BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT METHOD, AND BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

• US 20080086347A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: NIINO, Tsuyoshi, TAKAMOTO, Masanori, YOKOTA, Takeshi, TAKADA, Masatoshi, ARAKI, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A business information management system includes a data connection relationship information storage section storing connection relationships of data items forming a business information database, a data connection accuracy information storage section that stores data connection accuracy between data item pairs having a connection relationship, and a data change section that chances data in the business information database by inputting data thereto. A change affected data extraction section extracts chance affected data items by tracing first data items having a connection relationship with an originally chanced data item and second data items having a connection relationship with the first data items until there is no connection relationship, a change effect probability calculation section calculates change effect probability of the change affected data based on data connection accuracy, and a change affected data display section displays the change effect probability on a display unit.

Claims

1. A business information management system using a computer having at least an input unit and a display unit, the business information management system managing a business information database containing business-related data of a plurality of types, the computer comprising:

a data connection relationship information storage means for storing data connection relationship information which represents data having a connection relationship with each of data items constituting the business information database;

a data connection accuracy information storage means for storing, as data connection accuracy, a numeric value which represents a depth of the connection relationship for each pair of data items having a connection relationship stored in said data connection relationship information storage means;

a data change means for changing at least one data item contained in the business information database by using data inputted via the input unit;

a change affected data extraction means for obtaining, based on the data connection relationship information stored in said data connection relationship information storage means, a first data item which has a connection relationship with the originally changed data item and a second data item which has a connection relationship with the first data item, until there is no longer existing connection relationship, said change affected data extraction means thereby extracting, as change affected data, all data items resident along a path connecting the above-referenced connection relationships;

a change effect probability calculation means for calculating a change effect probability of each item of the extracted change affected data based on the data connection accuracy stored in said data connection accuracy information storage means; and

a change affected data display means for displaying on the display unit the extracted change affected data and the change effect probability calculated for the change affected data.

2. The business information management system according to claim 1,

wherein said change effect probability calculation means calculates the change effect probability for the change affected data by reading, for each of all change affected data items resident on the path connecting the changed data and the change affected data, a data connection accuracy value stored in said data connection accuracy information storage means and obtaining a product of all change effect probability values read.

3. The business information management system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer further comprises a data connection condition information storage means for storing, for each pair of data items having a connection relationship stored in said data connection relationship information storage means, information on conditions for validating the connection relationship as data connection condition information;

and

wherein said change affected data extraction means validates, when finding all data items having the connection relationship with the changed data until there is no longer existing connection relationship, the connection relationship on condition which the data connection condition is satisfied, if one for the connection relationship is stored in the data connection condition information storage means.

4. The business information management system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer further comprises:

a person-in-charge information storage means for storing, for each item of data constituting the business information database, information on a person in charge concerned with the data item; and

a change affected data notification means for extracting, if the change effect probability of the change affected data calculated by said change effect probability calculation means is equal to, or more than, a predetermined value, persons in charge concerned with the change affected data by referring to the person-in-charge information storage means and thereby notifying the extracted persons in charge of the change affected data and the change effect probability.

5. The business information management system according to claim 1,

wherein the computer further comprises:

a change cost information storage means for storing, for each item of data constituting the business information database, a change cost to be accrued when the data item is changed;

a change cost calculation means for calculating, for each item of the change affected data extracted by said change affected data extraction means, the change cost of the change affected data item as a product of the change cost stored in the change cost information storage means for that particular change affected data item and the change effect probability calculated for that particular change affected data item by said change effect probability calculation means, and further calculating a total value of all change cost values calculated for the change affected data items; and

a change cost display means for displaying on the display unit at least one of the change cost value calculated for each item of the change affected data and the total value of all change cost values.

6. The business information management system according to claim 1,

wherein the business information database includes work flow information defining a work flow of a plurality of work processes;

and

wherein the computer further comprises;

a data connection accuracy information calculation means for selecting from the work flow information a first work process and a second work process to be carried out following the first work process, finding a work process connection path leading from the first work process to the second work process based on the work flow information, and calculating, based on the number of connection links contained in the connection path and the number of connection link branches branching rearwardly from the work process contained in the connection path, data connection accuracy between a first data item to be processed in the first work process and a second data item to be processed in the second work process.

7. A business information management method for managing, by using a computer having at least an input unit and a display unit, a business information database containing business-related data of a plurality of types, the computer comprising:

a data connection relationship information storage means for storing data connection relationship information which represents data having a connection relationship with each of data items constituting the business information database; and

a data connection accuracy information storage means for storing, as data connection accuracy, a numeric value which represents a depth of the connection relationship for each pair of data items having a connection relationship stored in the data connection relationship information storage means;

the business information management method comprising the steps performed by the computer of;

changing at least one data item contained in the business information database by using data inputted via the input unit;

obtaining, based on the data connection relationship information stored in the data connection relationship information storage means, a first data item which has a connection relationship with the originally changed data item and a second data item which has a connection relationship with the first data item, until there is no longer existing connection relationship, and extracting all data items, as change affected data, resident along a path connecting the above-referenced connection relationships;

calculating a change effect probability of each item of the extracted change affected data based on the data connection accuracy stored in the data connection accuracy information storage means; and

displaying on the display unit the extracted change affected data and the change effect probability calculated for the change affected data.

8. The business information management method according to claim 7, further comprising the step performed by the computer of:

calculating, in said step of calculating the change effect probability, the change effect probability for the change affected data by reading, for each of all change affected data items resident on the path connecting the changed data and the change affected data, a data connection accuracy value stored in the data connection accuracy information storage means and obtaining a product of all change effect probability values read.

9. The business information management method according to claim 7,

wherein the computer further comprises a data connection condition information storage means for storing, for each pair of data items having a connection relationship stored in the data connection relationship information storage means, information on conditions for validating the connection relationship as data connection condition information;

and

wherein the method further comprises the step performed by the computer of;

validating the connection relationship on condition which the data connection condition is satisfied, in said step of obtaining the first data item and the second data item, all data items having the connection relationship with the changed data, until there is no longer existing connection relationship, if one for the connection relationship is stored in the data connection condition information storage means.

10. The business information management method according to claim 7,

wherein the computer further comprises a person-in-charge information storage means for storing, for each item of data constituting the business information database, information on a person in charge concerned with the data item;

and

wherein the method further comprises the step performed by the computer of;

extracting, if the change effect probability of the change affected data calculated through said step of calculating the change effect probability is equal to, or more than, a predetermined value, persons in charge concerned with the change affected data by referring to the person-in-charge information storage means and thereby notifying the extracted persons in charge of the change affected data and the change effect probability.

11. The business information management method according to claim 7,

wherein the computer further comprises a change cost information storage means for storing, for each item of data constituting the business information database, a change cost to be accrued when the data item is changed;

and

wherein the method further comprises the steps performed by the computer of;

calculating, for each item of the change affected data extracted through said step of extracting change affected data, the change cost of the change affected data item as a product of the change cost stored in the change cost information storage means for that particular change affected data item and the change effect probability calculated for that particular change affected data item through said step of calculating the change effect probability, and further calculating a total value of all change cost values calculated for the change affected data items; and

displaying on the display unit at least one of the change cost value calculated for each item of the change affected data and the total value of all change cost values.

12. The business information management method according to claim 7,

wherein the business information database includes work flow information defining a work flow of a plurality of work processes;

and

wherein the method further comprises the step performed by the computer of;

selecting from the work flow information a first work process and a second work process to be carried out following the first work process, finding a work process connection path leading from the first work process to the second work process based on the work flow information, and calculating, based on the number of connection links contained in the connection path and the number of connection link branches branching rearwardly from the work process contained in the connection path, data connection accuracy between a first data item to be processed in the first work process and a second data item to be processed in the second work process.

13. A business information management program for letting a computer having at least an input unit and a display unit manage a business information database containing business-related data of a plurality of types, the computer comprising a data connection relationship information storage means for storing data connection relationship information which represents data having a connection relationship with each of data items constituting the business information database, and a data connection accuracy information storage means for storing, as data connection accuracy, a numeric value which represents a depth of the connection relationship for each pair of data items having a connection relationship stored in the data connection relationship information storage means;

the business information management program letting the computer execute the steps of;

changing at least one data item contained in the business information database by using data inputted via the input unit;

obtaining, based on the data connection relationship information stored in the data connection relationship information storage means, a first data item which has a connection relationship with the originally changed data item and a second data item which has a connection relationship with the first data item, until there is no longer existing connection relationship, and extracting all data items, as change affected data, resident along a path connecting the above-referenced connection relationships;

calculating a change effect probability of each item of the extracted change affected data based on the data connection accuracy stored in the data connection accuracy information storage means; and

displaying on the display unit the extracted change affected data and the change effect probability calculated for the change affected data.

14. The business information management program according to claim 13,

wherein the program lets the computer execute the step of:

calculating, in said step of calculating the change effect probability, the change effect probability for the change affected data by reading, for each of all change affected data items resident on the path connecting the changed data and the change affected data, a data connection accuracy value stored in the data connection accuracy information storage means and obtaining a product of all change effect probability values read.

15. The business information management program according to claim 13,

wherein the computer further comprises a data connection condition information storage means for storing, for each pair of data items having a connection relationship stored in the data connection relationship information storage means, information on conditions for validating the connection relationship as data connection condition information;

and

wherein the program lets the computer execute the step of;

validating the connection relationship on condition which the data connection condition is satisfied, in said step of obtaining the first data item and the second data item, all data items having the connection relationship with the changed data, until there is no longer existing connection relationship, if one for the connection relationship is stored in the data connection condition information storage means.

16. The business information management program according to claim 13,

wherein the computer further comprises a person-in-charge information storage means for storing, for each item of data constituting the business information database, information on a person in charge concerned with the data item;

and

wherein the program further lets the computer execute the step of;

extracting, if the change effect probability of the change affected data calculated through said step of calculating the change effect probability is equal to, or more than, a predetermined value, persons in charge concerned with the change affected data by referring to the person-in-charge information storage means and thereby notifying the extracted persons in charge of the change affected data and the change effect probability.

17. The business information management program according to claim 13,

wherein the computer further comprises a change cost information storage means for storing, for each item of data constituting the business information database, a change cost to be accrued when the data item is changed;

and

wherein the program lets the computer execute the steps of;

calculating, for each item of the change affected data extracted through said step of extracting change affected data, the change cost of the change affected data item as a product of the change cost stored in the change cost information storage means for that particular change affected data item and the change effect probability calculated for that particular change affected data item through said step of calculating the change effect probability, and further calculating a total value of all change cost values calculated for the change affected data items; and

displaying on the display unit at least one of the change cost value calculated for each item of the change affected data and the total value of all change cost values.

18. The business information management program according to claim 13,

wherein the business information database includes work flow information defining a work flow of a plurality of work processes;

and

wherein the program further lets the computer execute the step of;

selecting from the work flow information a first work process and a second work process to be carried out following the first work process, finding a work process connection path leading from the first work process to the second work process based on the work flow information, and calculating, based on the number of connection links contained in the connection path and the number of connection link branches branching rearwardly from the work process contained in the connection path, data connection accuracy between a first data item to be processed in the first work process and a second data item to be processed in the second work process.