchart may be executed when an instruction to display an auxiliary image is received from a program developer, or may be executed automatically when editing the process content of a program element that converts input data 210 into output data 220.

Referring to FIG. 11, the control unit 110 extracts the dimensions of each input item 211 by referring to the input side metadata 215 acquired from an external device such as a manufacturing line (step S100). The control unit 110 extracts the dimensions of each output item 221 by referring to the output side metadata 225 stored in the storage unit 120 or the like (step S110). The control unit 110 executes a process of comparing the dimensions of each input item 211 with the dimensions of each output item 221 (step S120).

Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in step S120 of Figure 11. Referring to Figure 12, the control unit 110 extracts input items 211 for which comparison has not been completed (step S200). The control unit 110 compares the dimensions of the extracted input items 211 with the dimensions of output items 221 for which comparison has not been completed (step S210). The control unit 110 stores the comparison results in the storage unit 120 (step S220).

The control unit 110 determines whether the comparison between the input items 211 extracted in step S200 and all output items 221 is complete (step S230). If it is determined that the comparison is not complete (NO in step S230), the control unit 110 repeats the processing of steps S210-S230 again.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the comparison is complete (YES in step S230), the control unit 110 determines whether or not the comparison is complete for all input items 211 (step S240). If it is determined that the comparison is not complete for all input items 211 (NO in step S240), the control unit 110 repeats the processing of steps S200-S240 again. On the other hand, if it is determined that the comparison is complete for all input items 211 (YES in step S240), the processing shown in FIG. 12 is completed.

Referring again to FIG. 11, the control unit 110 executes a process to determine the strength of the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 based on the result of the dimension comparison (step S130).

Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in step S130 of Figure 11. Referring to Figure 13, the control unit 110 extracts one of the comparison results stored in the storage unit 120 (step S300). Based on the extracted comparison result, the control unit 110 determines whether the dimensions of the input item 211 and the output item 221 are the same (step S310). If it is determined that the dimensions are the same (YES in step S310), the control unit 110 determines that the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is "strong" (step S320). Each determination result is stored in the storage unit 120.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the dimensions are not the same (NO in step S310), the control unit 110 determines whether the dimensions of the input item 211 and the output item 221 partially match (step S330). If it is determined that the dimensions partially match (YES in step S330), the control unit 110 determines that the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is "slightly strong" (step S340).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the dimensions do not match even partially (NO in step S330), the control unit 110 determines that the dependency between the input item 211 and the output item 221 is "weak" (step S350). The process shown in FIG. 13 is executed for all comparison results stored in the storage unit 120 through the process shown in FIG. 11.

Referring again to FIG. 11, the control unit 110 controls the display unit 140 to display lines 230 between each input item 211 and each output item 221 according to the strength of the dependency determined in step S130 (step S140). A program developer can easily develop a program because the program developer can know candidates for the connection relationship between the input item 211 and the output item 221 by referring to each displayed line 230.

[6. Features]
As described above, in device 100 according to the present embodiment, an auxiliary image (line 230) that allows a program developer to recognize candidates for connection relationships between input items 211 and output items 221 is displayed based on the dimensions of each of the plurality of input items 211 and the dimensions of each of the plurality of output items 221. Therefore, a program developer can know candidates for connection relationships between input items 211 and output items 221 by referring to the displayed auxiliary image (line 230), and therefore can develop a program more easily.

7. Modifications
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the input data 210 does not necessarily have to be obtained from a manufacturing line. Furthermore, the program 240 developed in the program development environment is not limited to an ETL program. Furthermore, the auxiliary image does not necessarily have to be a line 230. For example, a message indicating a candidate connection relationship may be displayed on the screen 200.

100 device, 101 ETL program DB, 102 control program, 110 control unit, 111 CPU, 112 RAM, 113 ROM, 120 storage unit, 130 communication I/F, 140 display unit, 150 reception unit, 200 screen, 210 input data, 211 input item, 215 input side metadata, 220 output data, 221 output item, 225 output side metadata, 230 line, 240 program, PE1, PE2, PE3 program elements, X1, X2, X3, X4 processing block.

Claims (7)

A visual programming assistance method in a program development environment capable of developing a program that processes input data to generate output data, comprising:
The input data includes a plurality of input items,
the output data includes a plurality of output items;
in the program development environment, the program is developed by connecting the input items and the output items on a screen;
The assistance method includes a step of displaying an image that allows a program developer to recognize candidate connection relationships between the input items and the output items based on the dimensions of each of the plurality of input items and the dimensions of each of the plurality of output items. performing a comparison between a dimension of each of the plurality of input items and a dimension of each of the plurality of output items;
The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is displayed based on the comparison. The method further includes determining a strength of a dependency relationship between the input item and the output item based on a result of the comparison;
The method of claim 2 , wherein different types of the images are displayed depending on the strength of the dependency. The assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the image is a line connecting the input item and the output item. The assistance method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the program is configured to execute an ETL (Extract/Transform/Load) process. A control program for causing a computer to execute auxiliary operations of visual programming in a program development environment capable of developing a program for processing input data and generating output data, comprising:
The input data includes a plurality of input items,
the output data includes a plurality of output items;
in the program development environment, the program is developed by connecting the input items and the output items on a screen;
The control program causes the computer to execute a step of displaying an image that allows a program developer to recognize candidate connection relationships between the input items and the output items based on the dimensions of each of the multiple input items and the dimensions of each of the multiple output items. An apparatus for providing a program development environment capable of developing a program for processing input data to generate output data, comprising:
The input data includes a plurality of input items,
the output data includes a plurality of output items;
in the program development environment, the program is developed by connecting the input items and the output items on a screen;
The apparatus comprises:
A display unit;
A control unit configured to control the display unit,
The control unit controls the display unit to display an image that allows a program developer to recognize candidate connection relationships between the input items and the output items based on the dimensions of each of the multiple input items and the dimensions of each of the multiple output items.