JPH09305454A - Database structuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To structure a database without paying attention to data base definitions and freely design a form as a screen interface for data registration, etc. SOLUTION: A user generates a form where components by media data kinds are freely arranged by using an editor 1011. A type correspondence table 105 contains the data types of the respective components and default data restrictions. A storage part 107 holds definition information on the generated form and definition information of the table containing data types and data restrictions entered into the type correspondence table 105 relating to the respective constituent components of the form. A module 110 issues a command defining the place where the table is stored and the frame of the table to a data base management system 81 according to the generated form, thereby generating a data base. A module 102 displays an input form matching the definition information on the form stored in the storage part 107 on the screen of a display device 2 to enable the registration and acquisition of data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a database construction device, and more particularly to a database construction device by which an end user can easily construct his own database.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a commercially available database is equipped with a database management system having a function of generating a database, registering and acquiring data according to a given command. By giving it, a database can be created and data can be registered. For example, in a relational database, a location (table space) for securing a table is secured in a magnetic disk device or the like by giving a command that defines a location for storing a database table (hereinafter, simply referred to as a table), and then, By giving a command that defines a table in which table names, column names and their attributes are specified, the frame of the table is secured in the secured location and a database can be created. If a command to register data is given to the framework of the created table, the data can be registered in the database.

By the way, with the recent spread of personal computers and the dissemination of multimedia information, the momentum of database construction by end users themselves is increasing.
However, unlike database administrators who specialize in database construction, many end users do not even know what to define when constructing a database, let alone the target database. It is extremely difficult to actually define a database and register data by making full use of commands that can be interpreted by the database management system.

In view of the above, as a technique for supporting the database construction by the end user himself, for example, a technique found in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-290137 (hereinafter referred to as a conventional technique) has been proposed. In this prior art,
For each item such as "Compound name" and "Boiling point",
An item dictionary that stores data types such as "numerical value" and "text" and data constraints such as "digit number" is prepared in advance, and the user can display the contents of this item dictionary on a display device to select or select items. When an item is added and selected to be registered in its own database, the device itself automatically performs a database generation process such as generation of a database frame and definition of a database item to generate a database. Further, a data registration screen of a predetermined format is prepared in advance, and when the user sets data on this data registration screen, the data is automatically registered in the database frame defined above. Further, a predetermined screen used to acquire or change data is also prepared, and if the user sets necessary data on the screen, the data can be acquired or changed.

[0005]

According to the above-mentioned prior art, even an end user who does not have knowledge about database definition such as data type and data constraint,
You can build your own database. However, the following problems remain to be solved.

It is necessary to use a predetermined screen prepared by the system at the time of data registration or data acquisition after database generation, and data cannot be registered or acquired (displayed) in an arbitrary form preferred by the end user. In other words, the degree of freedom in terms of look and feel is low, and it is not always possible to construct a database that is easy for the end user to use, including the display interface. Of course, it is only necessary to add a function that allows the end user to separately design a screen for registering and acquiring data, but the burden on the user increases accordingly.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is that the end user can freely design the form used when registering or acquiring data according to his / her preference, and the database is automatically created based on the designed form. It is to provide a database construction device that generates a database.

Further, in the database definition, it is necessary to define a data constraint such as how many bytes of data are allowed as the data constraint of each column of the table. But,
In the database construction by the end user, it is rare that all the data to be registered are predetermined, and it is often found that the data constraint was not appropriate after the database construction and the input of data was started. In this case, it is necessary to redefine the database to relax the data constraint. However, the prior art lacks the ability to assist the end user in redefining the database. Generally, when redefining a database after entering data,
It is necessary to dump the contents of the input database, recreate the database definition, and restore the dumped data there, and it is extremely difficult for an end user who has little knowledge about the database to perform these processes.

Therefore, another object of the present invention is a database construction apparatus having a function of relaxing the data constraint and automatically changing the database so that the data can be registered when the data that does not satisfy the data constraint is registered. To provide.

Further, although not dealt with in the above-mentioned prior art, in the case of a database in which multimedia such as still images, moving images, and voices are registered materials, these are either filed in advance or once stored in a file by the user. Then
After that, it was common to register from this file to the database. However, it is difficult to make a file one by one, and if a large amount of data is made a file, it becomes difficult to identify individual data from the file name, and it is troublesome to give a file name in consideration of its contents.

Therefore, another object of the present invention is to provide a database construction apparatus which allows a user to directly register data without registering registered materials such as still images, moving images and voices into files.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention targets a database having a database management system having functions of generating a database, registering data, acquiring data, etc. in response to a command, and uses a display device and an input device. It is a database construction device that supports construction of a database by interactive processing, and has the following components. -Type correspondence table: Describes the data type and default data constraint in the database for the parts prepared for each media data type. Design module: It has a form editor that assists the user in the process of creating a form in which arbitrary parts are arranged at arbitrary positions and sizes on the screen of the display device. Definition information storage unit: Holds definition information of a form created by the form editor, and definition information of a database table including data types and data constraints described in the type correspondence table for each component of the form . A database generation module; a command for defining each component on the form created by the form editor in each column of one row of the database table and defining a location for storing the database table in the database, the database management system And a command for defining the framework of the database table in the database to the database management system. Data acquisition module; the contents of the rows of a predetermined database table are issued at the start of the input mode by issuing a command to the database management system, and thereafter the contents of the rows of the database table designated by the user. To get from. Data input module: issues a command to the database management system to register data in the database table of the database. Input module; an input form that matches the definition information of the form stored in the definition information storage unit is displayed on the screen of the display device, and the contents of each column of the row acquired by the data acquisition module are input form Of each component on the input form that supports the user's work of pasting data to the component on the input form, and displays each component on the input form on which the data is pasted, in one line of the database table. The attached data is registered in the database through the data input module in the same manner as each column.

In the database construction device having such a configuration, the user can support the form editor in the design module to display the form of the form on which the arbitrary parts are arranged at arbitrary positions and sizes. When created above, the definition information of the created form and the definition information of the database table including the data type and data constraint described in the type correspondence table for each of the component parts of the form are stored in the definition information storage unit. The database management system issues a command for the database generation module to define each component on the created form as one row and one column of the database table and define the storage location of the database table in the target database. And target the framework of the database table That an instruction that defines the database by issuing a database management system, generates a database. Further, at the time of data registration or acquisition, the input module displays an input form matching the definition information of the form stored in the definition information storage unit on the screen of the display device, and each column of the row acquired by the data acquisition module. The content of is displayed on the corresponding part of the input form. At this time, if the actual data is registered in the row, the data is displayed on the component, and if the actual data is not registered, the actual data is not displayed. Furthermore, when registering or modifying data, the input module assists the user in pasting data to the parts on the input form, and when the data is pasted, each component on the input form is stored in the database table. The pasted data is registered in the database through the data input module in the same manner as each column of one row.

As described above, according to the present invention, the user can generate the database and register the data simply by placing the parts on the form and pasting the data on the parts.
In addition, since the form of the form displayed on the display device when registering or acquiring data is the form itself designed by the user with the form editor, the end user himself / herself determines the form used when registering or acquiring data. It can be freely designed according to taste, and since the database is automatically generated based on the designed form, the end user's burden is reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, the list of the data of the file having the notified data type is acquired from the file device and displayed on the display device, and the data is selected when the user selects the data in the list. The input module includes an input browser that outputs data, and the input module notifies the input browser of the data type of the selected component when the user selects the component on the input form displayed on the screen of the display device, and outputs the data. Is displayed on the screen of the display device, and processing for pasting the data output from the input browser to the selected component is performed. As a result, the user can paste the data to the part by a simple operation of selecting the part on the input form and selecting the data to be registered from the list of data displayed by the input browser.

Further, the present invention is a CD-ROM, a VTR,
The input module includes various media data input sources such as a scanner, and a data generation application that inputs data from the input sources and sends the data to the input browser without storing the data in a file. Is selected, the input browser is notified of the input source, and the input browser activates a data generation application corresponding to the notified input source to display a list of data acquired by the display device. In addition to being displayed above, when the user selects the data in the list, the selected data is output. As a result, the user can directly register the registered material such as a still image, a moving image, and a sound without converting the file into a file.

The present invention also dumps the contents of the rows of the database table registered in the database,
A command for defining a database table framework that matches the definition information of the database table including the corrected data constraint stored in the definition information storage unit in the database is issued to the database management system to redefine the database. After that, the database management system includes a database change module for issuing a command to the database management system to restore the contents of the dumped lines to the database, and the input module registers the data attached to the parts of the input form when the data is registered. Does not satisfy the data constraint corresponding to the part stored in the definition information storage unit, the database change module is activated after relaxing the corresponding data constraint in the definition information storage unit so that the data can be registered. And its database modification process The pasted The data after the end and having a configuration to be registered in the database through the data input module. This frees the user from the work of changing the database due to the relaxation of the data constraint associated with the registration of data that does not satisfy the data constraint, and the user need not be aware of the data constraint relaxation or database modification at all. I'm done.

Further, the present invention is characterized by comprising a form database capable of storing a plurality of pieces of definition information of a form being created or already created by the form editor. As a result, the user can create several candidate forms in parallel, and the optimum form can be determined by selecting a form suitable for later data registration or the like.

According to the present invention, based on the definition information of the form created by the form editor, a source code of a visual programming language including this definition information and a routine for displaying the content of data in each component on the form. And a catalog form output module for outputting the source code generated by the source code generating means. This output source code can be used for applications that use a form designed by the user or a routine that displays data on the form, so when creating various applications with advanced search and display functions. Can be saved.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the database construction apparatus of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the database construction apparatus of this example includes a processing apparatus 1 and a display apparatus 2, a speaker 3, a keyboard 4, a mouse 5, a file apparatus 6, and input sources 7-1 to 7-connected to the processing apparatus 1. n. Reference numeral 8 is an existing database that is a target for construction, and is provided with a database management system 81 having functions of generating a database, registering data, acquiring data, etc. according to a command. The database 8 is a relational database capable of registering a byte string in mega units.

In addition, the processing device 1 includes a design module 10
1, input module 102, user interface 10
3, form database 104, type correspondence table 105, catalog form output module 106, definition information storage unit 107, input browser 108, data generation applications 109-1 to 109-n, database generation module 110, data input module 111, data acquisition Module 112 and database modification module 1
13 is provided.

The operation modes of the database construction apparatus of this embodiment are roughly classified into a design mode and an input mode. In the design mode, the database is mainly created. In the input mode, registration of data in the generated database, acquisition and change of registered data, and the like are performed. The operation of this embodiment and the detailed functions of the respective parts will be described below in each case.

(1) Design Mode When the user gives an instruction to start the design mode from the keyboard 4 or the like, the design module 101 is activated through the user interface 103, and the design module 101 starts the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

First, the design module 101 activates the internal form editor 1011 to display a design screen as shown in FIG. 3 on the display device 2 through the user interface 103 by the form editor 1011 (step S1). On this design screen, as shown in FIG. 3, the form 2 in an initial state in which no parts are arranged is shown.
01 and icons 202-1 to 202-6 of parts prepared for each media data such as label, text, numerical value, still image, moving image, and sound are displayed. In addition,
Reference numeral 203 denotes a menu bar on which various menus are arranged.

The user uses various editor functions provided by the form editor 1011 to arrange a component of an arbitrary size at an arbitrary position of the form 201 on the design screen to create a database to be created. The display image for one line of the table is designed (step S2). Arrangement of parts on the form 1011 is, for example,
Use the mouse 5 to select any component icon 202-i (i = 1 to
This can be done by selecting 6) and then specifying an arbitrary position on the form 201 with the mouse cursor. In addition, the size and position of the component can be changed even after the component is once arranged.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the form 201 after being designed by the user. In this example, a uniquely identifiable part name such as a label 1, a moving image 1, a still image 1, a voice 1 and a text 1 is shown. There are 5 parts in total. Here, the part name is assigned by the form editor 10
11 will do it automatically. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of parts of the same type, and even in that case, a unique part name is automatically given. This designed form 20
Since No. 1 is used as it is at the time of data registration or data acquisition later, it is important to design the form so that it is easy to input the data, and the data is easy to see at the time of acquiring the data and looks good.

Further, in the present embodiment, the form database 104 for storing information on a plurality of forms which are in the middle of design or already designed is provided, and the user issues a save instruction to the form editor 1011 to design the form. It is possible to save information of a form that has been designed or has been designed, and to call a form that is being designed or has been designed on the design screen according to the stored information of the form. Therefore, the user can design several candidate forms and select the most suitable one.

Furthermore, default values are used for the attribute values of the parts other than the positions and sizes of the parts 204 to 208 arranged on the form 201 (for example, the type of the frame of the parts), but these attribute values are The attribute change window can be opened and changed. FIG. 5 shows such a state. When a component whose attribute is to be changed is selected, an attribute change window 20 enumerating pairs of attribute names and attribute values as shown in FIG.
9 is opened on the screen, and the attribute value can be changed by operating the keyboard 4 or the like. Note that changing this attribute value is not an indispensable task, and if the default value is used, nothing needs to be done. Similarly, the form attributes such as the name of the form itself can be changed, but this is not an essential process and need not be changed if the default value is acceptable.

When the form design is decided by the user, the design module 101 transmits the information of the form created by the form editor 1011 to the internal definition generating means 1012, and the definition generating means 1012 makes the definition of this form. The definition information and the definition information of the table including the data type and the data constraint for each component of the form are registered in the definition information storage unit 107.
The data type of each component of the form is a data type in the database 8 of the data registered through the component, and the data constraint is a constraint such as the maximum size of the registered data. It is registered in advance in the correspondence table 105.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a correspondence table of parts registered in the type correspondence table 105, their data types and data constraints. The definition generation means 1012 refers to such a type correspondence table 105 to determine the data type and its data constraint regarding the constituent parts of the form. For example, when the designed form has a moving image part, the binary type is acquired as the data type and 20 Mbytes is acquired as the data constraint, and registered as the definition information of the column corresponding to the part in the table definition information.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a part of the definition information registered in the definition information storage unit 107. The information from outside Begin to End written on the left side of FIG. 7 is an example of definition information related to the still image 1, and the information from outside Begin to End written on the right side is definition information related to text 1. Examples of Of the definition information, the first Begin
From n to End, definition information of the form relating to the component is shown, and from the second Begin to End, definition information of a column including the data type and the data constraint is shown. For example, in the case of the still image 1, a component called Image is used, the attribute value BorderStyle indicating the frame line of the component is 0 indicating that it is a solid line, the attribute value Stretch indicating the display method is 0 indicating that it is adjusted to the frame size, The attribute value Height indicating the height of the frame is 615, and the attribute values Left and Top indicating the coordinate values of the upper left corner of the frame on the form are 330 and 157.
5, the attribute value Width indicating the width of the frame is 3015. Further, the column definition information indicates that the data type of the column is Binary and the data constraint is 1 Mbyte. Note that Index is a definition indicating whether this column is an index (primary key), 0 is not an index, and Default is a definition indicating the initial value of this column, and Null indicates that the initial state is the Null value. . These are automatically generated by the definition generation means 1012. In this embodiment, the column name is not described in the column definition information. This is because the component name such as “still image 1” described in the component definition information is used as the column name. The table definition information is composed of a set of column definition information (including column names) and a table name. In the case of this embodiment, the form name is used as the table name.

After completing the registration of the definition information in the definition information storage unit 107, the definition generation means 1012 notifies the database generation module 110 of the information necessary for generating the database among the definition information registered in the definition information storage unit 107. And instruct the database generation. Here, the information passed to the database generation module 110 includes a table name, a column name, and its attribute. As the table name, the name of the form itself is used as described above.
The column names are "still image 1", "text 1", etc. shown in FIG. 7, and the attributes are data type, data constraint, etc.

The database generation module 110 first generates a command for defining the location where the table is stored by the command which can be interpreted by the database management system 81 of the target database 8 and issues it to the database management system 81 to issue the table. The storage location is defined in the database 8 (step S4). At this time, a predetermined magnetic disk device or the like is designated as the storage location to be secured, and a default value is used for the size of the storage location. Next, the database management system 81 issues a command, which is notified from the design module 101, that defines the framework of the table having the table name, the column name, and its attributes.
Is generated and issued by a command that can be interpreted by the above, and the framework of the table is defined in the database 8 (step S5).

With the above, the generation of the database is completed.

In this embodiment, the source code generating means 1013 provided in the design module 101 operates when the database is generated, and the form editor 1
The source code of the visual programming language including the information of the form created in 011 and the routine for displaying the content of the data on this form is generated, and the catalog form output module 106 does not show the generated source code in a file or the like. To be output (step S6). As will be described later, in this embodiment, the display of the data registered in the database 8 on the display device 2 is limited to simple functions such as the display of the first line, the display of the last line, and the display before and after the current display line. , More complicated line retrieval and display is based on the premise that the user himself creates an application program for it. However, it is not only difficult to design an application program including a display interface from scratch, but it also takes a lot of man-hours to ensure the matching between the designed form and the form on the display interface. The source code generated by the source code generation unit 1013 and output from the catalog file output module 106 is a skeleton for creating a display interface application having the same appearance as the form created by the user. As a result, the user can create a search application relatively easily when abundant search capabilities are required.

FIG. 8 shows Microsoft Vis on the Microsoft Windows operating system generated by the source code generating means 1013.
An example of source code for ual BASIC is shown. Besides this, Borand Delphi and X Wind
It is also conceivable to output the source code for ow's Motif Widget, etc.

(2) Input Mode When the user gives an instruction to start the input mode from the keyboard 4 or the like, the input module 102 is activated through the user interface 103, and the input module 102 starts the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

First, the input module 102 instructs the data acquisition module 112 to acquire the first row, and the data acquisition module 112 is a command that can be interpreted by the database management system 81 of the database 8 and is stored in the database 8. A command for acquiring the contents of the first row of the existing table is generated and issued to the database management system 81, and the obtained contents of the first row are returned to the input module 102 (step S11).

The input module 102 checks the returned contents and determines whether or not actual data is set (step S12). In the input mode immediately after database generation, since no actual data has been created in the database 8, it is determined as NO in this determination step S12. Therefore, the input module 102 reads the definition information of the form from the definition information storage unit 107 and includes an input form that has exactly the same appearance as the form created in the design mode and has no actual data attached to the parts according to this definition information. The input screen is displayed on the display device 2 (step S13). For example, when the form as shown in FIG. 4 is designed in the design mode and the information is registered in the definition storage unit 107, the input screen as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. The contents are exactly the same as in FIG. 4, except that the screen name is “input”. In the input form 210 on this input screen,
You cannot change the shape of the form or the shape and attributes of the parts on the form, you can only select parts for entering data.

The user pastes the data to be registered on each of the parts 204 to 208 on the input form 210 (step S14). In the case of the present embodiment, as the data to be attached to the parts, in addition to the data stored in the file device 6, the data directly input from various input sources 7-1 to 7-n can be used. Here, in the file device 6, moving images, still images, texts, voices, etc., which are desired to be registered in the database 8 are respectively registered in advance as files. On the other hand, the input sources 7-1 to 7-n are peripheral devices corresponding to various media, such as CD-ROM and VT.
R, image scanner, microphone, keyboard, etc. The pasting of data to each part of the input form 210 proceeds as follows.

The input form 21 shown in FIG. 10 by the user
When a part to which data is to be attached is selected by operating the mouse 5 or the like among the parts on 0, the input module 102
Determines the data type corresponding to the selected component by referring to the definition information storage unit 107 and notifies the input browser 108 of the determined data type. For example, when the component 206 of the still image 1 is selected, the input browser 108 is notified of the binary data that is the data type in the definition information of the column corresponding to the form definition information of the selected component. Input browser 10
8 selects a file having data of the data type notified from the input module 102 out of a series of file groups stored in the file device 6, stores the contents in its own file, and then lists them ( For example, in the case of a still image, the reduced image, in the case of a moving image, a reduced image of the top screen,
In the case of text, some characters at the beginning, and in the case of voice, a predetermined symbol or the like) are displayed in the browser window displayed on the screen of the display device 2 through the input module 102. FIG. 11 shows an example of the input screen on which the browser window 211 is displayed.

Next, the input module 102 displays, on the screen of the display device 2, a list of input sources that can be used to input data of the data type of the selected component among the plurality of input sources 7-1 to 7-n. It is displayed to prompt the user whether or not he / she desires input from the input source and, if so, the selection of the input source to be used. When the user selects one of the input sources 7-j (j = 1 to n), the input module 102 notifies the selected input source to the input browser 108, and the input browser 108 corresponds to the input source. The data generation application 109-j is started. Data generation application server 10 started
9-j takes in data from the corresponding input source 7-j. For example, when the VTR is designated, a moving image is captured from the video capture board, and when the image scanner is designated, a still image is captured from the image scanner. When the data generation application 109-j takes in the data, it sends the data to the input browser 108 without saving it in a file. The input browser 108 stores this in its own file and then displays the list in the empty area of the browser window 211 through the input module 102.

Next, the user selects the browser window 211.
Select the data you want to register from the list displayed in
The input module 102
Notifies the input browser 108 to send the contents of the selected data, the input browser 108 reads the corresponding data from the internal file and sends it to the input module 102, and the input module 102 is set by the user. This data is pasted (displayed) to the selected part (the part 206 of the still image 1 in this example). As a result, the input screen in the state of FIG. 11 is changed to the state of FIG. 12, and the data of the file selected by the user is stored in the component 20.
6 is stuck on.

The user performs the same operation as above to paste the data to be registered for the remaining parts.

When the pasting of the data to be registered to the component is completed and the user instructs the end of the data pasting work by operating the keyboard 4 or the like, the input module 102 determines the size of the data pasted to the component. Based on the data constraint of the column in the definition information of the table registered in the definition information storage unit 107, it is checked whether or not the input data this time satisfies the corresponding data constraint (step S15). If all the input data satisfy the data constraint, the process immediately proceeds to the data registration process S17 in the database and the input form 21
The data attached to each part 1 is registered in the database 8 through the data input module 111. At this time, the input module 102 refers to the definition information storage unit 107, acquires the table name and the column name corresponding to each component, and notifies the data input module 111 of these and the data attached to each component. Then, the data input module is a command that can be interpreted by the database management system 81 of the database 8 and generates a command for registering data in each column of the table in the database 8 and issues it to the database management system 81.

On the other hand, if any of the input data does not satisfy the data constraint, the database is changed to relax the corresponding data constraint so that the input data can be registered (S16), and then this time. To the input data registration process S17. In the database change processing step S16, the following processing is executed. First, the input module 102 relaxes the corresponding data constraint registered in the definition information storage unit 107. For example, while the data constraint of the part 208 of the text 1 in FIG. 12 is 1024 bytes as described in the type correspondence table 105 of FIG. 6, the data pasted to the part 208 through the input browser 108 is 1800 bytes. If it is a byte, the data constraint “1024 bytes” in the definition information of the column corresponding to the component 208 in the definition information storage unit 107
Is relaxed to 1800 bytes or more. When relaxing the data constraint, it is possible to have a rule that the input data is set to the minimum value of the default data constraint value that can be registered. Therefore, in the present example, the definition information of the example corresponding to the component 208 is relaxed to 2048 bytes. After that, the input module 102 uses the definition information storage unit 107.
The design module 101 is notified that the data constraint therein has been relaxed.

The design module 101 reads the definition information of the table after the data constraint relaxation registered in the definition information storage unit 107, gives it to the database change module 113, and gives an instruction to change the database. The database changing module 113 first dumps the database 8 in order to save the contents of all the rows already registered in the database 8. Next, according to the definition information of the table after data constraint relaxation notified from the design module 101, the database management system 8 of the database 8
1 generates and issues a command for newly defining the table framework by an instruction that can be interpreted by 1, and redefines the table framework in the database 8. Then, the dumped rows are restored to the redefined database table.
After that, the database change module 113 notifies the design module 101 of the end of the process, and the design module 1
01 notifies the input module 102 to that effect. After this notification, the input module 102 proceeds to processing S17 for registering the current data in the database 8.

When the registration of the data for one line is completed using the input form 210, the input module 102 determines whether or not the user has instructed to end the process (step S18). Acquires the data of the next row through the data acquisition module 112 (step S19), returns to step S12 again, and repeats the above-described processing. If the end of processing is instructed, the processing shown in FIG. 9 is ended.

As described above, the user can register the data in the database 8 by pasting the data on the parts of the input form. Note that it is possible to paste the data only to some of the components of the input form 210 without registering the data at the time of data registration.
In this case, data registration is performed in cell (column) units.

Next, the operation of displaying and confirming the data registered in the database 8 on the display device 2 will be described.

As described above, when the user gives an instruction to start the input mode from the keyboard 4 or the like, the input module 10
2 is activated and the content of the first row of the table stored in the database 8 is acquired through the data acquisition module 112 (step S11 in FIG. 9). After the data is registered in the database 8, since the actual data is set in the first row, it is determined in the next step S12 that the data has been set, and the input module 102 proceeds to the process of FIG.

First, the input module 102 reads the definition information of the form from the definition information storage unit 107, and the appearance is exactly the same as the form created in the design mode according to this definition information. An input screen including an input form pasted with the acquired data of the corresponding column is displayed on the display device 2 (step S21). The input screen displayed at this time is exactly the same as the input form 210 shown in FIG. 10 except that actual data is displayed for each component in the input form. As a result, the user can confirm the still image, moving image, text, etc. registered in the database. In the case of a moving image, the top screen is attached to the component and the moving image is reproduced according to the instruction. Also,
In the case of voice, when a component is selected, the voice is reproduced on the speaker 3 through the user interface 103.

After that, the input module 102 waits for the subsequent operation by the user (S22 to S24). When the next operation is page designation such as the next page, the previous page, or the last page (YES in S22), the input module 102 acquires the content of the corresponding line from the database 8 through the data acquisition module 112 (step S25), and acquires this. An input screen in which data is pasted on the parts is displayed on the display device 2 (S21). Since the input module 102 keeps track of the position of the currently displayed line in the database, when the display of the lines before and after the current line is specified by the user, the relative position from the current position is used as the data. Notify the acquisition module 112. For example, the current display row is the third row in the database 8, and when the user gives an instruction to display the next row, the input module 102 acquires data so as to obtain the fourth row in the database. The module 112 is notified, the data acquisition module 112 acquires the content of the designated line from the database 300 and sends it to the input module 102, and the input module 102 displays this on the component in the input form.

When the user gives an instruction to start data correction by operating the keyboard 4 or the like, the input module 1
02 executes steps S26 to S28 similar to steps S14 to S16 in FIG. That is, the input module 10
Reference numeral 2 assists the user in pasting the file data of the file device 6 and the data of the input sources 7-1 to 7-n to the components of the input form using the input browser 108 (step S26), and pastes the data. Based on the size of the data attached to the part and the data constraint in the definition information of the table registered in the definition information storage unit 107 at the time of a later correction instruction, whether the input data this time satisfies the corresponding data constraint. It is checked whether or not (step S27), and if satisfied, the process proceeds to a process S29 of registering the correction data of this time in the database 8. If not satisfied, the corresponding data constraint of the definition information storage unit 107 is performed in the same manner as described above. After modifying the data, the database 8 is changed (step S28), and then the modified data of this time is registered in the database 8. Proceed to that process S29. Step S2
9, the input module 102 uses the definition information storage unit 10
7, the table name and the column name corresponding to the part to which the data is attached are acquired, and the data and the data attached to the component are notified to the data input module 111. The command that can be interpreted by the database management system 81 is generated to issue to the database management system 81 a command for correcting the data in the corresponding column of the table in the database 8.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various other additions and changes are possible. For example, when designing a form, assign a default data constraint in the type correspondence table corresponding to that component as one of the attributes of the component placed on the form,
The attribute change window may be provided with a function that allows the user to arbitrarily change the data constraint of each component.

[0057]

As described above, according to the database construction apparatus of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

The user can generate the database and register the data simply by arranging the parts on the form and pasting the data on the parts, without having to be aware of the data type or the data restriction. Also, since the form format displayed on the display device when registering or acquiring data is the form itself designed by the user with the form editor,
The end user himself / herself can freely design the form used when registering or acquiring data according to his / her preference, and since the database is automatically generated based on the designed screen, the end user's The burden does not increase.

In the configuration provided with the input browser, the user can select the parts on the input form and select the data to be registered from the list of data displayed by the input browser, by the simple operation. The data matching the data type can be pasted on the upper part.

An input source for various media data such as a CD-ROM, a VTR, a scanner, etc., and a data generation application for inputting data from this input source and transmitting it to an input browser without saving it in a file are provided. In this case, the user can directly register the registered material such as a still image, a moving image and a sound without converting the file into a file.

In the configuration including the database change module, the data constraint is automatically relaxed when the data that does not satisfy the data constraint is registered, and the database is automatically changed. Users can be freed from the work of changing the database.

In the configuration provided with the form database, the user can create several candidate forms in parallel, and by selecting a form suitable for later data registration from among them, the optimum form can be selected. Can be determined.

In the structure including the source code generating means and the catalog form output module, it is necessary to create an application which uses a form designed by the user himself or a routine for displaying data on the form from scratch. Eliminates the hassle of creating applications with more advanced search and display capabilities that use the same form.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a database construction device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of a design module.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a design screen displayed on a display device at the start of designing a form.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which parts are arranged on a form of a design screen.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which an attribute change window is displayed on the design screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of contents of a type correspondence table.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a part of definition information stored in a definition information storage unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a source code generated by a source code generating means.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of part of the processing of the input module.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen displayed on the display device at the time of starting the input mode.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a browser window showing a list of data attached to an input form on an input screen is opened.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which data in a browser window is selected and attached to a component.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the rest of the processing of the input module.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Processing device 101 ... Design module 1011 ... Form editor 1012 ... Definition generating means 1013 ... Source code generating means 102 ... Input module 103 ... User interface 104 ... Form database 105 ... Type correspondence table 106 ... Catalog form output module 107 ... Definition Information storage unit 108 ... Input browsers 109-1 to 109-n ... Data generation application 110 ... Database generation module 111 ... Data input module 112 ... Data acquisition module 113 ... Database change module 2 ... Display device 3 ... Speaker 4 ... Keyboard 5 ... Mouse 6 ... File device 7-1 to 7-n ... Input source 8 ... Database 81 ... Database management system

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A database is constructed by interactive processing through a display device and an input device, targeting a database having a database management system having a function of generating a database, registering and acquiring data according to a command. In a database construction device that supports the above, a type correspondence table that describes the data types and default data constraints in the database for the parts prepared for each media data type, and any part at any position and size A design module including a form editor for assisting a user in creating a placed form on the screen of the display device, definition information of the form created by the form editor, and the mold for each component of the form. Data type and data described in the correspondence table A definition information storage unit that holds definition information of a database table including constraints, and each component on the form created by the form editor as a column of one row of the database table,
A database generation module for issuing to the database management system a command for defining a location for storing the database table in the database, and for issuing a command for defining the framework of the database table in the database to the database management system; A data acquisition module that issues a command to the management system to acquire the contents of a row of a predetermined database table at the time of starting the input mode and then the contents of the row of a database table specified by the user from the database. A data input module that issues a command to the database management system to register data in a database table of the database; and an input file that matches the definition information of the form stored in the definition information storage unit. Display the screen on the screen of the display device and display the contents of each column of the row acquired by the data acquisition module on the corresponding part of the input form, and The data is pasted through the data input module by supporting each component on the input form on which the data pasting is performed and each row in each row of the database table. An apparatus for constructing a database, comprising: 2. A list of data of a file having a notified data type is acquired from a file device and displayed on the display device, and the selected data is output when the user selects the data in the list. An input browser is provided, and the input module notifies the input browser of the data type of the selected component when the user selects the component on the input form displayed on the screen of the display device, and displays the list of data. 2. The database construction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the database construction apparatus is configured to display the data on the screen of the display device and paste the data output from the input browser to the selected component. 3. An input source for various media data,
A data generation application that inputs data from this input source and sends it to the input browser without saving it in a file, wherein the input module inputs to the input browser when the input source is selected by the user. The input browser has a configuration for notifying a source, the input browser displays a list of data acquired by activating a data generation application corresponding to the notified input source on the display device, and 3. The database construction device according to claim 2, wherein the data construction device has a configuration for outputting the selected data when the data is selected. 4. A database table matching the definition information of the database table, which dumps the contents of the rows of the database table registered in the database and contains the corrected data constraint stored in the definition information storage unit. A database change module for issuing a command for defining a framework to the database to the database management system to redefine the database, and then issuing a command to the database management system to restore the contents of the dumped line to the database. The input module can register the data attached to the component of the input form when the data does not satisfy the data constraint corresponding to the component stored in the definition information storage unit when the data is registered. Corresponding to the definition information storage section 2. The configuration according to claim 1, wherein the database changing module is activated after the data constraint is relaxed, and the pasted data is registered in the database through the data input module after the database changing process is completed. Database construction device. 5. The database construction device according to claim 1, further comprising a form database capable of storing a plurality of pieces of definition information of a form being created or already created by the form editor. 6. A source code of a visual programming language including the definition information and a routine for displaying data contents in each component on the form is generated based on the definition information of the form created by the form editor. 2. The database construction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a source code generation unit in the design module, and a catalog form output module for outputting the source code generated by the source code generation unit.