Data management system, method, and recording medium

• US 20040049730A1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beacon Information Technology, Inc. (UNIRITA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Beacon Information Technology, Inc. (UNIRITA, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ishizaka, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,165,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

A data management system that facilitates table merges without the necessity of knowledge about a database or creating an environment therefore is provided.

With a processor unit, a merging sheet (merged table) for merging a plurality of spreadsheets (tables) is recorded, and then stored in an external storage device. A table designated by the user through mouse operation and the merged table are compared; if cells of the same data exist in a specific column, the data in rows to which said cells in the table belong are merged to rows to which relevant cells of the merged table belong; for rows to which cells existing only in the table belong, they are added as new row data to the merged table. Furthermore, a flag for identifying each table is recorded in rows merged or added to the merged table.

Claims

1. A data management system having interface components that enable connections with a display device, an input device, and a data storage device, said data management system comprising:

screen display means for displaying a designation screen on said display device, said designation screen allowing the user to designate a spreadsheet having a row/column tabular data structure and a specific column contained in that spreadsheet;

designation acceptance means for accepting the spreadsheet and specific column designated by the user through said input device in accordance with said designation screen displayed;

merging sheet storing means for generating a merging sheet having a row/column tabular data structure and storing the merging sheet generated into said data storage device;

data comparison means for comparing the spreadsheet accepted by said designation acceptance means and the merging sheet stored in said data storage device on a cell-by-cell basis, said cell being an intersection area of the row and column; and

sheet merging means for merging, as a result of the comparison by said data comparison means, rows of said spreadsheet to which cells of the same data in said specific column belong to rows to which relevant cells of said merging sheet belong, adding rows in said specific column to which cells existing only in said spreadsheet belong to said merging sheet as new rows; and

recording flags to the merged or added rows of said merging sheet, said flags for uniquely identifying the spreadsheet thereof,

wherein the relationship between multiple spreadsheets where rows thereof are merged or added to said merging sheet by said sheet merging means can be determined based on a combination of said flags.

2. A data management system according to claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of spreadsheets to be merged are pre-stored in said data storage device; and

said input device includes a pointing device for allowing the user to designate on said designation screen any one of the plurality of spreadsheets stored and a specific column contained in that spreadsheet.

3. A data management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

logical criteria determination means for counting the number of rows where said flag combination aspects are the same, and determining the counting result as a result of logical criteria determination between a plurality of spreadsheets where rows thereof are merged or added to said merging sheet.

4. A data management system according to claim 3, further comprising:

numeric-value converting means for converting said flag combination aspects to numeric values, wherein the numeric values converted by said numeric-value converting means and the determination result by said logic criteria determination means are stored as mapped to each other.

5. A data management system according to claim 3, wherein:

said screen display means represents the determination result of said logic criteria determination means via an image on said display device.

6. A data management system according to claim 5, wherein:

said screen display means converts spreadsheet identified by individual flags to Venn diagrams where the area thereof corresponds to the number of their rows, and represents a determination result of a logical product between a plurality of spreadsheets that contain the respective rows via an overlap of said Venn diagrams.

7. A data management system according to claim 5, wherein:

said screen display means represents a logical criteria determination result between said plurality of spreadsheets via a truth-table image.

8. A data management system according to claim 1, wherein:

row data in said spreadsheet and said merging sheet is column data, and column data containing said specific column is row data.

9. A data management method, wherein a computer having interface components that enable connections with a display device, an input device, and a data storage device reads a predetermined computer program to execute the processes of:

displaying a designation screen on said display device, said designation screen allowing the user to designate a spreadsheet having a row/column tabular data structure and a specific column contained in that spreadsheet;

accepting the spreadsheet and specific column designated by the user through said input device in accordance with said designation screen displayed;

generating a merging sheet having a row/column tabular data structure and storing the merging sheet generated into said data storage device;

comparing the spreadsheet accepted and the merging sheet stored in said data storage device on a cell-by-cell basis, said cell being an intersection area of the row and column;

merging, as a result of the comparison, rows of said spreadsheet to which cells of the same data in said specific column belong to rows to which relevant cells of said merging sheet belong, adding rows in said specific column to which cells existing only in said spreadsheet belong to said merging sheet as new rows, and recording flags to the merged or added rows of said merging sheet, said flags for uniquely identifying the spreadsheet thereof; and

determining the relationship between multiple spreadsheets where rows thereof are merged or added to said merging sheet, based on a combination of said flags.

10. A computer-readable recording medium, wherein a computer program is stored for allowing a computer having interface components that enable connections with a display device, an input device, and a data storage device to execute the processes of:

(1) displaying a designation screen on said display device, said designation screen allowing the user to designate a spreadsheet having a row/column tabular data structure and a specific column contained in that spreadsheet;

(2) accepting the spreadsheet and specific column designated by the user through said input device in accordance with said designation screen displayed;

(3) generating a merging sheet having a row/column tabular data structure and storing the merging sheet generated into said data storage device;

(4) comparing the spreadsheet accepted and the merging sheet stored in said data storage device on a cell-by-cell basis, said cell being an intersection area of the row and column;

(5) merging, as a result of the comparison, rows of said spreadsheet to which cells of the same data in said specific column belong to rows to which relevant cells of said merging sheet belong, adding rows in said specific column to which cells existing only in said spreadsheet to said merging sheet as new rows, and recording flags to the merged or added rows of said merging sheet, said flags for uniquely identifying the spreadsheet thereof; and

(6) determining the relationship between multiple spreadsheets where rows thereof are merged or added to said merging sheet, based on a combination of said flags.