Business support device, business support method, and business support program

Abstract

This invention provides a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program that enable the calculation of shipping days while reducing workload and errors, even in cases where shipping days are determined for each customer, warehouse, and product. [Solution] The business support device according to this embodiment is a business support device comprising a control unit, which has access to order data, a calendar master, a product master, and a shipping date / delivery date calendar master, wherein the control unit comprises data acquisition means for acquiring product classifications based on product CDs of ordered products from the product master and for acquiring day of the week classifications of the order date from the calendar master, and shipping date calculation means for acquiring the shipping day of the week for the corresponding details from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master based on the product classifications and day of the week classifications acquired by the data acquisition means, customer CDs and warehouse CDs, and calculating the shipping date.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program.

Background Art

[0002] In the retail industry, there are cases where the shipping day is determined for each product for the purpose of cost reduction, efficient inventory management, and optimization of labor. However, it takes labor to manually enter the shipping date, and there is a risk of input errors.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a shipping management device including a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit stores a customer-warehouse-specific regular shipping schedule master that sets the shipping day and shipping time zone from each warehouse for each customer, and a warehouse calendar master that stores the operating days of each warehouse and the shipping days corresponding to the shipping days set based on the operating days. The control unit includes an order acquisition unit that acquires order data regarding the customer, product, and order quantity, a reference time acquisition unit that acquires a reference time serving as a reference for specifying the shipping date, a shortest shipping scheduled date specifying unit that specifies the shortest shipping scheduled date from the warehouse of the product of the customer based on the customer-warehouse-specific regular shipping schedule master, the warehouse calendar master, and the reference time, and a customer notification unit that notifies the customer of the shortest shipping scheduled date (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Patent Document 1 specifies the scheduled shipping date for each customer and warehouse, but it does not automatically calculate the shipping date when an order is placed in a retail business where the shipping day of the week is determined for each product.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a business support device, a business support method, and a business support program that can determine the shipping date while reducing workload and errors, even in cases where the shipping day is determined for each customer, warehouse, and product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a business support device equipped with a control unit, which is capable of accessing order data that stores information including customer CD, warehouse CD, order date, and product CD; a calendar master that stores date and day of the week classification in association; a product master that stores product CD and product classification linked together; and a shipping date / delivery date calendar master that stores customer CD, warehouse CD, product classification, order day of the week, and shipping day of the week linked together, wherein the control unit is equipped with data acquisition means that acquires the product classification from the product master based on the product CD of the ordered product and acquires the day of the week classification of the order date from the calendar master; and shipping date calculation means that, based on the product classification and day of the week classification acquired by the data acquisition means, customer CD and warehouse CD, acquires the corresponding shipping day of the week from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master and calculates the shipping date.

[0008] Furthermore, the business support device of the present invention is characterized by calculating the delivery date along with the shipping date.

[0009] Furthermore, the business support method of the present invention is a business support method to be executed by a business support device equipped with a control unit, and is characterized in that it has access to order data which stores information including customer CD, warehouse CD, order date, and product CD; a calendar master which stores date and day of the week classification in association; a product master which stores product CD and product classification linked together; and a shipping date / delivery date calendar master which stores customer CD, warehouse CD, product classification, order day of the week, and shipping day of the week, and is to be executed by the control unit, the data acquisition step which acquires the product classification based on the product CD of the ordered product from the product master and acquires the day of the week classification of the order date from the calendar master; and a shipping date calculation step which acquires the shipping day of the week for the corresponding details from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master based on the product classification and day of the week classification acquired in the data acquisition step, customer CD and warehouse CD, and calculates the shipping date.

[0010] Furthermore, the business support program of the present invention is a business support program to be executed by a business support device equipped with a control unit, and is capable of accessing order data which stores information including customer CD, warehouse CD, order date, and product CD; a calendar master which stores date and day of the week classification in association; a product master which stores product CD and product classification linked together; and a shipping date / delivery date calendar master which stores customer CD, warehouse CD, product classification, order day of the week, and shipping day of the week linked together, and is characterized in that the control unit is caused to execute a data acquisition step which acquires the product classification of the ordered product based on the product CD of the product master and the day of the week classification of the order date from the calendar master; and a shipping date calculation step which acquires the shipping day of the week of the corresponding detail from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master based on the product classification and day of the week classification acquired in the data acquisition step, customer CD and warehouse CD, and calculates the shipping date. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, even when shipping days are determined for each customer, warehouse, and product, the automatic calculation of shipping dates reduces workload and human error. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a business support device. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of order data. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a calendar master. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a product master. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a shipping date / delivery date calendar master. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a calendar pattern master. [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates the process for calculating the shipping date and delivery date. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0014] [1. Structure] Referring to Figure 1, an example of the configuration of the business support device 100 according to this embodiment will be described. The business support device 100 described below is an example of a device that assists in issuing order forms for building maintenance work. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the business support device 100.

[0015] The business support device 100 is a commercially available desktop personal computer. However, the business support device 100 is not limited to stationary information processing systems such as desktop personal computers, but may also be portable information processing devices such as commercially available notebook personal computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), smartphones, or tablet personal computers.

[0016] The business support device 100 includes a control unit 102, a communication interface unit 104, a storage unit 106, and an input / output interface unit 108. Each unit included in the business support device 100 is communicably connected via an arbitrary communication path.

[0017] The communication interface unit 104 communicably connects the business support device 100 to the network 300 via a communication device such as a router and a wired or wireless communication line such as a dedicated line. The communication interface unit 104 has a function of communicating data with other devices via a communication line. Here, the network 300 has a function of communicably connecting the business support device 100 and the server 200 to each other, and is, for example, the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0018] An input device 400 and an output device 500 are connected to the input / output interface unit 108. For the output device 500, in addition to a monitor (including a home TV), a speaker or a printer can be used. For the input device 400, in addition to a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone, a monitor that cooperates with the mouse to realize a pointing device function can be used. In the following, there are cases where the output device 500 is described as the monitor 500, and the input device 400 is described as the keyboard 400 or the mouse 400. Also, there are cases where displaying information on the monitor 500 and the user operating the input device 400, etc. are described as "user operations via the UI".

[0019] Various databases, tables, files, etc. are stored in the storage unit 106. A computer program for giving commands to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) in cooperation with the OS (Operating System) to perform various processes is recorded in the storage unit 106. As the storage unit 106, for example, a memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a fixed disk device such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, and an optical disk can be used.

[0020] The memory unit 106 stores, for example, order receiving data 106a, a calendar master 106b, a product master 106c, a shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d, a calendar pattern master 106e, and the like.

[0021] As shown by an example in FIG. 2, the order receiving data 106a stores information including an order receiving number, a customer (CD), a warehouse (CD), an order receiving date, a product code, an order receiving quantity, a shipping date, and a delivery date. The order receiving data 106a in FIG. 2 is in a state where order receiving information has been input, and the shipping date and the delivery date have not been registered.

[0022] As shown by an example in FIG. 3, the calendar master 106b stores the date and the day-of-week classification associated with each other.

[0023] As shown by an example in FIG. 4, the product master 106c stores the product CD and the product classification associated with each other. The product classifications shown in FIG. 4 are "0: parts", "1: finished products", and "2: precision instruments", and they are classified according to the size of the product in consideration of the transportation cost. In addition to the transportation cost, when it is necessary to set a different shipping schedule from normal products for products that require special handling such as precision instruments, classification by product classification is also possible.

[0024] The shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d stores the day of the week when the warehouse ships the product, the delivery date of the week, and the order receiving day of the week associated with each customer and product classification. As shown by an example in FIG. 5, the shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d stores the pattern CD, the customer CD, the warehouse CD, the product classification, the order receiving day of the week, the shipping day of the week, and the delivery date of the week associated with each other.

[0025] The calendar pattern master 106e stores the shipping pattern code for each warehouse. As shown in Figure 6 as an example, the normal pattern code is set to "1: Normal," but if the shipping pattern changes, such as during Obon or New Year's, the calendar pattern master 106e is rewritten to "2: Obon," etc. Detailed adjustments to the shipping schedule can be made by rewriting the calendar pattern master 106e.

[0026] The control unit 102 is a CPU or similar component that comprehensively controls the business support device 100. The control unit 102 has internal memory for storing control programs such as the OS, programs that define various processing procedures, and required data, and executes various information processing based on these stored programs.

[0027] Functionally, the control unit 102 includes a data acquisition unit 102a and a shipping date calculation unit 102b, etc.

[0028] The data acquisition unit 102a acquires the product category from the product master 106c based on the product code of the ordered product, and also acquires the day of the week category of the order date from the calendar master 106b.

[0029] The shipping date calculation unit 102b calculates the shipping date by obtaining the shipping day of the week for the corresponding item from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d, based on the product category and day of the week category obtained by the data acquisition unit 102a, and the customer code and warehouse code of the order data 106a. When obtaining the corresponding item from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d, if there are multiple corresponding items, the shipping date calculation unit 102b obtains the item for the most recent day of the week of the order after the day of the order date and calculates the shipping date. The shipping date calculation unit 102b also calculates the delivery date along with the shipping date of the product.

[0030] [2. Processing] Here, specific examples of processes executed by the business support device 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 to 7.

[0031] In this embodiment, the shipping date and delivery date calculation process in the business support device 100 is initiated by the input of the user's order data 106a. As shown in Figure 2, the case where orders with order numbers "JU0000000001" to "JU0000000003" are received will be explained. As shown in Figure 2, orders are placed by inputting the customer (CD), warehouse (CD), order date, product CD, and order quantity. The order number is automatically assigned.

[0032] The process of calculating the shipping date and delivery date for order number "JU0000000001" will be explained below as an example. The order date for order number "JU0000000001" is "2024 / 10 / 2", and the data acquisition unit 102a obtains the day of the week classification for the order date from the calendar master 106b. From the calendar master 106b, which is shown as an example in Figure 3, the day of the week classification "4: Wednesday" for the order date "2024 / 10 / 2" is obtained.

[0033] Figure 7 illustrates the process for calculating the shipping date and delivery date. First, the data acquisition unit 102a refers to the calendar pattern master 106e shown in Figure 6, using the warehouse code "SOU01" for order number "JU0000000001", and obtains the pattern code "1: Normal" for warehouse code "SOU01". The data acquisition unit 102a also obtains the product category from the product master 106c based on the product code of the ordered product. Furthermore, it obtains the product category "0: Parts" for product code "SH01" from the product master 106c, which is shown as an example in Figure 4.

[0034] Next, the shipping date calculation unit 102b obtains the shipping day of the week for the corresponding record from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d, based on the pattern code "1: Normal", product category "0: Parts", customer code "TOK01", and warehouse code "SOU01" obtained by the data acquisition unit 102a. In the shipping date / delivery date calendar master 106d shown in Figure 5, the records corresponding to pattern code "1: Normal", customer code "TOK01", warehouse code "SOU01", and product category "0: Parts" are rows 1 and 2.

[0035] If the day of the week for the order of the retrieved record matches the day of the week category "4: Wednesday" for order number "JU0000000001", then the day of the week category for the shipping day of that record is retrieved. The order days of the two records shown in Figure 7 are "2: Monday" and "5: Thursday", so they do not match the day of the week category "4: Wednesday" for order number "JU0000000001". If they do not match, the shipping day of the record is taken from the day of the week category of the record that matches "4: Wednesday" or later for order number "JU0000000001". Of the two records, the day of the week category that matches "4: Wednesday" or later is "5: Thursday", so the shipping day of the second record is taken as "2: Monday" and the delivery day as "4: Wednesday".

[0036] The shipping day category "2: Monday" is 5 days after the order day "4: Wednesday," so the shipping date will be "2024 / 10 / 7," which is 5 days after the order date "2024 / 10 / 2." Also, the delivery day category "4: Wednesday" is 7 days after the order day "4: Wednesday," so the delivery date will be "2024 / 10 / 9," which is 7 days after the order date "2024 / 10 / 2."

[0037] After calculating the shipping date and delivery date, the shipping date and delivery date are registered in the order data 106a, as shown in Figure 7.

[0038] In this embodiment, the business support device 100 can reduce workload and human error by automatically calculating the shipping date, even when shipping days are determined for each customer, warehouse, and product. Furthermore, since shipping patterns can be set for each product category in the product master, it becomes possible to reduce transportation costs and handle the transportation of precision equipment, etc.

[0039] [3. Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] This embodiment can contribute to improving operational efficiency and promoting appropriate management decisions by companies, thereby contributing to SDGs Goals 8 and 9.

[0040] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to reducing waste and promoting paperless and digital processes, thereby contributing to SDGs Goals 12, 13, and 15.

[0041] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to strengthening control and governance, thereby enabling contributions to SDG Goal 16.

[0042] [4. Other Embodiments] In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may be implemented in various different embodiments within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

[0043] For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods.

[0044] Furthermore, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, information including parameters such as registration data and search conditions for each process, screen examples, and database configuration shown in this specification and in the drawings may be changed at will unless otherwise specified.

[0045] Furthermore, with respect to the business support device 100, each component shown in the diagram is a functional concept and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown.

[0046] For example, the processing functions of the business support device 100, particularly those performed by the control unit, may be implemented in whole or in part by a CPU and a program interpreted and executed by the CPU, or they may be implemented as wired logic hardware. The program is recorded on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium containing programmed instructions for the information processing device to execute the processing described in this embodiment, and is mechanically read by the business support device 100 as needed. That is, a storage unit such as ROM or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) contains a computer program that works in cooperation with the OS to give instructions to the CPU and perform various processing tasks. This computer program is executed by being loaded into RAM and works in cooperation with the CPU to constitute the control unit.

[0047] Furthermore, this computer program may be stored on an application program server connected to the business support device 100 via any network, and it is possible to download all or part of it as needed.

[0048] Furthermore, the program for executing the processing described in this embodiment may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, or it may be configured as a program product. Here, "recording medium" includes any "portable physical medium" such as memory cards, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD (Secure Digital) cards, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROMs (Registered Trademark) (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), MOs (Magneto-Optical disks), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), and Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) Discs.

[0049] Furthermore, "program" refers to a data processing method described in any language or writing method, regardless of its format, such as source code or binary code. Note that "program" is not necessarily limited to a single, monolithic structure; it also includes distributed structures consisting of multiple modules or libraries, and those that work in cooperation with other programs, such as an operating system, to achieve their functions. Regarding the specific configuration and reading procedures for reading the recording medium in each device shown in the embodiments, as well as the installation procedures after reading, well-known configurations and procedures can be used.

[0050] The various databases stored in the memory unit are storage means such as RAM, ROM, other memory devices, hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks, and store various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processes and website provision.

[0051] Furthermore, the business support device 100 may be configured as a known personal computer or workstation or other information processing device, or as an information processing device to which any peripheral devices are connected. Alternatively, the business support device 100 may be implemented by installing software (including programs or data, etc.) that realizes the processing described in this embodiment on the device.

[0052] Furthermore, the specific forms of distribution and integration of the devices are not limited to those shown in the illustration, and all or part of them can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating them in any unit according to various additions or functional loads. In other words, the embodiments described above may be implemented in any combination, or the embodiments may be implemented selectively. [Industrial applicability]

[0053] This invention is particularly useful in the commodity, trading company, distribution and retail, and logistics and transportation industries. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 100 Business support equipment 102 Control Unit 102a Data acquisition unit 102b Shipping Date Calculation Section 104 Communication Interface Section 106 Storage section 106a Order Data 106b Calendar Master 106c Product Master 106d Shipping Date / Delivery Date Calendar Master 106e Calendar Pattern Master 108 Input / Output Interface Section 200 servers 300 Networks 400 Input Devices 500 Output Device

Claims

1. A business support device comprising a control unit, Order data that stores information including customer code, warehouse code, order date, and product code, A calendar master that stores dates and day of the week in association, A product master that stores product codes and product categories linked together, A shipping date / delivery date calendar master that stores customer code, warehouse code, product category, order day of the week, and shipping day of the week linked together, Accessible, The control unit, A data acquisition means that obtains the product category based on the product code of the ordered product from the aforementioned product master, and obtains the day of the week category of the order date from the aforementioned calendar master, A shipping date calculation means obtains the shipping day of the week for the corresponding item from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master based on the product category and day of the week category obtained by the data acquisition means, the customer code and warehouse code, and calculates the shipping date. A business support device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

2. The business support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the shipping date calculation means calculates the delivery date along with the shipping date.

3. A business support method to be executed by a business support device equipped with a control unit, Order data that stores information including customer code, warehouse code, order date, and product code, A calendar master that stores dates and day of the week in association, A product master that stores product codes and product categories linked together, A shipping date / delivery date calendar master that stores customer code, warehouse code, product category, order day of the week, and shipping day of the week linked together, Accessible, To be executed by the control unit, A data acquisition step which involves obtaining the product category based on the product code of the ordered product from the aforementioned product master, and obtaining the day of the week category of the order date from the aforementioned calendar master, A shipping date calculation step is performed to obtain the shipping day of the week for the corresponding item from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master, based on the product category and day of the week category obtained in the data acquisition step, the customer code and warehouse code, and calculate the shipping date. A business support method characterized by including the following.

4. A business support program to be executed by a business support device equipped with a control unit, Order data that stores information including customer code, warehouse code, order date, and product code, A calendar master that stores dates and day of the week in association, A product master that stores product codes and product categories linked together, A shipping date / delivery date calendar master that stores customer code, warehouse code, product category, order day of the week, and shipping day of the week linked together, Accessible, The control unit, A data acquisition step which involves obtaining the product category based on the product code of the ordered product from the aforementioned product master, and obtaining the day of the week category of the order date from the aforementioned calendar master, A shipping date calculation step is performed to obtain the shipping day of the week for the corresponding item from the shipping date / delivery date calendar master, based on the product category and day of the week category obtained in the data acquisition step, the customer code and warehouse code, and calculate the shipping date. A business support program characterized by its ability to execute certain actions.

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