Database management device, database management method and database management program

Abstract

In a database management device (10), an acquisition unit (15a) acquires, for each node, information on an attribute of this node including information identifying a layer to which this node belongs and acquires information representing a relationship between the nodes. A configuration unit (15b) configures a graph DB (14a) which associates the acquired information on the attribute of each node and the acquired information representing the relationship between the nodes with each other.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a database management device, a database management method, and a database management program. [Background technology]

[0002] In the development of information systems, graph databases (graph DBs) that can acquire interconnections between data more quickly have attracted attention (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Graph DBs are implemented in the form of nodes (points) and relationships (lines) that connect two nodes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-203072 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-51262 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technologies, when multiple nodes in a graph DB form a hierarchy, it is not possible to directly define which hierarchy each node belongs to, resulting in an unclear hierarchical structure. This makes it difficult to understand the database schema and hierarchical structure, which is a major obstacle for database developers and users in understanding the database definition.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has as its object to enable database developers and database users to easily understand the internal structure of a graph DB. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the database management device of the present invention is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires, for each node, information on the attributes of the node, including information identifying the hierarchical level to which the node belongs, and information representing the relationships between the nodes, and a component that constructs a database that associates the acquired attribute information of each node with the information representing the relationships between the nodes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, database developers and database users can easily understand the internal structure of a graph DB. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a database management device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a database management device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the configuration unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the database management process. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer that executes a database management program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0010] [Database management device overview] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a database management device. As shown in FIG. 1(a), a graph DB is conventionally described using a node and the relationship between two nodes. For example, in FIG. 1(a), for a node with the node name "node 11," the ID "ID11" and the attributes "attribute 11," "attribute 21," and "attribute 31" are described. Furthermore, the relationship between node 11 and node 12, and the relationship between node 12 and node 13 are each described with a line.

[0011] However, with a description like that shown in Figure 1(a), even if there is a hierarchical structure between nodes, it is unclear. Therefore, the database management device of this embodiment assigns a hierarchical number to the attribute of each node, as shown in Figure 1(b). In Figure 1(b), for example, node 11 is assigned the hierarchical number "Layer 10."

[0012] In the example shown in Figure 1(b), there are three layers between nodes, with layer numbers "Layer 10," "Layer 20," and "Layer 30," and for example, layer 10 is made up of node 11, node 12, and node 13. Therefore, by assigning a layer number to the attribute of each node, it is possible to describe a graph DB with a hierarchical structure between nodes.

[0013] As described above, the database management device of this embodiment clarifies the hierarchical structure in the internal representation of the graph DB, optimizing the description of the relationships between nodes. This improves development efficiency for DB developers. Furthermore, it speeds up output of the graph DB based on searches from applications for DB users.

[0014] [Database management device configuration] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a database management device. As illustrated in Fig. 2, database management device 10 is realized by a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer, and includes input unit 11, output unit 12, communication control unit 13, storage unit 14, and control unit 15.

[0015] The input unit 11 is realized using input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and inputs various instruction information such as starting processing to the control unit 15 in response to input operations by an operator. The output unit 12 is realized by a display device such as a liquid crystal display, a printing device such as a printer, etc.

[0016] The communication control unit 13 is realized by a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like, and controls communication between an external device such as a server via a network and the control unit 15. For example, the communication control unit 13 controls communication between the control unit 15 and a database device of another system that manages data used in database management processing described later, a user terminal on which an application is installed, or the like.

[0017] The storage unit 14 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 14 stores in advance the processing programs that operate the database management device 10 and data used during the execution of the processing programs, or stores them temporarily each time processing is performed. The storage unit 14 may be configured to communicate with the control unit 15 via the communication control unit 13.

[0018] In this embodiment, the storage unit 14 stores a graph DB 14a configured by a database management process described later, and is used as a database by an application.

[0019] The control unit 15 is realized using a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and executes a processing program stored in memory. As a result, the control unit 15 functions as an acquisition unit 15a and a configuration unit 15b, as exemplified in FIG. 2, and executes a database management process described below. Note that these functional units may be implemented in different hardware. The control unit 15 may also include other functional units.

[0020] The acquiring unit 15a acquires, for each node, information on the attributes of the node, including information identifying the layer to which the node belongs, and information indicating the relationship between the nodes. For example, the acquiring unit 15a acquires data to be used for processing by the configuration unit 15b (described later) via the input unit 11 or from a database device or the like of another system via the communication control unit 13.

[0021] The configuration unit 15b configures a database in which the acquired attribute information of each node is associated with information representing the relationships between the nodes. Specifically, the configuration unit 15b configures a database by associating the attribute information of each node with the information representing the relationships between the nodes, and stores the database in the storage unit 14 as the graph DB 14a.

[0022] Here, the acquired node attribute information includes information such as a hierarchical level number that identifies the level to which the node belongs. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a hierarchical level number that identifies the level to which each node belongs is assigned to the graph DB 14a. In this way, it is possible to write a graph DB having a hierarchical structure between nodes. Therefore, the level configured by multiple nodes in the graph DB 14a becomes clear.

[0023] Here, Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the configuration unit. Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the configuration of the graph DB 14a when communication facilities are treated as nodes. As shown in Fig. 3, for example, the nodes are communication facilities, and the hierarchies are layers within the network of communication facilities.

[0024] In this case, the graph DB 14a has nodes, i.e., point equipment 01 to point equipment 03, optical cable 01 to optical cable 03, and optical fiber specification status 01 to optical fiber usage status 03, and describes attribute information for each node. Each node includes a node name, node ID, and attribute information. The attribute information includes the equipment name, equipment number, and hierarchical number.

[0025] The graph DB 14a also describes relationships between nodes, such as spans, cable connections, and optical fiber connections.

[0026] Furthermore, the hierarchical layer number is information that identifies the layer that the node constitutes. In the example shown in Figure 3, three layers are constituted between the nodes: the point equipment layer, the cable layer, and the core wire layer, and nodes in the same layer are connected by dashed lines. For example, the point equipment layer is constituted by point equipment 01 to point equipment 03. Information that identifies the point equipment layer is set as the hierarchical layer number of point equipment 01 to point equipment 03.

[0027] Alternatively, the nodes may represent organizations within a company, and the hierarchies may represent the chain of command within each organization. In this case, the attribute information of the nodes may include personnel information about employees belonging to each organization, information about the products and services handled by each organization, and so on. This attribute information includes hierarchical numbers assigned in ascending order, with the president or headquarters ranked first, followed by branch offices, branch offices, and sales offices, for example. By configuring the database in this way, the hierarchies formed by the multiple nodes of the graph DB 14a become clear.

[0028] [Database management processing] Next, the database management process performed by the database management device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the database management process. The flowchart in Fig. 4 starts, for example, when an operation input is made to instruct the start of the database management process.

[0029] First, the acquiring unit 15a acquires, for each node, information on the attributes of the node, including information identifying the layer to which the node belongs, and information indicating the relationship between the nodes (step S1). For example, the acquiring unit 15a acquires data to be used for processing by the configuration unit 15b (described later) via the input unit 11 or from a database device or the like of another system via the communication control unit 13.

[0030] Next, the configuration unit 15b configures a database in which the acquired attribute information of each node is associated with information representing the relationships between the nodes (step S2). Specifically, the configuration unit 15b configures a database by associating the attribute information of each node with information representing the relationships between the nodes, and stores the database as the graph DB 14a in the storage unit 14. This completes a series of database management processes.

[0031] [effect] As described above, in the database management device 10, the acquiring unit 15a acquires, for each node, attribute information of the node, including information identifying the layer to which the node belongs, and information representing the relationships between the nodes. The constructing unit 15b constructs the graph DB 14a in which the acquired attribute information of each node is associated with the information representing the relationships between the nodes.

[0032] Specifically, for example, a node may be a communication facility and a hierarchy may be a layer within a network of communication facilities, or a node may be an organization within a company and a hierarchy may be the order of command within the organization within the company.

[0033] As described above, according to the database management device 10 of this embodiment, even if the graph DB 14a becomes complex, the hierarchical structure is clarified in the internal representation, and the description of the relationships between the nodes is optimized. This improves development efficiency for DB developers. Furthermore, for DB users, output of the graph DB 14a based on searches from applications is speeded up.

[0034] [program] A program describing the processes executed by the database management device 10 according to the above embodiment in a computer-executable language can also be created. In one embodiment, the database management device 10 can be implemented by installing a database management program that executes the above database management processes as package software or online software on a desired computer. For example, by executing the above database management program on an information processing device, the information processing device can function as the database management device 10. Other examples of information processing devices include mobile communication terminals such as smartphones, mobile phones, and PHS (Personal Handyphone Systems), as well as slate terminals such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). The functions of the database management device 10 may also be implemented on a cloud server.

[0035] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a computer that executes a database management program. The computer 1000 includes, for example, a memory 1010, a CPU 1020, a hard disk drive interface 1030, a disk drive interface 1040, a serial port interface 1050, a video adapter 1060, and a network interface 1070. These components are connected by a bus 1080.

[0036] The memory 1010 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and a RAM 1012. The ROM 1011 stores, for example, a boot program such as a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to a hard disk drive 1031. The disk drive interface 1040 is connected to a disk drive 1041. A removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1041. The serial port interface 1050 is connected to, for example, a mouse 1051 and a keyboard 1052. The video adapter 1060 is connected to, for example, a display 1061.

[0037] Here, the hard disk drive 1031 stores, for example, an OS 1091, an application program 1092, a program module 1093, and program data 1094. Each piece of information described in the above embodiment is stored in the hard disk drive 1031 or memory 1010, for example.

[0038] The database management program is stored in the hard disk drive 1031 as, for example, a program module 1093 in which instructions to be executed by the computer 1000 are written. Specifically, the program module 1093 in which each process executed by the database management device 10 described in the above embodiment is written is stored in the hard disk drive 1031.

[0039] Furthermore, data used for information processing by the database management program is stored as program data 1094, for example, in the hard disk drive 1031. Then, the CPU 1020 reads the program module 1093 and program data 1094 stored in the hard disk drive 1031 into the RAM 1012 as necessary, and executes each of the above-described procedures.

[0040] The program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the database management program are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1031, but may be stored in a removable storage medium, for example, and read by the CPU 1020 via the disk drive 1041. Alternatively, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the database management program may be stored in another computer connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network), and read by the CPU 1020 via the network interface 1070.

[0041] Although the present invention has been described above as an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the description and drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention. In other words, other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques that can be made by those skilled in the art based on the present invention are all included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10 Database management device 11 Input section 12 Output section 13 Communication control section 14 Storage section 14a Graph DB 15 Control Unit 15a Acquisition part 15b Components

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires, for each node representing each point facility, each optical cable, and each optical fiber, information on the attributes of the node, including the facility name, facility number, and hierarchical number that identifies the hierarchical level to which the node belongs, as well as information representing the relationships between nodes, such as the span of the point facility, the connections between optical cables, and the relationships between the connections between optical fibers; a component that assigns the facility name, facility number, and hierarchical number to each node based on the acquired attribute information of each node and information representing the relationship between the nodes, and associates the point facility nodes, optical cable nodes, and optical core line nodes with the same hierarchical number, and further configures a database that associates the point facility nodes, optical cable nodes, and optical core line nodes with the information representing the relationship between the nodes; A database management device comprising:

2. 2. The database management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nodes are communication facilities, and the hierarchy is a layer within a network of the communication facilities.

3. A database management method executed by a database management device, an acquisition step of acquiring, for each node representing each point facility, each optical cable, and each optical fiber, attribute information of the node including the facility name, facility number, and hierarchical number identifying the hierarchical level to which the node belongs, and information representing the relationship between nodes, such as the span of the point facility, the connection between the optical cables, and the connection between the optical fibers; a configuration step of assigning the facility name, facility number, and hierarchical number to each node based on the acquired attribute information of each node and information representing the relationship between the nodes, and associating the point facility nodes, optical cable nodes, and optical core line nodes with the same hierarchical number, and further configuring a database that associates the point facility nodes, optical cable nodes, and optical core line nodes using the information representing the relationship between the nodes; A database management method comprising:

4. An acquisition step for acquiring, for each node representing each point facility, each optical cable, and each optical core line, information on the attributes of the node including the facility name, facility number, and hierarchical number identifying the hierarchical level to which the node belongs, as well as information representing the relationships between nodes, such as the span of the point facility, the connections between optical cables, and the relationships between the connections between optical core lines; a configuration step of assigning the facility name, facility number, and hierarchical number to each node based on the acquired attribute information of each node and information representing the relationship between the nodes, and associating the point facility nodes, optical cable nodes, and optical core line nodes with the same hierarchical number, and further configuring a database that associates the point facility nodes, optical cable nodes, and optical core line nodes using the information representing the relationship between the nodes; A database management program that allows a computer to execute the above.

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