Business Information Management System and Data Search Method

Abstract

To search for a business flow similar to a reference business flow from business flows associated with past performance data, and extract performance data similar to desired data from these business flows.SOLUTION: In a business information management system, a control unit of a business information management server operates as: a performance data collecting part which collects performance data of each business process for each business flow from a data generator, and stores the collected performance data in a storage device in association with a business in the business process and elements related to the business; and a performance data searching part which extracts a business flow similar to a reference business flow from among a plurality of business flows associated with the performance data stored in the storage device on the basis of a search condition for similarity between the business flow and the performance data when the search condition is designated together with the reference business flow, extracts performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business flow from among the performance data of the extracted business flow, and outputs an extraction result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a business information management system and a data search method, and is suitable for application to a business information management system for managing performance data in the development of materials research and its data search method.

Background Art

[0002] In the field of materials research and development, research and development of MI (Material Informatics) for accelerating the development of new products by integrating and analyzing existing experimental data has been promoted.

[0003] To promote the utilization of data in materials research, it is necessary to comprehensively describe the business processes targeted by materials research in the research and development process and efficiently manage related experimental data. In addition, materials research is a repeated process of trial and error, and since the business process is frequently updated due to changes in experimental conditions and procedures in each step, it is necessary to record these changes and associate them with the performance data obtained in the research and development process.

[0004] Here, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for creating an analysis flow using existing performance data. The analysis flow creation system disclosed in Patent Document 1 accumulates intermediate information having a space for inputting the analysis flow of past cases in which machine abnormalities were detected by analyzing machine operation data, the setting parameters of each analysis procedure of the currently created analysis flow, and know-how information. When a user newly creates an analysis flow, the know-how information is retrieved from the accumulated intermediate information of past cases, and the analysis flow is created with reference to the search results.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] By the way, in materials research and development, it is required to search for performance data close to the data currently under experiment. At this time, it is convenient to be able to search for similar business processes considering differences in experimental conditions and procedures from among the business processes associated with various past performance data, and to search for performance data similar to the desired data from among these business processes. However, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is for the purpose of simplifying the creation of the flow and does not have a function of searching for business processes and performance data.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and it is intended to propose a business information management system and a data search method capable of performing a search using the similarity of business processes and performance data as search conditions for business processes associated with past performance data.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve such problems, in the present invention, there is provided a business information management system for managing business information related to each business process of a plurality of business flows each composed of one or more business processes, the system comprising: a data generation device that generates performance data in the business process; and a business information management server that collects the performance data generated by the data generation device and manages it in association with the configuration of the executed business flow. The business information management server includes: a performance data collection unit that collects performance data of each business process from the data generation device for each business flow, and stores the collected performance data in a storage device in association with the business in the business process and related elements related to the business; and a performance data search unit that, when search conditions regarding the similarity of business flows and performance data are specified together with a reference business flow that is a reference business flow, extracts, based on the search conditions, a business flow similar to the reference business flow from among a plurality of business flows associated with the performance data stored in the storage device, extracts performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business flow from among the performance data of the extracted business flow, and outputs the extraction result. A business information management system having the above is provided.

[0009] Also, in order to solve such problems, in the present invention, for a plurality of business processes each composed of one or more business steps, a data search method by a business information management system that manages business information related to each business step of each business process, wherein the business information management system includes a data generation device that generates performance data in the business step, and a business information management server that collects the performance data generated by the data generation device and manages it in association with the configuration of the executed business process. The business information management server collects performance data of each business step from the data generation device for each business process, and stores the collected performance data in a storage device in association with the business in the business step and related elements related to the business. A performance data collection step; when a search condition regarding the similarity of a business process and performance data is specified together with a reference business process that is a reference business process, based on the search condition, among a plurality of business processes associated with the performance data stored in the storage device, A performance data search step of extracting a business process similar to the reference business process, extracting performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business process from the performance data of the extracted business process, and outputting the extraction result is provided.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to search for a business process similar to a reference business process (reference business process) among business processes associated with past performance data, and extract performance data similar to desired data from these business processes.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Note that the following description and drawings are examples for explaining the present invention, and for the sake of clarity of explanation, omissions and simplifications are made as appropriate. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and all application examples that conform to the idea of the present invention are included in the technical scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various additions and changes within the scope of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise particularly limited, each component may be plural or singular.

[0014] In the following description, various types of information may be described using expressions such as "DB", "table", "sheet", "list", "queue", etc., but the various types of information may be represented by data structures other than these. In order to indicate that it does not depend on the data structure, "XX table", "XX list", etc. may be referred to as "XX information". When explaining the content of each information, expressions such as "identification information", "identifier", "name", "ID", "number", etc. are used, but these are mutually replaceable.

[0015] In the following description, when describing elements of the same type without distinction, the common part of the reference signs including subscripts and branch numbers (excluding subscripts and branch numbers) is used, and when describing elements of the same type separately, reference signs including subscripts and branch numbers may be used. For example, when describing the business information collection terminal without particular distinction, it is described as "business information collection terminal 3", whereas when describing each individual business information collection terminal 3 separately, it is described as "business information collection terminal 3-1", ···, "business information collection terminal 3-M". Also, when describing the data generation device without special distinction, it is described as "data generation device 4", whereas when indicating an individual data generation device connected to a specific business information collection terminal 3, it is described by combining subscripts and branch numbers. Specifically, for example, the data generation device 4 connected to the data generation device 4-M is described as "data generation device 4-M1" or "data generation device 4-M2".

[0016] In the following description, there may be cases where the processing performed by executing a program is described. However, the program is executed by at least one or more processors (e.g., CPU), and thus, the defined processing is appropriately performed while using a storage resource (e.g., memory) and / or an interface device (e.g., communication port), etc. Therefore, the main body of the processing may be the processor. Similarly, the main body of the processing performed by executing the program may be a controller, device, system, computer, node, storage system, storage device, server, management computer, client, or host having a processor. The main body of the processing performed by executing the program (e.g., processor) may include a hardware circuit that performs part or all of the processing. For example, the main body of the processing performed by executing the program may include a hardware circuit that performs encryption and decryption, or compression and decompression. The processor operates as a functional unit that realizes a predetermined function by operating according to the program. The device and system including the processor are devices and systems including these functional units.

[0017] The program may be installed from a program source into a device such as a computer. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable storage medium. When the program source is a program distribution server, the program distribution server includes a processor (e.g., a CPU) and storage resources, and the storage resources may further store a distribution program and a program to be distributed. Then, by the processor of the program distribution server executing the distribution program, the processor of the program distribution server may distribute the program to be distributed to other computers. Also, in the following description, two or more programs may be realized as one program, or one program may be realized as two or more programs.

[0018] The main object of the present invention is to perform data search by specifying the similarity of a business process and performance data as search conditions from among business processes associated with past performance data. Specifically, a business process that satisfies the similarity of the business process with respect to the business process serving as the search criterion (reference business process) is searched for and extracted (similar business process search), and further, performance data that satisfies the similarity of the performance data is searched for and extracted from among these business processes (similar performance data search). In the following description, the series of processes of the above-described similar business process search and similar performance data search is referred to as "performance data search".

[0019] In the following description, "performance" refers to the work history carried out in accordance with the business process. Specifically, it is information on when, who, what operation was performed in which business. "Performance value" is a value indicating the result of the performance. Specifically, for example, it represents working hours, the number of materials, etc. "Business process" is composed of one or more business steps connected. Information regarding each business step is managed as business information (one record of the business information DB163 described later). A business step (also simply referred to as a business) can be considered to be composed of a business (business node) and a business-related element (business-related element node) which is a related element related to the business. The connection relationship between business steps can be determined based on the coincidence of the performance values of predetermined business-related elements (specific business-related item performance values in the business-related element performance information DB168 described later). Information indicating the connection relationship between business steps may be separately held, but illustration thereof is omitted. "Business information" may indicate the general term for information related to a business, and may mean a business process or business performance. "Performance data" is data including business performance or performance values of business-related elements, and may include information other than performance values.

[0020] (1) Configuration FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a business information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The business information management system shown in FIG. 1 includes a business information management server 1, a business information management terminal 2, a business information collection terminal 3, and a data generation device 4.

[0021] The business information management server 1, the business information management terminal 2, and the business information collection terminal 3 are connected to each other via a network 6. The business information management server 1 is installed in an operation management center 7 that manages and operates business information. The business information management terminal 2 is a terminal operated by a user, and its installation location is not particularly limited. The business information collection terminal 3 and the data generation device 4 are respectively installed in one or more bases 5 (individually bases 5-1 to 5-M). In the same base 5, one or more data generation devices 4 are connected to one business information collection terminal 3. Note that the base 5 indicates a facility where experiments and research are carried out, etc., but its classification is not particularly limited.

[0022] The data generation device 4 is a device that generates various performance data as the work process is executed. For example, it can be an experimental device that processes materials, or a peripheral device that records work logs, experimental conditions, sensors, etc. The data generation device 4 transmits various performance data generated during its own operation to the connected business information collection terminal 3. The business information collection terminal 3 transmits the performance data collected from the data generation device 4 to the business information management server via the network 6.

[0023] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the business information management server 1. The business information management server 1 is realized by, for example, a general server computer. As shown in Figure 2, a network interface 10, a control unit (CPU) 12, an external storage device 14, and an internal storage device 16 are connected via a bus 18 to form the configuration.

[0024] The network interface 10 is an interface for connecting the business information management server 1 to the outside, and can be, for example, an input / output interface or a communication interface.

[0025] The control unit 12 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and realizes a predetermined function by executing a program (for example, the business information management program 161) stored in the external storage device 14 or the internal storage device 16.

[0026] The external storage device 14 is a device that stores programs and data. Specifically, it can be, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Each data and program shown in the internal storage device 16 in Figure 2 may be stored in the external storage device 14. In that case, each data and program is temporarily stored in the internal storage device 16 as needed and executed by the control unit 12.

[0027] The internal storage device 16 is, for example, a memory, and stores programs and data directly controlled by the control unit 12. Specifically, the internal storage device 16 stores a business information management program 161, a business information DB 163, a reference business flow information DB 164, a business-related element information DB 165, a business performance information DB 167, a business-related element performance information DB 168, and a performance similarity information DB 169. The business information management program 161 is a program executed by the control unit 12, and is a program for the business information management server 1 to request / respond to predetermined control processes with the business information management terminal 2 or the business information collection terminal 3, or to execute predetermined data processing etc. inside the business information management server 1. Specific processes provided by the business information management program 161 will be described later.

[0028] The data configurations of various types of information stored in the internal storage device 16 of the business information management server 1 shown in FIG. 2 will be described below.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the business information DB 163. The business information DB 163 is table data that holds the configuration information (business information) of each business constituting the business flow, and has records in business units corresponding to one process. The business information DB 163 is configured with data items of a business identifier 1631, a business name 1632, a business-related element list 1633, a business item list 1634, and a business performance data address 1635.

[0030] The service identifier 1631 indicates an identifier (such as a label or a manufacturing ID) assigned to service information. Even if the detailed configurations such as the service name 1632 are the same, different service identifiers may be considered to be assigned to the service identifier 1631 for each service flow. The service name 1632 indicates the name of the service. The service-related element list 1633 is a list that manages elements related to the service (service-related elements), and stores identifiers (service-related element IDs 1636) assigned to each service-related element. The service item list 1634 is a list that manages items of the constituent elements of the service (service items), and stores identifiers (service item IDs 1637) assigned to each service item. The service performance data address 1635 indicates the storage address of the service performance data, and corresponds to the service performance data address 1671 of the service performance information DB 167 in FIG. 6 described later. Note that a schematic diagram of service information is shown in FIG. 9 described later, and a schematic diagram of the service flow is shown in FIG. 10.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the reference service flow information DB 164. The reference service flow information DB 164 is table data that holds registration information of the reference service flow, and has a configuration that holds the connection relationship between services. The reference service flow information DB 164 is configured with data items of a service identifier 1641 that indicates an identifier of one service constituting the reference service flow, a previous service identifier 1642 that indicates an identifier of the previous service connected to the front side of the service of the service identifier 1641, and a subsequent service identifier 1643 that indicates an identifier of the subsequent service connected to the rear side of the service of the service identifier 1641. The identifiers stored in the service identifier 1641, the previous service identifier 1642, and the subsequent service identifier 1643 are the identifiers used for the service identifier 1631 of the service information DB 163. Although detailed description is omitted, the service information management server 1 can recognize the precedence relationship of the services by referring to other information stored in the internal storage device 16 even if the previous service identifier and the subsequent service identifier are not explicitly held.

[0032] The reference business process is the business process that serves as a reference when retrieving performance data. In the present embodiment, one or more reference business processes are registered in the reference business process information DB 164, and a reference business process to be used in the performance data retrieval can be selected from among the registered reference business processes. Note that, for example, a predetermined GUI (Graphical User Interface) (for example, the reference business process setting screen 420 in FIG. 18 described later) is used for registering the reference business process in the reference business process information DB 164. Note that the user may be able to manually create a reference business process at the time of retrieving performance data.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the business-related element information DB 165. The business-related element information DB 165 is table data that holds the configuration information of business-related elements, and has records in units of business-related elements. The business-related element information DB 165 is configured to have data items of a business-related element ID 1651, a business-related element name 1652, a business-related item ID 1653, and a business-related element performance data address 1654.

[0034] The business-related element ID 1651 is an identifier (business-related element ID) assigned to a business-related element, and corresponds to the business-related element ID 1636 recorded in the business-related element list 1633 of the business information DB 163. The business-related element name 1652 indicates the name of the business-related element. The business-related item ID 1653 indicates an identifier (business-related item ID) assigned to each business-related item in order to manage the items (business-related items) of the constituent elements of the business-related element. The business-related element performance data address 1654 indicates the storage destination address of the performance data of the business-related element, and corresponds to the business-related element performance data address 1681 of the business-related element performance information DB 168 in FIG. 7 described later.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the business performance information DB 167. The business performance information DB 167 is table data that manages the performance data (business performance) of a business, and is configured to have data items of a business performance data address 1671, a business item ID 1672, a business item performance value 1673, and a reliability 1674.

[0036] The business performance data address 1671 indicates the storage address of data from all business item IDs 1672 to business item performance values 1673 (or up to reliability 1674) in the record, and may be, for example, the value of its start address. The business item ID 1672 corresponds to the business item ID 1637 recorded in the business item list 1634 of the business information DB 163. The business item performance value 1673 indicates the performance value of each business item corresponding to the business item ID 1672. The reliability 1674 indicates the reliability of the business performance in the record. The reliability of the business performance is, for example, an evaluation value for the experimental results in the business, and is set by the user as described later.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the business-related element performance information DB 168. The business-related element performance information DB 168 is table data for managing the performance data (business-related element performance) of business-related elements, and is configured to have data items of a business-related element performance data address 1681, a business-related item ID 1682, and a business-related item performance value 1683.

[0038] The business-related element performance data address 1681 indicates the storage address of data from all business-related item IDs 1682 to business-related item performance values 1683 in the record, and may be, for example, the value of its start address. The business-related item ID 1682 corresponds to the business-related item ID 1653 of the business-related element information DB 165. The business-related item performance value 1683 indicates the performance value of each business-related item corresponding to the business-related item ID 1682.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the performance similarity information DB 169. The performance similarity information DB 169 is table data that holds registration information on data similarity that can be specified as a search condition for the similarity of performance data when performing a performance data search, and is configured to have data items of a similarity identifier 1691 and a similarity condition 1692. Although details will be described later, in this embodiment, "data similarity" may be registered by the user using a predetermined GUI (for example, the data similarity setting screen 430 in FIG. 19 described later), or a predetermined program process may be performed to calculate candidates for data similarity from the reference business flow, and the user may select and register from the calculated candidates (see FIGS. 20 and 21).

[0040] The similarity identifier 1691 indicates an identifier assigned to each data similarity registered in the performance similarity information DB 169. The similarity condition 1692 indicates a condition (corresponding to the similarity determination condition shown in FIG. 19) used for determining data similarity. A plurality of conditions may be registered in the similarity condition 1692. Although not shown in the figure, it is considered that the performance similarity information DB 169 has data items that hold various information related to data similarity (specifically, the similarity name, similarity target element, and similarity item shown in FIG. 19) in addition to the above-described data items.

[0041] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of business information. FIG. 9 schematically shows the business information 170 for one of the businesses that make up the business flow. The business information 170 is configured by connecting a business-related element node 172 having information on business-related elements necessary for executing the business to one business node 171 having information on the business process. When executing one business, it is common for a plurality of business-related elements such as parts used as raw materials (input parts) in the work process of the business, parts generated in the work process (output parts), machines used in the work process, and workers in the work process to be required. Therefore, a plurality of business-related element nodes 172 are connected to one business node 171.

[0042] In the service node 171, in area 173, the name of the service (service name 1632) is indicated, and in area 174, the identifiers (service item IDs 1637, 1672) for each service item in the service are indicated.

[0043] In the service-related element node 172, in area 175, the name of the service-related element (service-related element name 1652) is indicated, and in area 176, the identifiers (service-related item IDs 1653, 1682) for each service-related item in the service-related element are indicated.

[0044] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a service flow. Figure 10 shows the connection relationship between a plurality of services (service nodes 171) constituting the service flow and component nodes 177 indicating input components or output components in each service. The component node 177 is a node belonging to the service-related element node 172 shown in Figure 9.

[0045] In the service flow shown in Figure 10, for example, the component node 177 of component B associated with the service node 171 of service B is input as the input of one or more other service nodes 171 (service C, service E). Also, the component node 177 of component D generated by the service node 171 of service D and the component node 177 of component F generated by the service node 171 of service F are used as the input of one service node 171 (service G).

[0046] In other words, in the service flow of Figure 10, by implementing service B corresponding to the previous process (previous service), a plurality of component Bs are produced, and these plurality of component Bs are used as materials for service C and service E corresponding to the subsequent process (subsequent service). Also, in service G, it can be seen that component D produced in service D and component F produced in service F are used as materials to produce a finished product.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration example of the business information management terminal 2. The business information management terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user and is realized by, for example, a general computer. As shown in FIG. 11, the business information management terminal 2 includes a network interface 20, an input / output device 21, a control unit (CPU) 22, an external storage device 24, and an internal storage device 26, which are connected via a bus 28. The internal configuration of the business information management terminal 2 shown in FIG. 11 has many commonalities with the internal configuration of the business information management server 1 shown in FIG. 2, and since these will be repeated, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0048] As a difference from the internal configuration shown in FIG. 2, the business information management terminal 2 shown in FIG. 11 includes an input / output device 21 and stores a business information setting program 261 in the internal storage device 26. The input / output device 21 is an input device operated by the user for information input in the business information management terminal 2 and an output device for outputting information to the user, and is specifically realized by, for example, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse and an output device such as a display. The business information setting program 261 is a program executed by the control unit 12 and provides an operation function for various GUIs for performing performance data search, setting of various information, etc. Note that the above-mentioned various GUIs are provided by the business information management server 1.

[0049] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration example of the business information collection terminal 3. The business information collection terminal 3 is, for example, an IoT gateway, collects performance data from one or more data generation devices 4 connected thereto, registers it in the device operation information DB 363, and transmits the registered information (device operation information) in the device operation information DB 363 in response to a request from the business information management server 1. As shown in FIG. 12, the business information collection terminal 3 includes a network interface 30, a control unit (CPU) 32, an external storage device 34, and an internal storage device 36, which are connected via a bus 38. The internal configuration of the business information collection terminal 3 shown in FIG. 12 has many commonalities with the internal configuration of the business information management server 1 shown in FIG. 2, and since these will be repeated, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0050] As a difference from the internal configuration shown in FIG. 2, the business information collection terminal 3 shown in FIG. 12 stores a business performance information management program 361 and a device operation information DB 363 in an internal storage device 36. The business performance information management program 361 is a program executed by the control unit 32, and provides a function of registering the performance data collected from the data generation device 4 in the device operation information DB 363 and a function of transmitting the registered information (device operation information) in the device operation information DB 363 to the business information management server 1. The device operation information DB 363 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 13.

[0051] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the device operation information DB 363. The device operation information DB 363 is table data that holds information on the performance data collected from the data generation device 4, and is configured to have data items of a site identifier 3631, a device identifier 3632, a data recording date and time 3633, a data type 3634, and operation data 3635.

[0052] The site identifier 3631 indicates an identifier assigned to the site 5 where the data generation device 4 that is the source of the performance data is installed. When the data generation device 4 that is the source of the performance data and the collecting destination business information collection terminal 3 are installed at the same site 5, the identifier recorded in the site identifier 3631 is synonymous with the identifier of the site 5 where the data generation device 4 is installed. The device identifier 3632 indicates an identifier assigned to the data generation device 4 that is the source of the performance data. The data recording date and time 3633 indicates the registration date and time (or generation date and time) of the collected performance data. The data type 3634 indicates the type of the collected performance data. The operation data 3635 indicates the value (performance value) of the collected performance data.

[0053] Note that the performance data registered in the equipment operation information DB 363 includes not only the performance data of operations (operation performance) but also the performance data of operation-related elements (operation-related element performance). Then, the equipment operation information DB 363 may register the operation performance and the operation-related element performance in different records. Also, the equipment operation information registered in the equipment operation information DB 363 is appropriately registered in the operation performance information DB 167 and the operation-related element performance information DB 168 mainly in the operation information management server 1 by the performance data collection process described later. Therefore, the data configuration of the equipment operation information DB 363 is not limited to the data items illustrated in FIG. 13, and may have other data items (for example, operation item ID and operation-related item) necessary for registration in the operation performance information DB 167 and the operation-related element performance information DB 168.

[0054] (2) Process Hereinafter, various processes executed by the operation information management system (particularly the operation information management server 1) according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0055] (2-1) Performance Data Collection First, the performance data collection process will be described. The performance data collection process is a process of collecting the performance data generated by the data generation device 4 to the operation information management server 1 via the operation information collection terminal 3, and is executed at an arbitrary timing. Also, the performance data collection process may be started manually, or may be started by a predetermined program in the operation information collection terminal 3 or the operation information management server 1.

[0056] FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure of the performance data collection process.

[0057] According to FIG. 14, first, the data generation device 4 transmits the performance data generated in its own working process to the business information collection terminal 3 (step S101). At this time, the business information collection terminal 3 executes the business performance information management program 361 to register the equipment operation information based on the collected performance data in the equipment operation information DB 363. The process of step S101 is executed for each data generation device 4 to the connected business information collection terminal 3.

[0058] Next, the business information collection terminal 3 transmits the equipment operation information registered in the equipment operation information DB 363 in step S101 to the business information management server 1 via the network 6 (step S102). The process of step S102 is executed, for example, by the business performance information management program 361 of the business information collection terminal 3.

[0059] Next, the business information management server 1 executes the business information management program 161 to store the equipment operation information received in step S102 in predetermined data items of the business performance information DB 167 and the business-related element performance information DB 168 (step S103). Specifically, for example, the operation data 3635 related to the business is stored in the business item performance value 1673 of the business performance information DB 167, and the operation data 3635 related to the business-related element is stored in the business-related item performance value 1683 of the business-related element performance information DB 168. Further, in the business information management server 1, after storing the data in step S103, data items of various DBs in the internal storage device 16 related to the stored data (for example, the business performance data address 1635, the business-related element performance data address 1654, etc.) are registered.

[0060] Note that the trigger for executing the process of step S103 can be arbitrarily determined. Specifically, for example, it may be executed every time the process of step S102 is performed from one business information collection terminal 3, or it may be executed after the process of step S102 is performed from all business information collection terminals 3, or it may be executed periodically.

[0061] Further, the business information management system according to the present embodiment may be configured without including the business information collection terminal 3. In this case, the performance data generated by each data generation device 4 is directly collected by the business information management server 1 via the network 6.

[0062] (2-2) Performance data search Next, the performance data search will be described. The performance data search process is a process of searching for and extracting performance data similar to the performance data selected by the user in the reference business process from among the business processes associated with past performance data based on the business process specified by the user and the search conditions for the similarity of the performance data.

[0063] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall processing procedure of the performance data search process. FIG. 15 shows the interaction between the business information management terminal 2 and the business information management server 1 associated with the data search.

[0064] According to FIG. 15, first, on the business information management terminal 2, the user inputs the search conditions for the performance data search to the performance data search screen provided by the business information management server 1 (step S201). FIG. 17, which will be described later, shows a specific example of the performance data search screen. The search conditions input in step S201 include the search conditions for the similarity of the business process (specifically, the difference in the number of operations and the difference in the number of items) and the search conditions for the similarity of the performance data (specifically, the data similarity), but other search conditions (for example, search conditions for limiting the date and time, etc.) can also be specified.

[0065] Also, in step S201, the reference business process used as a reference for the similar business process search and the items of the performance data to be extracted in the performance data search (either business items or business-related items) are also specified. The reference business process may be selected by the user from the business processes registered in the reference business process information DB 164, or the user may directly create it. FIG. 18, which will be described later, shows an example of the reference business process setting screen, which is an operation screen for registering the reference business process in the reference business process information DB 164.

[0066] Next, the control unit 22 (business information setting program 261) of the business information management terminal 2 sends an execution instruction for performance data search to the business information management server 1 with the search conditions input in step S201 (step S202). At this time, the reference business process specified in step S201 and the information specifying the items of the performance data to be extracted are also sent to the business information management server 1.

[0067] Next, in the business information management server 1, the control unit 12 (business information management program 161) executes a similar business process search and a similar performance data search based on the information received in step S202, and searches for and extracts performance data corresponding to the search conditions from among the business processes associated with past performance data (step S203). Information on the business processes associated with past performance data is stored in various databases of the internal storage device 16. The detailed processing procedure of the processing in step S203 will be described with reference to FIG. 16.

[0068] Next, the business information management server 1 provides the business information management terminal 2 by outputting predetermined information including the performance data extracted in step S203 to the reference business process setting screen (step S204). As a result, the user of the business information management terminal 2 can know the performance data similar to the performance data specified by the user from among the business processes similar to the reference business process. The above is the overall flow of the performance data search process.

[0069] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the performance data search process in the business information management server 1. The processing shown in FIG. 16 corresponds to the processing of step S203 in FIG. 15 and is realized by the control unit 12 executing the business information management program 161.

[0070] According to FIG. 16, first, the control unit 12 acquires information on the business process serving as a search criterion from the reference business process information DB 164 (step S301). Here, specifically, the business process serving as the search criterion is the business process shown in the reference business process 411 on the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17 described later.

[0071] Next, the control unit 12 acquires search conditions for the similarity of the business process (business information) (step S302). Specifically, the search conditions acquired in step S302 correspond to input values such as the difference in the number of operations 415 and the difference in the number of items 416 on the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17 described later.

[0072] Next, the control unit 12 refers to the business information DB 163 to search for a business process that matches the search conditions acquired in step S302, and acquires information on the corresponding business process (similar business process) from the business information DB 163 (step S303).

[0073] Next, for each of the similar business processes extracted in step S303, the control unit 12 refers to the business performance information DB 167 and the business-related element performance information DB 168 to extract performance data (step S304).

[0074] Next, the control unit 12 extracts performance data that matches the search conditions for the similarity of the performance data from the performance data of the similar business processes extracted in step S304 (step S305). Here, specifically, the search conditions for the similarity of the performance data correspond to the input value of the data similarity 417 on the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17 described later. The performance data extracted in step S705 is referred to as similar performance data.

[0075] Then, the control unit 12 extracts performance data corresponding to the items specified as the extraction targets for the performance data search (in the case of the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17 described later, item 1, item 7, item 9) from the similar performance data extracted in step S305, and outputs it to the performance data search screen (step S306).

[0076] By performing the processes of steps S301 to S306 as described above, information regarding similar performance data that matches the search conditions is displayed in the search result 419 of the performance data search screen 410 in FIG. 17 described later.

[0077] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a performance data search screen. The performance data search screen 410 shown in FIG. 17 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 when performing a performance data search based on the search conditions of the business flow and the similarity of the performance data, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2.

[0078] In the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17, a reference business flow 411 has a reference business flow serving as a reference for the search selected and displayed. The reference business flow is selected by the user, for example, from among the business flows registered in the reference business flow information DB 164. Further, the extraction target items 412 are items of performance data specified by the user as extraction targets for the performance data search, and a plurality of items can be selected. For example, in the case of FIG. 17, among the business-related elements of the processed product A having the business-related element items of items 1 to 4, the performance data of item 1 surrounded by a thick frame is specified as an extraction target item for similar performance data.

[0079] In the performance data search screen 410, search conditions specified by the user for performing the performance data search are input into the data search conditions 413. As shown in FIG. 17, multiple types of search conditions can be input into the data search conditions 413. "Search start point business" and "search end point business" are search conditions for specifying the width of the business to be searched. "Start date and time" and "end date and time" are search conditions for specifying the execution period of the business to be searched (which may also be the execution period of the performance data).

[0080] For similarity 414, search conditions related to similarity are input. Specifically, a difference in the number of operations 415, a difference in the number of items 416, and data similarity 417 are prepared. Among these, the difference in the number of operations 415 and the difference in the number of items 416 are search conditions related to the similarity of business processes, and the data similarity 417 is a search condition related to the similarity of performance data.

[0081] For the difference in the number of operations 415, as one of the conditions for similarity with the reference business process, the number of operations constituting the business process is specified. For the difference in the number of items 416, as one of the conditions for similarity with the reference business process, the number of business-related elements (which may be read as the number of business items in business information) constituting the business process is specified.

[0082] For the data similarity 417, as the condition for the similarity of performance data, a similarity set combining various conditions is specified. For example, "Raw material 1: Group A" shown for the data similarity 417 in FIG. 17 means that for raw material 1, it may be other raw materials as long as it is within Group A. The similarity set is selected from the performance similarity information DB 169. The setting of the similarity set will be described later with reference to FIG. 19 and the like.

[0083] After various inputs are completed in the data search condition 413, when the output button 418 is pressed, the execution of the performance data search based on the input contents of the reference business process 411, the extraction target item 412, and the data search condition 413 is determined. At this time, the above input contents are transmitted to the business information management server 1, and the performance data search process shown in FIG. 16 is performed in the business information management server 1, and the result is output to the search result 419.

[0084] The search result 419 displays the execution result of the performance data search process based on the data search condition 413. In the case of FIG. 17, the search result 419 shows, for each similar business process that matches the search conditions, the combination of performance data (performance values) for each item specified as the extraction target and the difference from the reference business process. Note that the display format of the search result is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 17.

[0085] As described above, by performing the performance data search process, the business information management system according to the present embodiment searches for business flows similar to a reference business flow (reference business flow) from among the business flows associated with past performance data, and can extract performance data similar to the desired data from among these business flows. That is, according to the business information management system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to search for similar performance data along the flow of business processes.

[0086] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a reference business flow setting screen. The reference business flow setting screen 420 shown in FIG. 18 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 in order to register a reference business flow selectable in the performance data search in the reference business flow information DB 164, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2.

[0087] In the reference business flow setting screen 420 of FIG. 18, in the column of the target business name 421, the name of the business (corresponding to the business name 1632) that constitutes the reference business flow to be registered is input. In the column of the previous business name 422, the name of the business connected to the front side of the business of the target business name 421 is input, and when the previous business addition button 423 is pressed, it is added as the previous business. In the column of the subsequent business name 424, the name of the business connected to the rear side of the business of the target business name 421 is input, and when the subsequent business addition button 425 is pressed, it is added as the subsequent business. Then, when the setting button 426 is pressed, the information input to the reference business flow setting screen 420 is registered in the reference business flow information DB 164. By repeatedly executing the above-described operations for each business that constitutes the reference business flow, the reference business flow is registered in the reference business flow information DB 164. Note that in the reference business flow setting screen 420, a configuration is adopted in which a plurality of previous businesses or subsequent businesses can be set for one business (target business). When indicating the merger of businesses, a plurality of previous businesses are set, and when indicating the branch of businesses, a plurality of subsequent businesses are set.

[0088] (2-3) Setting of data similarity Next, the setting of data similarity will be described.

[0089] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a data similarity setting screen. The data similarity setting screen 430 shown in FIG. 19 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 when registering data similarity (similarity set) in the actual performance similarity information DB 169 by a user operation, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2.

[0090] In the data similarity setting screen 430 of FIG. 19, the similarity name 431 is input with the name of the similarity set to be registered. The similarity target element 432 is input with information indicating the business or business-related element to be the target of similarity determination (for example, business name or business-related element name). The similarity item 433 is input with information indicating the item of the business or business-related element to be the target of similarity determination (for example, business item ID or business-related item ID). The similarity determination condition 434 is input with the specific determination condition of similarity with respect to the actual data (actual value) of the item shown in the similarity item 433. For example, when “Manufacturer: Company XX” is input, it means that if the actual value of the item is manufactured by “Company XX”, it is determined that the similarity is satisfied. Note that in the similarity determination condition 434, by pressing the condition addition button 435, a plurality of determination conditions can be input. Then, after each of the above inputs is completed in the data similarity setting screen 430, when the registration button 436 is pressed, the input content is registered in the actual performance similarity information DB 169. The similarity set registered in the actual performance similarity information DB 169 in this way can be input (selected) in the data similarity 417 of the actual performance data search screen 410.

[0091] Incidentally, the data similarity setting screen 430 shown in FIG. 19 was for registering a similarity set by the user inputting each item. However, the business information management server 1 of the present embodiment can also be configured such that the business information management program 161 automatically generates candidates for data similarity (similarity set) from the reference business flow by having the user set the reference business flow and a threshold value that can be tolerated as similarity. Hereinafter, the setting of data similarity using such automatic generation of data similarity will be described.

[0092] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another example of the data similarity setting screen. The data similarity setting screen 440 shown in FIG. 20 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 when registering data similarity (similarity set) in the actual result similarity information DB 169 using automatic generation, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2.

[0093] In the data similarity setting screen 440 of FIG. 20, a business flow serving as a reference for generating data similarity candidates is selected and displayed in the reference business flow 441. Similar to the reference business flow 411 in the actual result data search screen 410, the reference business flow 441 is selected by the user from among the business flows registered in the reference business flow information DB 164, for example.

[0094] In the similarity threshold setting 442, a threshold value for similarity that is allowed for data similarity candidates is set. The implementation method of the similarity threshold setting 442 is not particularly limited. For example, similar to the actual result data search screen 410 of FIG. 17, setting areas for allowable ranges for each of the business number difference and the item number difference are arranged (see the business number difference 415 and the item number difference 416 in FIG. 17).

[0095] Then, after the reference business flow 441 and the similarity threshold setting 442 are input, when the data similarity candidate generation button 443 is pressed, the data similarity candidate generation process shown in FIG. 21 is executed by the control unit 12.

[0096] In the data similarity candidate generation result 444, candidates for a similarity set (data similarity) are displayed as the processing result of the data similarity candidate generation process. Specifically, for the performance data that is similar within the range of the similarity threshold to the reference business flow, the structural differences (similarity target elements, similarity items) from the reference business flow and the determination conditions (data similarity determination conditions) that cover the differences from the performance data of the reference business flow are displayed. Then, after the user checks the desired "selection" column and presses the registration button 445, the selected similarity set (data similarity) is registered in the performance similarity information DB 169.

[0097] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the data similarity candidate generation process.

[0098] According to FIG. 21, first, the control unit 12 acquires information on the business flow that serves as the basis for generating data similarity candidates from the reference business flow information DB 164, etc. (step S401). Specifically, the business flow that serves as the basis for generation is the business flow shown in the reference business flow 441 on the data similarity setting screen 440 in FIG. 20.

[0099] Next, the control unit 12 refers to the business performance information DB 167 and acquires the performance data of the business flow that satisfies the condition of the number-of-business difference specified in the similarity threshold setting 442 for the reference business flow acquired in step S401 (step S402). The performance data acquired in step S402 becomes the performance data to be compared. If the number-of-business difference is not specified in the similarity threshold setting 442, all business flows may be used as comparison targets, or business flows selected by a predetermined method may be used as comparison targets.

[0100] Next, the control unit 12 selects one by one the performance data of the reference business flow and the performance data of the business flow to be compared (step S403).

[0101] Next, in the combination of performance data selected in step S403, the control unit determines whether the difference in the items of the performance data is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (specifically, within the range of the item number difference specified by the similarity threshold setting 442) (step S404). If it is equal to or less than the threshold in step S404 (YES in step S404), the process proceeds to step S405. Based on the difference in the items of the performance data, conditions for data similarity are generated, and then the process proceeds to step S406. The conditions for data similarity generated in step S405 correspond to the similarity determination conditions 434 shown in the data similarity setting screen 430 of FIG. 15, and determination conditions that cover the differences from the performance data of the reference business process are generated. On the other hand, if it exceeds the threshold in step S404 (NO in step S404), the process proceeds to step S406.

[0102] In step S406, the control unit 12 determines whether the processes of steps S403 to S404 (or up to S405) have been performed for all of the performance data of the comparison target acquired in step S402. When the processing for all combinations of the performance data of the comparison target is completed, the process proceeds to step S407.

[0103] Then, in step S407, the control unit 12 creates a similarity set for each of the performance data of the comparison target determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined threshold in step S404, including the difference from the reference business process and the conditions generated in step S405, and outputs it to the data similarity candidate generation result 444 on the data similarity setting screen 440.

[0104] Thereafter, as described with reference to FIG. 20, the user selects a similarity set to be registered from the data similarity candidate generation result 444 and presses the registration button 445, so that the desired similarity set (data similarity) is registered in the performance similarity information DB 169.

[0105] (2-4) Search for Performance Data Using Reliability In the business information management system according to this embodiment, as a modified example of the performance data search described above with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18, it is possible to execute a performance data search in which the reliability of the performance data of past business processes is added as a search condition. First, the setting of reliability will be described below, and then the performance data search using the reliability will be described.

[0106] FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall processing procedure of the reliability setting process. FIG. 22 shows the interaction between the business information management terminal 2 and the business information management server 1 associated with the setting of reliability. As described above, the reliability is an evaluation value for business performance (for example, the experimental result of a business) and is set by the user.

[0107] According to FIG. 22, first, on the business information management terminal 2, the user inputs search conditions for narrowing down the business process to the reliability setting screen provided by the business information management server 1 (step S501). Here, the search conditions for narrowing down the business process specifically correspond to the setting contents of the data search condition 452 on the reliability setting screen 450 of FIG. 23 described later. In step S501, the reference business process to be used as the criterion for narrowing down the business process is also specified.

[0108] Next, when an operation for instructing the execution of narrowing down the business process on the reliability setting screen (specifically, pressing the output button 453 on the reliability setting screen 450 of FIG. 23) is performed, the control unit 22 of the business information management terminal 2 adds the search conditions input in step S501 and sends the above execution instruction to the business information management server 1 (step S502). At this time, the information specifying the reference business process specified in step S501 is also sent to the business information management server 1.

[0109] Next, in the business information management server 1, the control unit 12 (business information management program 161) searches for the business process corresponding to the search conditions from among the business processes associated with the past performance data based on the information received in step S502, and extracts the performance data (step S503).

[0110] Next, the business information management server 1 provides the performance data of the business process extracted in step S503 to the business information management terminal 2 by outputting it to the reliability setting screen (step S504). Specifically, the performance data is displayed in the reliability setting 454 on the reliability setting screen 450 of FIG. 23.

[0111] Next, on the business information management terminal 2, for the performance data of each business process displayed on the reliability setting screen, when the user performs an operation to set the reliability, the information on the set reliability is transmitted to the business information management server 1 (step S505). The operation of setting the reliability specifically corresponds to the operation of pressing the reliability setting button 455 after entering a numerical value in the "Reliability" column of the reliability setting 454 on the reliability setting screen 450 of FIG. 23.

[0112] Then, the business information management server 1 registers the reliability received in step S505 in the DB (reliability 1674 of the business performance information DB 167) where the corresponding performance data is stored, and ends the reliability setting process.

[0113] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the reliability setting screen. The reliability setting screen 450 shown in FIG. 23 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 when setting the reliability, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2. Note that the display configuration of the reliability setting screen 450 in FIG. 23 has many common parts with the performance data search screen 410 in FIG. 17, and detailed description of the common display configuration is omitted.

[0114] In the reliability setting screen 450 of FIG. 23, in the reference business process 451, a reference business process serving as a criterion for narrowing down the business process is selected and displayed. In the data search condition 452, search conditions for narrowing down the business process are input. Specifically, they are a "search start business" and a "search end business" for specifying the range of the business to be searched, and a "start date and time" and an "end date and time" for specifying the execution period of the business to be searched (which may be the execution period of the performance data). After various inputs are completed in the data search condition 452, when the output button 453 is pressed, the search described in step S503 of FIG. 22 is executed using the input search conditions, and the result is output to the reliability setting 454.

[0115] Then, in the reliability setting 454, when the user inputs an arbitrary reliability in the "reliability" column and then presses the reliability setting button 455, the reliability of the set performance data is registered in the reliability 1674 of the business performance information DB167. Using the reliability registered in this way, it becomes possible to execute the performance data search described in FIG. 24 below.

[0116] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing another example of the performance data search screen. The performance data search screen 460 shown in FIG. 24 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 when performing a performance data search that adds the reliability for past performance data to the search conditions for the similarity of the business process and performance data, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2. Regarding the display configuration of the performance data search screen 460 in FIG. 24 that is common to the performance data search screen 410 in FIG. 17, detailed description is omitted.

[0117] In the performance data search screen 460 of FIG. 24, in the reference business process 461, a reference business process serving as a criterion for the search is selected and displayed. The extraction target item 462 is an item of the performance data specified by the user as the extraction target of the performance data search, and a plurality of items can be selected.

[0118] On the performance data search screen 460, in the data search conditions 463, search conditions specified by the user for performing the performance data search are input. Similar to the data search conditions 413 in the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17, the data search conditions 463 include search conditions for similarity 464. On the other hand, as a configuration different from the data search conditions 413 in the performance data search screen 410 of FIG. 17, a setting column for reliability 465 is provided in the data search conditions 463. In the reliability 465, search conditions for the reliability of the performance data extracted as the search result of the performance data search are set. For example, in the case of FIG. 24, the setting column for reliability 465 shows "80" and "or more", which means that only the performance data with a reliability of 80% or more is extracted as the search result.

[0119] After various inputs are completed in the data search conditions 463, when the output button 466 is pressed, the execution of the performance data search based on the input contents of the reference business flow 461, the extraction target items 462, and the data search conditions 463 is determined. At this time, for the performance data search process executed by the business information management server 1, after step S305 shown in FIG. 16, a process of extracting performance data that matches the setting content of the reliability 465 may be added.

[0120] In the search result 467, the execution result of the performance data search process based on the data search conditions 463 is displayed. In the case of FIG. 24, in the search result 467, for each similar business flow that matches the search conditions, the combination of the performance data (performance values) for each item specified as the extraction target and the difference from the reference business flow are shown. In addition, in the "Reliability" column of the search result 467 in FIG. 24, the reliability of each similar business flow is displayed.

[0121] As described above, by performing the performance data search process with the reliability added as a search condition, the business information management system according to the present embodiment searches for business flows similar to a reference business flow (reference business flow) from among the business flows associated with past performance data, and extracts performance data similar to the desired data from among these business flows, limited to performance data that satisfies the specified reliability. Therefore, it is possible to realize a search for more reliable performance data than in the case of the performance data search process that does not have reliability as a search condition.

[0122] (2-5) Factor analysis of performance data The business information management system according to the present embodiment can perform factor analysis on the performance data searched using similarity as an additional function for the above-described performance data search function.

[0123] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a performance data factor analysis screen. The performance data factor analysis screen 470 shown in FIG. 25 is a GUI provided from the business information management server 1 to the business information management terminal 2 when performing factor analysis on the performance data searched using similarity, and is operated by the user of the business information management terminal 2. Note that the display configuration of the performance data factor analysis screen 470 in FIG. 25 has many parts in common with the performance data search screen 410 in FIG. 17, and detailed description of the common display configuration is omitted.

[0124] In the performance data factor analysis screen 470 of FIG. 25, a reference business flow 471 is displayed with the reference business flow used as the search reference selected. The extraction target items 472 are the items of the performance data specified by the user as the extraction target in the performance data search, and a plurality of items can be selected. Specifically, in the case of FIG. 25, items 1 to 4 of the business-related element "processed product A", items 5 to 7 of the business-related element "raw material 2", and items 8 to 9 of the business-related element "product C" are specified as the extraction targets.

[0125] On the performance data factor analysis screen 470, search conditions for performance data search specified by the user are input into the data search conditions 473. Similar to the data search conditions 413 on the performance data search screen 410 in FIG. 17, the data search conditions 473 include search conditions for similarity 474. On the other hand, as a configuration different from the data search conditions 413 on the performance data search screen 410 in FIG. 17, the data search conditions 473 are provided with setting columns for the factor analysis target items 475 and contribution rates 476. Items of performance data to be subjected to factor analysis (in other words, target items for the contribution rates calculated by factor analysis) are input into the factor analysis target items 475. For the contribution rates 476, a threshold value serving as a criterion for whether to output the contribution rates calculated by factor analysis as search results is input. For example, in the case of FIG. 25, factors with a contribution rate to "Item 9" exceeding "20%" are output to the search results 478.

[0126] After various inputs are completed in the data search conditions 473, when the output button 477 is pressed, the performance data factor analysis process shown in FIG. 26 described later is executed, and as a result of performing factor analysis on the search results of performance data that match the search conditions for similarity, the results are output to the search results 478. More specifically, by the performance data factor analysis process executed by the control unit 12 of the business information management server 1, performance data search is executed based on the data search conditions 473 other than the factor analysis target items 475 and contribution rates 476, and for the performance data obtained as a result of the search (in the case of FIG. 25, similar performance data for Items 1 to 9), factor analysis is performed on the condition of the factor analysis target items 475 and contribution rates 476, and the results of this factor analysis are output to the search results 478.

[0127] The execution results of the performance data factor analysis process based on the data search conditions 473 are displayed in the search results 478. In the case of FIG. 25, in the search results 478, for each factor extracted by performing factor analysis on the similar performance data extracted by the performance data search, the value of the similar performance data, the difference (difference) from the reference business process, and the contribution rate to the factor analysis target items (however, only those exceeding the threshold value of the contribution rate 476) are displayed.

[0128] FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the performance data factor analysis process. The performance data factor analysis process is a process of searching for performance data based on similarity search conditions and performing factor analysis on this performance data. It is realized by the control unit 12 of the business information management server 1 executing the business information management program 161 when the output button 477 is pressed on the performance data factor analysis screen 470 shown in FIG. 25.

[0129] According to FIG. 26, first, the control unit 12 acquires information on the business flow that serves as the reference for searching for similar business flows from the reference business flow information DB 164 (step S601). The business flow that serves as the reference for searching for similar business flows is the business flow shown in the reference business flow 471 on the performance data factor analysis screen 470 of FIG. 25.

[0130] Next, the control unit 12 executes the same performance data search process as in steps S302 to S305 of FIG. 16 based on the search conditions including the similarity specified by the data search conditions 473 on the performance data factor analysis screen 470 (step S602). Specifically, the control unit 12 uses the search conditions of the search start business, search end business, start date and time, end date and time, business number difference, and item number difference specified by the data search conditions 473 to search for business flows similar to the reference business flow for which information was acquired in step S601, and performs a similarity determination on the performance data of each corresponding business flow using the data similarity search conditions, and extracts the business flows having performance data that matches the data similarity search conditions. Further, the control unit 12 acquires the performance data of each item (in the case of the performance data factor analysis screen 470 of FIG. 25, items 1 to 9) selected by the extraction target item 472 from the performance data of the extracted business flows. The performance data of the predetermined items for each past business flow thus obtained becomes the factors for the factor analysis to be executed next.

[0131] Next, the control unit 12 performs factor analysis on the performance data acquired in step S602, and calculates the contribution rate for the items specified by the factor analysis target items 475 (in the case of FIG. 25, item 9) (step S603). The factor analysis performed in step S603 is, for example, factor analysis using machine learning, and since a conventionally known factor analysis method may be adopted, a specific description thereof is omitted.

[0132] Then, from each factor for which the contribution rate has been calculated in step S603, the control unit 12 extracts the factors whose contribution rate exceeds the threshold value specified by the contribution rate 476 (in the case of FIG. 25, 20%), and outputs the information regarding the extracted factors to the search result 478 on the performance data factor analysis screen 470 (step S604).

[0133] By performing the performance data factor analysis process as described above, the business information management server 1 extracts the factors with a high degree of contribution to the target item (item 9) from the set (factors) of performance data that match the search conditions for the similarity of the business process and performance data, and can provide them to the user through the search result 478 on the performance data factor analysis screen 470. As a result, the user can efficiently search for business processes that can be expected in terms of result quality.

[0134] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with other configurations.

[0135] Also, in the drawings, control lines and information lines show those considered necessary for explanation, and not necessarily all control lines and information lines on the product are shown. In reality, it may be considered that almost all configurations are interconnected.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0136] 1 Business information management server 2 Business Information Management Terminal 3 Business Information Collection Terminal 4 Data Generation Device 5 Base 6 Network 7 Operation Management Center 10, 20, 30 Network Interface 12, 22, 32 Control Unit (CPU) 14, 24, 34 External Storage Device 16, 26, 36 Internal Storage Device 18, 28, 38 Bus 21 Input / Output Device 161 Business Information Management Program 163 Business Information DB 164 Standard Business Information DB 165 Business-Related Element Information DB 167 Business Performance Information DB 168 Business-Related Element Performance Information DB 169 Performance Similarity Information DB 170 Business Information 171 Business Node 172 Business-Related Element Node 177 Component Node 261 Business Information Setting Program 361 Business Performance Information Management Program 363 Equipment Operation Information DB 410 Performance Data Search Screen 420 Standard Business Process Setting Screen 430 Data Similarity Setting Screen 440 Data Similarity Setting Screen 450 Reliability Setting Screen 460 Performance Data Search Screen 470 Performance Data Factor Analysis Screen

Claims

1. A business information management system for managing business information related to each business process of each of a plurality of business flows each composed of one or more business processes, comprising: a data generation device that generates performance data in the business process; a business information management server that collects the performance data generated by the data generation device and manages it in association with the configuration of the executed business flow; comprising the business information management server a performance data collection unit that collects performance data of each business process from the data generation device for each business flow, and stores the collected performance data in a storage device in association with the business in the business process and related elements related to the business; When search conditions regarding the similarity of business flows and performance data are specified together with a reference business flow that is a reference business flow, based on the search conditions, among the plurality of business flows associated with the performance data stored in the storage device, extracts a business flow similar to the reference business flow, and extracts, from the performance data of the extracted business flow, performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business flow, and outputs the extraction result. A performance data search unit; having A business information management system characterized by the above.

2. The performance data search unit When one or more items in the business or the related elements are specified as extraction target items of the similar performance data, After extracting performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business flow, extracts and outputs the performance data in the extraction target items from the extracted performance data. The business information management system according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The search conditions regarding the similarity of the business flow include at least one of a business number difference that specifies an allowable range of similarity with respect to the total number of the businesses included in the reference business flow, or an item number difference that specifies an allowable range of similarity with respect to the total number of the related elements included in the reference business flow. The business information management system according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The search conditions regarding the similarity of the performance data are set with one or more similarity determination conditions that are allowable ranges of similarity with respect to the performance data for any of the items of the business or the related elements. The business information management system according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. The business information management server Based on the threshold setting specified by the user, compare the performance data of the reference business process with the performance data of a plurality of business processes associated with the performance data stored in the storage device. For the performance data of the business process that satisfies the threshold setting, identify one or more similarity determination conditions that serve as an allowable range of similarity based on the difference from the performance data of the reference business process. Using the similarity determination conditions, generate candidates for a similarity set that can be selected as search conditions for the similarity of the performance data. Further comprising a data similarity candidate generation unit The business information management system according to claim 1, characterized in that.

6. For a plurality of business processes associated with the performance data stored in the storage device, the reliability of the performance data for each business process can be set by the user. When the search condition regarding the reliability is specified when the performance data search unit searches for the similar performance data, after extracting the performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business process, among the extracted performance data, the performance data that satisfies the reliability specified by the search condition is extracted and output. The business information management system according to claim 1, characterized in that.

7. The business information management server For the extraction result of the similar performance data extracted by the performance data search unit, using a predetermined method to perform factor analysis with a predetermined item in the business or the related element specified by the user as the analysis target, and outputting as the analysis result the performance data whose contribution rate to the predetermined item of the analysis target exceeds a predetermined threshold. Further comprising a performance data factor analysis unit. The business information management system according to claim 1, characterized in that.

8. A data search method by a business information management system that manages business information regarding each business process of a plurality of business processes each composed of one or more business steps. The business information management system A data generation device that generates performance data in the business process. A business information management server that collects the performance data generated by the data generation device and manages it in association with the configuration of the executed business process. Having The performance data collection step in which the business information management server collects performance data of each business process from the data generation device for each business process, and stores the collected performance data in a storage device in association with the business in the business process and related elements related to the business; The performance data search step in which, when search conditions regarding the similarity of business processes and performance data are specified together with a reference business process that is a reference business process, based on the search conditions, from among a plurality of business processes associated with the performance data stored in the storage device, a business process similar to the reference business process is extracted, and from among the performance data of the extracted business process, performance data similar to the performance data of the reference business process is extracted, and the extraction result is output; Comprising A data search method characterized by the above.

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