Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

This invention provides an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that eliminate the need to transmit data to business systems that do not require synchronization during master data synchronization, thereby eliminating excessive data transmission. [Solution] In the information processing device 100 equipped with a common master 101M, the change information acquisition unit 102 receives a change request from the first business system 200 based on a change operation of the contents of the first individual master 201M, and acquires change information indicating the content of the change. Next, the common master change unit 104 changes the contents of the common master 101M, and the change notification unit 106 notifies the second business systems 300 and 400, excluding the first business system 200, of the occurrence of the change event. Then, when the transmission request reception unit 107 receives a transmission request for change information from the second business systems 300 and 400, the master synchronization unit 108 performs master synchronization by sending change information for individual master synchronization to the requester.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, companies and individuals (hereinafter referred to as "companies, etc.") have been conducting business using various business systems. Each business system used by companies, etc. uses a master in which various data are stored, and some of them store the same data. Under such circumstances, the need to synchronize information (masters) in the same context existing between different business systems has been increasing. On the other hand, there have been some technologies related to master synchronization processing between multiple business systems.

[0003] For example, there is a technology in which the master-slave relationship between the masters of two systems is determined, and when the basic master is updated, the synchronization process of the subordinate master is performed (see Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a technology in which a common master is prepared in the head office system and an individual master is prepared in the store system, and when the common master is updated with data, an update file is transmitted to the store system to synchronize the individual master (see Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the technologies of Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above do not describe a technology for eliminating over-communication of data in the synchronization of masters within a system.

[0006] This invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that can eliminate excessive communication of large amounts of data by eliminating the need to transmit data to business systems that do not require synchronization during master synchronization. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an information processing device capable of communicating with a plurality of business systems, each having one or more individual masters, comprising: a common master storage unit that stores the contents included in the one or more individual masters of each of the plurality of business systems in a common master; a change information acquisition unit that receives a change request for the common master from a first business system among the plurality of business systems and acquires change information indicating the changes to a predetermined individual master included in the change request; a common master change unit that changes the contents of the common master based on the change information; a change notification unit that notifies one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the plurality of business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master; a transmission request reception unit that receives a transmission request for the change information related to the change event from at least one of the one or more second business systems after notification of the change event; and a master synchronization unit that transmits the change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of the one or more second business systems based on the transmission request.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an information processing system comprising: a first business system that performs a first business; one or more second business systems that perform a second business; and an information processing device that has a common master and can communicate with the first business system and the one or more second business systems, wherein the first business system comprises: a first individual master storage unit that stores a first individual master used in the first business; a change operation reception unit that receives change operations for the contents included in the first individual master; a first change information transmission unit that transmits a change request for the common master, which includes change information indicating the changes to the first individual master based on the change operation, to the information processing device; and a first individual master synchronization unit that acquires the change information from the information processing device and reflects it in the first individual master, and each of the one or more second business systems comprises: a second individual master storage unit that stores a second individual master used in the second business; a change notification reception unit that receives a change notification regarding the change information from the information processing device; and when the change information is related to the second individual master, transmits the change information to the information processing device. The information processing device comprises: a transmission request unit that requests transmission; a second individual master synchronization unit that acquires the change information from the information processing device and reflects it in the second individual master; a common master storage unit that stores a common master including the contents of the first individual master and the second individual master; a change information acquisition unit that receives the change request for the common master from the first business system and acquires the change information indicating the changes to the first individual master included in the change request; a common master change unit that changes the contents of the common master based on the change information; a change notification unit that notifies one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the plurality of business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master; a transmission request reception unit that receives a transmission request for the change information relating to the change event from at least one of the one or more second business systems after notification of the occurrence of the change event; and a master synchronization unit that transmits the change information to the one or more second business systems that sent the transmission request.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an information processing method in an information processing device that can communicate with a plurality of business systems, each having one or more individual masters that store a plurality of items and the contents of each item in association, and a common master storage unit that stores the contents contained in each of the plurality of business systems in a common master, the method comprising: a change information acquisition step of receiving a change request for the common master from a first business system among the plurality of business systems and acquiring change information indicating the changes to a predetermined individual master included in the change request; a common master change step of changing the contents of the common master based on the change information; a change notification step of notifying one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the plurality of business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master; a transmission request reception step of receiving a transmission request for the change information relating to the change event from at least one of the one or more second business systems after notification of the change event; and a master synchronization step of transmitting the change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of the one or more second business systems based on the transmission request.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, the computer-readable program according to the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer, which is capable of communicating with a plurality of business systems each having one or more individual masters that store a plurality of items and the contents of each item in association, and which has a common master storage unit that stores the contents contained in each of the plurality of business systems in a common master, to execute: a change information acquisition step of receiving a change request for the common master from a first business system among the plurality of business systems and obtaining change information from the first business system that indicates the changes to a predetermined individual master included in the change request; a common master change step of changing the contents of the common master based on the change information; a change notification step of notifying one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the plurality of business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master; a transmission request reception step of receiving a transmission request for the change information related to the change event from at least one of the one or more second business systems after the notification of the change event; and a master synchronization step of transmitting the change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of the one or more second business systems based on the transmission request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate excessive data transmission of large amounts of data by eliminating the need to transmit data to business systems that do not require synchronization during master synchronization. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system relating to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment of individual master synchronization processing in an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]This figure shows an example of an individual master used in an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This flowchart illustrates a master data change process in a first business system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This flowchart illustrates the master synchronization process in an information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This flowchart illustrates the master synchronization process in a second business system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment of individual master synchronization processing in an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In all drawings, similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, in the following descriptions, unless otherwise specified, each component of each device / system refers to a functional block, not a hardware-level configuration. Each component of each device / system is realized by any combination of hardware and software, centered around the CPU, memory, programs loaded into memory, storage media such as a hard disk that stores those programs, and a network connection interface of any computer. There are various variations in the implementation methods and devices.

[0014] <Configuration of Information Processing System 1> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of business systems 150 that perform various operations and have an "individual master" for managing data (master data) necessary for business operations, and an information processing apparatus 100 that is connected to the plurality of business systems 150 via a communication network N and has a "common master" for managing the original data of the data managed by the masters of the plurality of business systems 150.

[0015] Here, the communication network N is a wired or wireless communication network such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), or a WAN (Wide Area Network), and includes communication via a 4G or 5G line. Note that the communication network N also includes short-range wireless communication (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.), and data may be directly transmitted and received between the information processing apparatus 100 and the plurality of business systems 150.

[0016] "Master data" is important basic data for a company or the like to conduct business. For example, it includes customer information, product information, supplier information, employee information, etc. It is used many times in business and is different from other data (transaction data, etc.). In each business system, it is managed by an "individual master". In such a business system, it is important that the master data is accurate and consistent for business efficiency and accurate analysis.

[0017] The plurality of business systems 150 are not particularly limited as long as each business system has one or more "individual masters". For example, it is a group of business systems composed of at least two or more of the following business systems (the individual masters included in the business system are shown in parentheses).

[0018] 1) Accounting business system (employee master, customer master, accounting item master, etc.) 2) Sales management system (employee master, customer master, product master, etc.) 3) Human resources and payroll system (employee master, payroll master, attendance master, etc.) 4) Customer management system (customer master data, etc.) 5) Production management system (product master, material master, work process master, etc.) 6) Inventory management system (inventory master, product master, etc.)

[0019] In this embodiment, the multiple business systems 150 are composed of, for example, three business systems: one first business system 200 and two second business systems 300 and 400. Here, as will be described later, the first business system 200 is a business system in which users perform operations to change the master data of "individual masters," and the second business systems 300 and 400 are business systems that reflect the changed master data in their respective individual masters via the information processing device 100. The three business systems are all different types of business systems. Furthermore, the multiple business systems 150 may consist of two business systems, or they may consist of four or more business systems.

[0020] <Configuration of the information processing device 100> The information processing device 100 can communicate via a communication network N with multiple business systems 150, each of which has one or more individual masters. When a user in the first business system 200 performs an operation to change the master data of an individual master, the device performs the operation to change the master data in the "common master" and then transmits the master data to the second business systems 300 and 400 for further changes to the master data of the same individual master. Therefore, the information processing device 100 includes a common master storage unit 101, a change information acquisition unit 102, a change content determination unit 103, a common master change unit 104, a change source master synchronization unit 105, a change notification unit 106, a transmission request reception unit 107, a master synchronization unit 108, and a change permission reception unit 109.

[0021] The common master storage unit 101 includes a common master 101M, and stores and manages the contents of one or more individual masters that each of the multiple business systems 150 has.

[0022] Here, each of the multiple business systems 150 has one or more individual masters, some of which are common to all of the multiple business systems, and others which are unique to only one of the business systems. In this embodiment, the common master 101M in the common master storage unit 101 of the information processing device 100 stores and manages the contents of one or more individual masters that are common to all of the multiple business systems. That is, in this embodiment, the common master 101M managed by the common master storage unit 101 stores and manages the contents of individual masters that are common to at least two of the first business system 200, the second business system 300, and the second business system 400.

[0023] More specifically, the common master storage unit 101 stores in the common master the contents of individual masters common to two or more business systems of the multiple business systems 150 (the first individual master 201M of the first business system 200, the second individual master 301M of the second business system 300, and the second individual master (not shown) of the second business system 400). Thus, when the common master 101M stores data from individual masters, if the same master exists in multiple business systems, it stores the duplicate masters as a union (i.e., A∪B). This eliminates data inconsistencies in the masters by using the common master as a reference, even when the same master exists in each of the multiple business systems.

[0024] The change information acquisition unit 102 receives a change request for the common master 101M when a user performs a change operation on the contents of any individual master in the first business system 200, one of the multiple business systems 150, and acquires change information from the first business system 200 that indicates the changes made to the individual master included in the change request.

[0025] The change content determination unit 103 determines whether or not the contents of the common master 101M can be changed based on the change information acquired by the change information acquisition unit 102. For example, if the data that can be input as the master data to be changed (master data) is predetermined, the change content determination unit 103 can determine whether or not the input data conforms to that predetermined data. Here is an example of how to determine a change based on differences in the type of master data.

[0026] (1) Judgment based on numerical range If the master data is a product master or similar and manages product prices, the price range must be greater than or equal to 0 (in some cases, a minimum price may be defined). If the change information is a negative value, the change content determination unit 103 determines that the data is inappropriate as a price and sends an error message to the first business system 200, for example. In addition, the change content determination unit 103 can also be instructed to determine whether the changed data falls within a price range acceptable for the business.

[0027] (2) Judgment based on text length limit If the master data is a customer master or similar data set that manages customer information, and the address field in that master data set has a character limit (for example, 100 characters or less), and the change information entered by the user is an address that is too long, exceeding 100 characters, the change content determination unit 103 will determine that the data is inappropriate as an address and will send an error message, for example, to the first business system 200.

[0028] (3) Judgment based on numerical format If the master data is an employee master data set that manages employee salary information, and the fields in that master data set only allow integers and do not allow decimal values, and if the data includes decimal values ​​such as 1.5 yen or 100.25 yen, the change determination unit 103 will determine that the data is inappropriate and will send an error message to the first business system 200.

[0029] (4) Judgment based on data type compatibility In product masters that include customer IDs and product codes, the format of numerical and alphanumeric data may be fixed. The change determination unit 103 determines whether the change information conforms to the data type specified by the field (number, text, date, etc.), whether numerical data is mixed into text-formatted data, or conversely, whether characters have been entered into a numerical field. For example, if only numerical data is allowed for customer IDs, but the change information is entered in text format, the change determination unit 103 will determine that the data is inappropriate and send an error message to the first business system 200.

[0030] (5) Judgment based on the date range In master data that includes date fields such as employee hiring dates and customer contract dates, if future dates or unreasonable past dates (for example, before 1900) are entered into these fields, the data may become invalid for business purposes. Therefore, in the case of change information regarding such master data, the change content determination unit 103 determines whether the date entered as change information falls within a realistic and reasonable range, and whether it exceeds the past or future ranges permitted in the operation of the business system. If it determines that the data is inappropriate, it sends an error message to the first business system 200.

[0031] (6) Decision based on fixed format In a master data set containing fields such as telephone numbers and postal codes, if a format is specified (for example, whether hyphens are included, whether it is in international format, etc.), input data that does not conform to that format is treated as invalid data. Therefore, the change determination unit 103 determines whether the change information regarding such a master data set conforms to the expected format (for example, a postal code in the format 000-0000, an international telephone number starting with +81, etc.), and if it determines that the data is inappropriate, it sends an error message to the first business system 200.

[0032] (7) Judgment based on the absence of required fields Each master data set contains fields that must be filled in as required items (for example, the customer's name and product code in the customer master data). If a modification operation is performed without filling in such fields, the data will be incomplete. Therefore, the modification content determination unit 103 determines whether the required input fields in the modified master data set are left blank, and if so, sends an error message to the first business system 200.

[0033] The above determination by the change determination unit 103 is just one example, and the same applies to change information in master fields other than those mentioned above. If inappropriate data is reflected in the business system, it can not only disrupt operations but also potentially affect future data analysis, etc. Therefore, the above determination by the change determination unit 103 is extremely important for maintaining data integrity and ensuring proper business processing in the business system. In this way, by performing the above processing by the change determination unit 103, the risk of incorrect master synchronization to the common master or individual masters of other business systems can be reduced, such as when the acquired change information contains input errors in data format (numerical, text, etc.) or input outside the acceptable range.

[0034] If the change content determination unit 103 determines that the change information is appropriate data and that it is possible to change the contents of the common master 101M, the common master change unit 104 changes the contents of the common master 101M based on the change information.

[0035] Based on the change information acquired by the change information acquisition unit 102, if the contents of the common master 101M are changed by the common master change unit 104, the change source master synchronization unit 105 transmits the change information for synchronization of the individual master (first individual master 201M, described later) of the first business system 200 to the first business system 200. Here, the change information includes information about the business system (first business system 200 in this embodiment) on which the update operation was performed, and the change source master synchronization unit 105 can recognize the first business system 200 as the source of the change information. Similarly, the change notification unit 106 can recognize the second business systems 300 and 400 other than the source of the change information.

[0036] The first business system 200 uses the change information transmitted from the information processing device 100 to modify the contents of the first individual master 201M, as described later. This synchronizes the changes to the contents of the common master 101M with those of the first individual master 201M.

[0037] When the contents of the common master 101M are changed based on the change information, the change notification unit 106 notifies all of the second business systems 300 and 400, excluding the first business system 200, of the multiple business systems 150 that a change event has occurred indicating that the contents of the common master 101M have been changed.

[0038] After the change notification unit 106 notifies the second business systems 300 and 400 of the change event, the transmission request receiving unit 107 receives a transmission request for change information related to the change event from at least one of the second business systems 300 and 400 that received the change event notification.

[0039] The master synchronization unit 108 transmits change information for individual master synchronization of a second business system to the second business system that sent the transmission request, based on the transmission request received by the transmission request reception unit 107 from among the multiple second business systems 300, 400. In other words, the master synchronization unit 108 transmits change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of one or more second business systems based on the above transmission request.

[0040] The Change Permission Reception Unit 109 can receive permission from a user of the first business system 200, which is the business system in which the change operation was performed, regarding changes to the contents of the common master 101M based on the change information acquired by the Change Information Acquisition Unit 102. Then, the Common Master Change Unit 104 can change the contents of the common master 101M when the Change Permission Reception Unit 109 has received permission regarding changes to the contents of the common master 101M. In this embodiment, the processing performed by the change permission acceptance unit 109 can be made an optional process and not a required component.

[0041] The authorization process performed by the Change Permission Reception Unit 109 is designed to handle situations where it is desired to restrict changes to the common master to specific business systems (for example, allowing registration and updating of account codes only in the accounting business system, and limiting other business systems to read-only access). In other words, changes to the common master 101M and master synchronization to other business systems (second business systems 300, 400, etc.) are possible on the condition that the user who performed the change operation has authorized changes to the common master 101M. Furthermore, the processing performed by the change permission acceptance unit 109 may be performed before or after the change content determination unit 103 makes a determination on whether or not the contents of the common master 101M can be changed based on the change information.

[0042] <Example Hardware Configuration> Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 100 described above according to one embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 100 includes a bus 1010, a processor 1020, a memory 1030, a storage device 1040, an input / output interface 1050, and a network interface 1060.

[0043] Bus 1010 is a data transmission path for the processor 1020, memory 1030, storage device 1040, input / output interface 1050, and network interface 1060 to send and receive data to and from each other. However, the method of connecting the processor 1020 and the other components to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0044] The 1020 processor is a processor implemented in components such as the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

[0045] Memory 1030 is a main memory device implemented using RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

[0046] The storage device 1040 is an auxiliary storage device that can be implemented as a removable media such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or memory card, or as ROM (Read Only Memory), and has a recording medium. The recording medium of the storage device 1040 stores program modules that realize each function of the information processing device 100. The processor 1020 reads these program modules into the memory 1030 and executes them, thereby realizing each function corresponding to that program module.

[0047] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 100 with various input / output devices.

[0048] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 100 to the communication network N. The method by which the network interface 1060 connects to the communication network N may be wireless or wired. The information processing device 100 may also communicate with each of the multiple business systems 150 via the network interface 1060.

[0049] <Configuration of 150 multiple business systems> In this embodiment, the multiple business systems 150 are each of different types of business systems, and each comprises three business systems (first business system 200, second business systems 300, 400) each having one or more individual masters. Each business system is a system formed by SaaS (Software as a Service) that can be accessed from personal computers of employees or individual users of the company where the business system is implemented. It is not necessary for part or all of the business system to be SaaS; other forms such as "on-premise" systems built on the company's own servers are also acceptable.

[0050] The hardware configuration of the personal computers, servers, and other information processing devices used in the three business systems (the first business system 200, and the second business systems 300 and 400) is the same as that of the information processing device 100 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0051] <Configuration of the first business system 200> The first business system 200 is a system in which users of the system according to this embodiment perform operations to modify the master data of individual masters. As shown in Figure 1, the first business system 200 comprises a first individual master storage unit 201, a change operation reception unit 202, a first change information transmission unit 203, a first individual master synchronization unit 204, and a change permission unit 205.

[0052] The first individual master storage unit 201 is equipped with a first individual master 201M, and stores and manages various data (master data) used in the first business operations (for example, accounting operations, sales management operations, personnel and payroll management operations, etc.) in the first business system 200.

[0053] The change operation reception unit 202 accepts changes made by users of this business system to the contents included in the first individual master 201M.

[0054] The first change information transmission unit 203 transmits change information regarding the first individual master 201M, based on the change operation performed by the user and received by the change operation reception unit 202, to the information processing device 100.

[0055] The first individual master synchronization unit 204 performs synchronization by obtaining the change information from the information processing device 100 after the information processing device 100 has modified the common master 101M based on the change information, and reflecting it in the first individual master 201M.

[0056] The change authorization unit 205 grants permission to the information processing device 100 to modify the contents of the common master 101M of the information processing device 100 with the change information after the first change information transmission unit 203 has transmitted the change information to the information processing device 100. In other words, the information processing device 100 modifies the contents of the common master 101M when it receives permission from the first business system 200 to modify the contents of the common master 101M. This makes it possible to handle situations where a user wants to temporarily check the effects of changes to an individual master (first individual master 201M) within the first business system 200, and does not want the change information to be reflected in the common master 101M.

[0057] <Configuration of the second business system 300> The second business system 300 is a business system that reflects the content of the change operation (change information) performed in the first business system 200 to the individual master (second individual master 301M) in the second business system 300 via the information processing device 100. As shown in Figure 1, the second business system 300 includes a second individual master storage unit 301, a change notification receiving unit 302, a change determination unit 303, a transmission request unit 304, and a second individual master synchronization unit 305.

[0058] The second individual master storage unit 301 is equipped with a second individual master 301M, and stores and manages various data (master data) used in the second business of the second business system 300 (for example, any of the business operations other than the first business operations mentioned above, such as accounting operations, sales management operations, and personnel / payroll management operations) within the master.

[0059] The change notification receiving unit 302 receives a change notification from the information processing device 100 regarding the changed information (change information) when the common master 101M is changed in the information processing device 100.

[0060] The change determination unit 303 determines whether the change information related to the change notification received by the change notification receiving unit 302 is change information that should be reflected (i.e., synchronized) in the second individual master 301M of the second business system 300. The change determination unit 303 can make this determination, for example, by determining whether the type of master to which the change information should be reflected is the same as that of the second individual master 301M. Furthermore, if the change determination unit 303 determines that the change information related to the change notification is information that should be synchronized with the second individual master, the second business system 300 may be provided with a function to notify users of the second business system 300, such as displaying this information on a display device (monitor, etc.) not shown in the system, or notifying users via email or chat.

[0061] If the change determination unit 303 determines that the change information related to the change notification is related to the second individual master 301M of the second business system 300, the transmission request unit 304 requests the information processing device 100 to transmit the change information. In this embodiment, if it is determined that the change information related to the change notification from the information processing device 100 pertains to the second individual master 301M of the second business system 300, the transmission request unit 304 requests the information processing device 100 to transmit the change information based on a system operation performed by a user of the second business system 300, at the time the operation is performed.

[0062] Furthermore, the change information and change notifications will include time information regarding the date and time of the change, linking the content of the change in the master data with the time of the change. This will allow the second business system 300 to determine which change notification to request change information for, even when multiple change notifications are received consecutively, such as when a second change notification is received after receiving the first change notification but before a request for change information regarding the first change notification is made.

[0063] The second individual master synchronization unit 305 performs synchronization processing by acquiring the change information transmitted by the information processing device 100 based on the above transmission request and reflecting it in the second individual master 301M.

[0064] <Configuration of the second business system 400> The configuration of the second business system 400 and the functions and roles of each component are the same as those of the second business system 300, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0065] <Example of operation> In the embodiments shown below, the procedure for master data modification in the information processing system 1 with the configuration described above will be explained in detail. Since the specific processing and operations in the information processing device 100 and the individual business systems of the multiple business systems 150, which are components of the information processing system 1, are as described above, this section will mainly explain the flow of information processing.

[0066] <Example 1 (Case of changing master data common to all business systems)> Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first embodiment of individual master synchronization processing in an information processing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, a master modified in the first business system 200 is also provided in the second business systems 300 and 400, and the modified information based on the modification operation is synchronized to the individual masters of all business systems.

[0067] In Figure 3, the application interfaces (APIs) described within the information processing device 100, the first business system 200, and the second business systems 300 and 400 are interfaces that allow external applications to access the functions provided by multiple units within each device / system shown in Figure 1 and execute various data processing operations. In Figure 3, the main processes performed through the APIs of each device / system are displayed as "Process[X](X=1,2,3,...)".

[0068] Therefore, in this embodiment, the types of business systems in the information processing system 1 and the individual masters that each business system possesses are set as follows.

[0069] (1) The first business system 200 shall be the accounting business system. Accounting systems are applications for efficiently managing the financial data of companies and organizations. They automate and streamline tasks such as transaction recording, financial reporting, budget management, expense management, invoice generation, and tax processing, enabling accurate and timely financial management. The first business system (accounting business system) 200 includes the first individual master 201M, which includes employee master (M01), customer master (M02), account master (M03), etc.

[0070] (2) The second business system 300 shall be the sales management system. A sales management system is an application designed to efficiently manage and optimize a company's sales activities, integrating and automating processes such as order processing, inventory management, customer management, shipping and delivery, billing, and sales analysis. The second business system (sales management system) 300 includes the employee master (M01), customer master (M02), product master (M04), etc., as the second individual master 301M.

[0071] (3) The second business system 400 shall be the personnel and payroll system. The HR and payroll system is an application designed to streamline employee management and payroll calculations. It automates the management of HR information, attendance management, payroll calculation, bonuses, social insurance, and tax processing, supporting accurate payroll payments in compliance with laws and regulations. The second business system (personnel and payroll system) 400 includes the employee master (M01), payroll master (M05), attendance master (M06), etc., as the second individual master 401M.

[0072] (4) The information processing device 100 includes a common master 101M which contains the same content as the individual masters (in this embodiment, employee master (M01) and customer master (M02), etc.) when multiple business systems have the same individual masters. In addition, if the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment has multiple business systems 150 which have other business systems which include account masters (M03), product masters (M04), payroll masters (M05), attendance masters (M06), etc., then the common master 101M will also contain masters which contain the same content as these.

[0073] As described above, the first business system (accounting system) 200, the second business system (sales management system) 300, and the second business system (human resources / payroll system) 400 all include an employee master (M01). Furthermore, both the first business system (accounting system) 200 and the second business system (sales management system) 300 are equipped with a customer master (M02), but the second business system (human resources and payroll system) 400 is not equipped with a customer master (M02).

[0074] Figure 4 shows an example of individual master data used in information processing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 4, employee master (M01) and customer master (M02) data are shown as examples of individual master data. As shown in Figure 4, the employee master (M01) consists of data such as employee name, employee code, department code, and job title (rank). Similarly, the customer master (M02) consists of data such as customer name (company name, etc.), customer ID, industry code, and contact person (name of the employee who is the customer's point of contact).

[0075] This embodiment describes the master synchronization process (master change process) when the master data of the employee master (M01) shown in Figure 4 is changed (for example, when the job title of employee code 0004567, Taro Yamada, is changed from "General" to "Section Manager"). Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the master change process in the first business system 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the master synchronization process in the information processing device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the master synchronization process in the second business systems 300 and 400 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] (Operation 1 in the first business system 200) First, as shown in Figure 5, in the first business system (accounting business system) 200, when a user performs an operation to change the job title of employee code 0004567, Yamada Taro, in the employee master (M01) of the first individual master 201M from "general" to "section chief", the change operation reception unit 202 accepts the user's change operation on the contents of the first individual master 201M (step S201). At the time the user performs the change operation, the master data of the employee master (M01) in the first individual master 201M has not yet been updated by the change information in the master data related to that change operation.

[0077] Next, in the first business system (accounting business system) 200, the first change information transmission unit 203 transmits the change information regarding the above change operation by the user, which was received by the change operation reception unit 202 (information that the job title of Taro Yamada, employee code 0004567 in the employee master (M01), has been changed from "general" to "section chief"), to the information processing device 100 (step S202, process in Figure 3 [1]).

[0078] (Operation 1 in the information processing device 100) In the information processing device 100, the change information acquisition unit 102 acquires a change request that includes change information indicating the changes to the first individual master 201M transmitted from the first business system (accounting business system) 200 (if YES is selected in step S101).

[0079] Next, the information processing device 100 determines whether it is possible to change the contents of the common master 101M based on the change information acquired by the change information acquisition unit 102 (step S102). In step S102, if the change content determination unit 103 determines that the contents of the common master 101M cannot be changed (NO), the information processing device 100 sends an error (for example, an error message or a warning notification) to the first business system 200 (step S107).

[0080] On the other hand, in step S102, if the change content determination unit 103 determines that it is possible to change the contents of the common master 101M (YES), the information processing device 100's common master change unit 104 changes the common master (M01) with the change information received from the first business system 200 (step S103, process in Figure 3 [2]). Specifically, the master data of the job title field for employee code 0004567, Yamada Taro, in the employee master (M) included in the common master 101M is changed from "General" to "Section Manager".

[0081] Next, the source master synchronization unit 105 transmits the above change information to the first business system 200 (process in Figure 3 [3]). In addition, the change notification unit 106 transmits a notification to the second business systems 300 and 400 regarding the occurrence of a change event indicating that a change has been made to the common master 101M (step S104, process in Figure 3 [5]).

[0082] (Operation 2 in the first business system 200) In the first business system 200, when it receives the above change information from the information processing device 100 (if the answer is YES in step S203), the first individual master synchronization unit 204 reflects the change information in the first individual master 201M, that is, changes to the contents of the common master 101M are synchronized with the first individual master 201M (step S204, process in Figure 3 [4]).

[0083] Specifically, similar to communication systems that exchange data between clients and servers, the transmission and reception of change information between the first business system 200 and the information processing device 100 is built using mechanisms such as HTTPS requests / HTTPS responses, enabling near real-time data processing. Thus, in a business system (first business system) where individual master data has been modified, after the user's modification operation, there is no further user intervention in the modification process of the common master 101M of the information processing device 100 or the modification process of the first individual master 201M of the first business system. Instead, the master data is automatically synchronized within the information processing system 1.

[0084] By following the processing steps described above, the individual master data of the business system that has undergone modification can be unified through the process of synchronizing the common master data. By synchronizing the changes approved in the common master data, the risk of incorrect master data synchronization to individual master data can be reduced.

[0085] (Operation 1 in the second business system 300, 400) Meanwhile, in the second business system (sales management system) 300, when the change notification receiving unit 302 receives a notification from the information processing device 100 regarding a change in the contents of the common master 101M (YES in step S301), the change determination unit 303 determines whether the change in the notification relates to the second business system 300 (step S302). Specifically, the change notification receiving unit 302 determines whether the change information in the notification received is change information related to the master included in the second individual master 301M, etc.

[0086] In the first embodiment, the master data relating to the employee master (M01) is changed in the first business system 200, and the second business system 300, which also has the employee master (M01), receives a change notification from the information processing device 100 and then requests the transmission of the change information at any time. Therefore, when the change notification receiving unit 302 receives a change notification sent from the information processing device 100 when the common master 101M is changed (if the answer is YES in step S301), the change determination unit 303 determines whether the change in the master related to the change notification is related to a unique master (second individual master 301M) provided by the second business system 300 (step S302). In step S302, if the change determination unit 303 determines that the change is related to the second individual master 301M (YES), the process proceeds to step S303; otherwise, the process terminates.

[0087] If the change determination unit 303 determines YES in step S302, as described above, the system is equipped with a function to notify the user of the change in the common master 101M by displaying a pop-up message on a display device (monitor, etc.) notified of the change, or by contacting the user via email, chat, etc. Then, a user of the second business system 300 who learns of the change in the contents of the common master 101M through the above means performs an operation to request the information processing device 100 to send change information related to the change notification. As a result, the transmission request unit 304 of the second business system 300 requests the information processing device 100 to send the change information instructed by the user (step S303, process [6-1] in Figure 3).

[0088] The same applies to the second business system (personnel and payroll management system) 400 regarding operation 1 described above, and the explanation is omitted here. However, the transmission request unit (not shown) of the second business system 400 also requests the information processing device 100 to transmit the change information instructed by the user (process [6-2] in Figure 3).

[0089] (Operation 2 in the information processing device 100) The information processing device 100 transmits the change information to the system that made the transmission request when a request for transmission of change information is received from either of the second business systems 300 or 400 at the timing of each system. For example, when the transmission request receiving unit 107 of the information processing device 100 receives a request for transmission of change information from the second business system 300 (if the answer is YES in step S105), the master synchronization unit 108 transmits the change information to the second business system 300 that sent the change request at the timing of the receipt of the transmission request (step S106, process [7-1] in Figure 3).

[0090] Similarly, if the transmission request receiving unit 107 of the information processing device 100 receives a transmission request for change information from the second business system 400, the master synchronization unit 108 transmits the change information to the second business system 400 that sent the change request at the time the transmission request is received (process [7-2] in Figure 3).

[0091] Thus, in this embodiment, changes to individual master data in one business system (e.g., first business system 200) can be synchronized with the individual master data in other business systems (e.g., second business systems 300, 400). Furthermore, by sending master data change information only to business systems that have master data that needs to be synchronized, it becomes unnecessary to send the information to business systems that do not need to synchronize their master data, thus eliminating excessive data transmission.

[0092] (Operation 2 in the second business system 300, 400) In the second business system (sales management system) 300, if the information processing device 100 determines that change information has been received (if the answer is YES in step S304), the second individual master synchronization unit 305 performs synchronization by reflecting the change in the second individual master 301M (step S305, process [8-1] in Figure 3). More specifically, the second individual master synchronization unit 305 updates the information in the second individual master 301M with the change information received from the information processing device 100.

[0093] Similarly, when the second business system 400 receives change information from the information processing device 100, the second individual master synchronization unit (not shown) of the second business system 400 updates the information in the second individual master (not shown) of the second business system 400 with the received change information (process [8-2] in Figure 3).

[0094] Now, let's consider the case where all data synchronization is performed synchronously in the information processing system 1 with the above configuration. In such a case, problems arise such as having to wait for a large amount of synchronization with multiple products to be completed, or the system that requested the synchronization being affected if the synchronization destination is down. In other words, the availability of the business system decreases. Therefore, in this embodiment, only the change request source (i.e., the first business system 200) is processed synchronously, while synchronization with other business systems (i.e., the second business systems 300 and 400) is performed using an asynchronous change notification method via update events. This allows the synchronization request source to synchronize independently of the state of the requesting system, thereby increasing the availability of the business systems.

[0095] Furthermore, update events can be processed at the recipient's timing, allowing for processing with a degree of real-time capability or processing them in batches later. Additionally, the system can select which master data update events to process, preventing excessive data traffic. Thus, according to this embodiment, the synchronization target and synchronization timing of the master can be selected, and excessive communication of large amounts of data can be eliminated, thereby improving the availability of business systems equipped with individual masters.

[0096] <Second example (in the case of changing master data common to some business systems)> Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the individual master synchronization process in an information processing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the master modified in the first business system 200 is provided in the second business system 300 among the multiple business systems 150, but is not provided in the second business system 400, which is the difference from the first embodiment.

[0097] In the second embodiment, the types of business systems in the information processing system 1 are the same as in the first embodiment, with the first business system 200 being an accounting business system, the second business system 300 being a sales management system, and the second business system 400 being a human resources and payroll system. As mentioned above, both the first business system (accounting system) 200 and the second business system (sales management system) 300 have a customer master (M02), but the second business system (human resources and payroll system) 400 does not have a customer master (M02).

[0098] In this embodiment, we will explain the master synchronization process (master change process) when the master data of the customer master (M02) shown in Figure 4 is changed (for example, the person in charge at ABCD Corporation (customer ID: 00399, industry code: A46) is changed from "Tsuyoshi Tanaka" to "Shiro Sasaki"), focusing on the parts of the process that differ from the first embodiment.

[0099] When a modification operation is performed on the first individual master 201M in the first business system 200 (specifically, a modification operation on the master data of the customer master (M02)), the process from when the common master 101M is modified until the modification notification is sent to the second business systems 300 and 400 (processes [1] to [5] in Figure 8) is the same as in the first embodiment described above.

[0100] Here, the customer master (M02) is available in the first business system (accounting business system) 200 and the second business system (sales management system) 300, but not in the second business system (human resources and payroll management system) 400. Therefore, in the process of step S302 in the flowchart of Figure 7, the change determination unit 303 of the second business system 300 determines YES, but the change determination unit (not shown) of the second business system 400 determines NO, and the processing in the second business system 400 is terminated.

[0101] On the other hand, in the second business system 300, the process from requesting the transmission of change information to the information processing device 100 to the synchronization of the second individual master 301M (processes from process [6] to process [8] in Figure 8) is performed, similar to the first embodiment described above.

[0102] <Other examples> In the first and second embodiments described above, we explained the case where master data is changed in the first business system 200. However, the same methods can be applied to operations other than changing master data, such as deleting or adding master data. In this case, when deleting master data, instead of actually deleting the data in the individual master fields, a deletion flag field can be prepared as shown in Figure 4, and a checked state in this field will be treated as the deletion of the master data. This allows for handling cases where data is not needed at the present time, but past data needs to be referenced.

[0103] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the update process for individual masters in the second business systems 300 and 400 was carried out via an action of a user requesting the transmission of change information after receiving a change event notification, but it is not limited to this. For example, when the change notification receiving unit 302 of the second business system 300 receives a change event notification from the information processing device 100, the change determination unit 303 can automatically determine whether the change information related to the notification pertains to an individual master in its own business system, and if it is determined to be relevant, the transmission request unit 304 can automatically request the information processing device 100 to transmit the change information. This process can be constructed, for example, using a mechanism such as the HTTP request / HTTP response between the first business system 200 and the information processing device 100 described above, enabling near real-time processing.

[0104] It should be noted that the flowcharts shown in Figures 5 to 7 in this embodiment are merely one embodiment. Without changing the spirit of the present invention, there may be processes other than those described in Figures 5 to 7, some of the processes described in Figures 5 to 7 may be omitted, or the order of the processes may be changed.

[0105] While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this invention is indicated not by the above description but by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0106] 1. Information Processing System 100 Information Processing Devices 101 Common Master Storage Unit 101M Common Master 102 Change Information Acquisition Unit 103 Change Determination Unit 104 Common Master Change Section 105 Change source master synchronization unit 106 Change Notification Section 107 Transmission Request Reception Department 108 Master Synchronization Unit 109 Change Approval Reception Department 200 First Business System 201 First Individual Master Memory Unit 201M 1st Individual Master 202 Change Operation Reception Department 203 First Change Information Transmission Unit 204 First Individual Master Synchronization Unit 205 Change Permit Section 300, 400 Second Business System 301 Second Individual Master Memory Unit 301M Second Individual Master 302 Change Notification Receiving Unit 303 Change Judgment Unit 304 Transmission Request Section 305 Second Individual Master Synchronization Unit 1010 Bus 1020 Processor 1030 memory 1040 Storage Devices 1050 Input / Output Interface 1060 Network Interfaces N Communication Network

Claims

1. An information processing device capable of communicating with multiple business systems, each having one or more individual masters, A common master storage unit that stores the contents of one or more individual masters of each of the aforementioned multiple business systems in a common master, A change information acquisition unit receives a change request for the common master from the first business system among the multiple business systems and acquires change information indicating the changes to a predetermined individual master included in the change request. A common master modification unit that modifies the contents of the common master based on the aforementioned change information, A change notification unit notifies one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the multiple business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master, A transmission request receiving unit that receives a transmission request for the change information relating to the change event from at least one of the one or more second business systems after notification of the change event, The system includes a master synchronization unit that transmits the change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of the one or more second business systems based on the transmission request. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The system further includes a change content determination unit that determines whether or not the contents of the common master can be changed based on the change information acquired by the change information acquisition unit, The common master modification unit modifies the contents of the common master when the change content determination unit determines that it is possible to change the contents of the common master. An information processing device characterized by the following:

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The system further includes a source master synchronization unit that transmits the change information for individual master synchronization to the first business system when the contents of the common master are changed by the common master change unit. An information processing device characterized by the following:

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The system further includes a change permission receiving unit that receives permission from users of the first business system regarding changes to the contents of the common master based on the change information acquired by the change information acquisition unit, The common master modification unit modifies the contents of the common master when the modification permission acceptance unit receives permission to modify the contents of the common master. An information processing device characterized by the following:

5. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The common master storage unit stores in the common master the union of the contents contained in the individual masters of each of the multiple business systems. An information processing device characterized by the following:

6. An information processing system comprising a first business system for performing first business operations, one or more second business systems for performing second business operations, and an information processing device having a common master and capable of communicating with the first business system and the one or more second business systems, The aforementioned first business system is A first individual master storage unit that stores the first individual master used in the first business, A change operation reception unit that accepts changes to the contents included in the first individual master, A first change information transmission unit transmits a change request for the common master, which includes change information indicating the changes made to the first individual master based on the change operation, to the information processing device. The system includes a first individual master synchronization unit that acquires the change information from the information processing device and reflects it in the first individual master, The one or more second business systems described above are, A second individual master storage unit that stores the second individual master used in the second business described above, A change notification receiving unit that receives a change notification regarding the change information from the information processing device, A transmission request unit that requests the information processing device to transmit the change information when the change information is related to the second individual master, The system includes a second individual master synchronization unit that acquires the change information from the information processing device and reflects it in the second individual master, The aforementioned information processing device is A common master storage unit that stores the common master which includes the contents contained in the first individual master and the second individual master, A change information acquisition unit receives a change request for the common master from the first business system and acquires change information indicating the changes to the first individual master included in the change request. A common master modification unit that modifies the contents of the common master based on the aforementioned change information, A change notification unit notifies one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the multiple business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master, A transmission request receiving unit that receives a transmission request for the change information relating to the change event from at least one of the one or more second business systems after notification of the occurrence of the change event, The system includes a master synchronization unit that transmits the change information to the one or more second business systems that sent the transmission request. An information processing system characterized by the following:

7. An information processing method in an information processing device comprising: a common master storage unit that can communicate with multiple business systems, each having one or more individual masters that store multiple items and the contents of each item in association with each other; and a common master storage unit that stores the contents contained in each of the individual masters of the multiple business systems in a common master; A change information acquisition step involves receiving a change request for the common master from the first business system among the multiple business systems and acquiring change information that indicates the changes to a predetermined individual master included in the change request. A common master modification step that modifies the contents of the common master based on the aforementioned change information, A change notification step that notifies one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the multiple business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master; A transmission request reception step in which, after notification of the change event, a transmission request for the change information relating to the change event is received from at least one of the one or more second business systems, A master synchronization step includes transmitting the change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of the one or more second business systems based on the transmission request. An information processing method characterized by the following:

8. A computer that can communicate with multiple business systems, each having one or more individual masters that store multiple items and the content of each item in association, and that has a common master storage unit that stores the contents contained in each of the individual masters of the multiple business systems in a common master, A change information acquisition step involves receiving a change request for the common master from a first business system among the multiple business systems, and acquiring change information from the first business system that indicates the changes to a predetermined individual master included in the change request. A common master modification step that modifies the contents of the common master based on the aforementioned change information, A change notification step that notifies one or more second business systems, excluding the first business system among the multiple business systems, of the occurrence of a change event indicating that there has been a change in the contents of the common master; A transmission request reception step in which, after notification of the change event, a transmission request for the change information relating to the change event is received from at least one of the one or more second business systems, A master synchronization step that transmits the change information for individual master synchronization to at least one of the one or more second business systems based on the transmission request, A computer-readable program for executing a command.

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