JPS62103731A - Retrieval sentence input control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To input a relatively natural retrieval sentence by providing example sentences of the retrieval sentence by fields to be retrieved and displaying the retrieval example sentence of a specified field when the field is specified. CONSTITUTION:The front end part 3 of a processor 2 transmits and receives information to and from a user terminal which is not shown in a figure through a communication controller 4, relays a user's request to access a data base 1 to a data base processing part 5, and relays the access result from the data base processing part 5 to the user terminal. The front end part 3 is connected to an input processing information file 6 and refers to example sentence data 10-1-10-n and dictionaries 11-1-11-n held in an input processing information file 6 to control retrieval processing in, for example, Japanese, The front end part 3 consists of a processed field recognition part 12, an example message transmission processing part 13, a retrieval sentence conversion part 14, and an answer output part 15.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] This is a search sentence input control method for a computer system in which database search conditions are specified in natural language. Examples of search sentences are provided for each search target field, and when a field is specified, the search example sentences for the corresponding field are displayed, and the user inputs a search sentence created according to the example sentences. According to this configuration, it is possible to realize an economical system that allows relatively natural input of search sentences.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a search sentence input control method for a computer system in which database search conditions are specified using natural language.

In searching a database, search conditions indicating what kind of data is required are often specified by a command in a special format defined for each system in various database access systems.

However, as the range of database users expands, it has become desirable to be able to specify such conditions in so-called natural language, such as Japanese sentences.

[Problems to be solved by the prior art and the invention] As is well known, various database access languages have been developed in order for general users, so-called end users, to use relational databases, for example. ing.

In many of these languages, one of the main objectives of developing the language is to make it easy for users to use, but users still have to understand at least the search procedures and commands. Unless one knows precisely the special conventions prescribed in those various languages, it is not possible to perform the desired access.

Even if such a contract is considerably simplified,
It is difficult to expect users who do not regularly use the database to have the knowledge immediately when access is required.

Therefore, words that are used everyday, so-called natural language,
It is conceivable to provide guidance on necessary user operations and allow user input in the form of .

To this end, a computer system must have the ability to understand natural language input sentences and generate computer control information for executing the requests implied by the input sentences.

However, as is well known, with current technology, it is virtually impossible to construct a computer system that can understand almost unlimited general natural language sentences.
, it is necessary to impose some restrictions on the syntax, etc., in order to configure a practical system.

In that case, it is necessary to inform the user of this restriction, but explaining it in a manual or the like would place the same burden on the user as having to learn the special format and terminology conventions of conventional commands. It may be necessary to impose

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention.

The figure shows the configuration of a computer system that processes a database 1 including n types of databases, in which a front end section 3 of a processing device 2 exchanges information with a user terminal (not shown) via a communication control device 4, A user's database access request is relayed to the database processing unit 5, and the access result is relayed from the database processing unit 5 to the user terminal.

The front end unit 3 connects to the input processing information file 6 and stores example sentence data 10-1 to 10-1 held in the file 6.
0-n and dictionaries 11-1 to 11-n to control a search in, for example, Japanese.

The front end section 3 includes a processing field identification section 12 , an example message message transmission processing section 13 , a search sentence conversion section 14 , and an answer output section 15 .

[For production]

The example sentence data and dictionary in the input processing information file 6 are prepared as n sets of information indicated by 10-1 to 10-n and 11-1 to 11-n according to n types of processing fields.

The front end unit 3 is activated in response to a database search request from a user terminal.

In the front end section 3, first, the processing field identification section 12 inquires of the user terminal about the processing field, and receives the specification of the processing field.

The example message sending processing unit 13 outputs a set of example messages 10-1 to 10-n in a designated processing field to the user terminal.

When the user looks at this and inputs a search sentence created with reference to the example sentences, the search sentence conversion unit 14 analyzes this search sentence by referring to 1 of the dictionaries 11-1 to 11-n. , generates a control statement for database search, and passes it to the database processing unit 5.

The database processing section 5 searches the specified database according to the control statement, and the searched data is sent from the answer output section 15 to the user terminal.

With the above configuration, the user can use the relatively compact syntax analysis ability to provide guidance on a search method that makes it possible to process, for example, a practical Japanese search sentence, using example sentences using terms from the field that the user is searching for. This can be done accurately.

〔Example〕

In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the database 1 includes zero types of databases, such as an accommodation facility information database and a small business information database.

The example sentence data and dictionary in the input processing information file 6 include information 10-1 to 10-n and 11-1 to 11- as information corresponding to each of these n types of databases.
N sets of information, denoted by n, are prepared.

When the front end section 3 is activated in response to a database search request from a user terminal, the processing field identification section 1 is first activated.
2 inquires of the processing field from the user terminal and receives the specification of the processing field. Here, the processing field is specified, for example, by the name of the database.

The example sentence message sending processing unit 13 is the processing field identification unit 12.
When the name of the database to be processed is taken from , example sentence message 10 prepared corresponding to the database is displayed.
One set of -1 to 10-n is read from the input processing information file 6 and output to the user terminal via the communication control device 4.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an example sentence message screen output to, for example, a display device of a user terminal.

In the figure, (a) indicates the case where the accommodation facility information database is specified, and the mountain (mountain) indicates the case where the small and medium-sized enterprise information database is specified. ), and in the table section 21 below it, examples of question sentences for each category are shown.

In this way, by restricting the syntax of questions according to the necessary types, an appropriate compromise between facilitating syntactic analysis and maintaining the naturalness of the sentences can be achieved. By showing the example sentences instead, it can be made easier for the user to understand.

When the user looks at this and inputs a search sentence (question sentence) created with reference to the example sentences, the search sentence converting unit 14 converts this search sentence into dictionaries 11-1 to 11-n by referring to 1. To analyze. Once the type of control statement for database search is determined and its parameters are obtained, a control statement is generated and passed to the database processing unit 5 for processing.

The data searched by the database processing unit 5 is sent as answer data from the answer output unit 15 to the user terminal, and then, if necessary, the example message sending processing unit 13 outputs the example sentence again in order to input the next search sentence. is displayed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a system that searches a database using natural language is realized by having a relatively compact natural language processing capability, so that it is easy to use the database system. It has significant industrial effects in improving economics and promoting widespread use of databases.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen. In the figure, 1 is a database, 2 is a processing device, 3 is a front end section, 4 is a communication control device, 5 is a database processing section, 6 is an input processing information file, 10-1 to 10-n are example sentence data, 11- 1 to 11-n are dictionaries; 12 is a processing field identification unit; 13 is an example message sending processing unit;

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a computer system that searches a database (1) by decoding a search sentence in natural language input by a user, an example sentence (10-1) of the search sentence that can be deciphered by the computer system is provided.
1 to 10-n) are provided and maintained for each search target field of the search, and according to the designation of the search target field input by the user,
A search sentence input control method, characterized in that the method is configured to display the example sentence corresponding to the specified search target field.