Data linkage system, data linkage method and data linkage program

Abstract

To perform data interlocking between business flows which progress in parallel.SOLUTION: A computer 1 as a data interlocking system stores a business flow in which business is linked, and business flow case data 43 which includes information on a case treated by the business flow, in a storage unit 23. The computer 1 also stores interlocking object data 44 which includes information which holds relation between an interlocking item which is interlocked between the business flows and a data item of an interlocking destination, in the storage unit. The computer 1 maps and interlocks business data related to a data item of a first interlocking source of a first main business flow, and the business data related to the data item of the first interlocking destination of a first sub-business flow which is supplied from the first main business flow, and performs business. Then the computer interlocks the business data related to the data item of the first interlocking source of the first main business flow, and the business data related to the data item of the first interlocking destination of the first sub-business flow, during implementation of the first business related to the data item of the first interlocking source of the first main business flow.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data linkage system, a data linkage method, and a data linkage program. [Background technology]

[0002] One conventional data linkage system is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-172770 (Patent Document 1), which states that "operations and return values ​​issued between a workflow management system and an application system such as an ERP system are converted using a pre-created data conversion rule database and operation conversion rule database, and then reissued in the format required by the recipient. In addition, monitoring items are set, and when a data item is changed in either the workflow management system or the application system, the change is notified to the other system, and the system is automatically updated." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-172770 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-154120 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes how, when a data item in a business flow is changed, the data item in an application linked to that business flow is changed. Patent Document 2 also describes how, for a main business flow and multiple secondary business flows that branch off from the main business flow, the main business flow manages the progress of the secondary business flows.

[0005] Incidentally, when linking a supply chain, which is a business flow related to supply, the final information of the preceding business flow is used as input for the succeeding business flow, but this method does not allow data to be linked when multiple business flows proceed in parallel.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a method for reflecting data changes in a business flow in an application, but does not describe how data is linked when multiple business flows proceed in parallel. Also, Patent Document 2 describes a method in which a main business flow manages a secondary business flow when the main and secondary business flows proceed in parallel, but does not describe how data is linked between the main and secondary business flows.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a data linkage system, a data linkage method, and a data linkage program that are capable of linking data between business flows that proceed in parallel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one representative data linkage system of the present invention is a data linkage system that links data between multiple business flows, and includes a memory unit that stores business flow case data including the business flows consisting of multiple linked business operations and information on the cases handled by the business flows, and linkage target data including information maintaining the relationship between linkage source data items and linkage destination data items among the data items linked between the business flows, and a business data mapping unit that maps and links business data related to the first linkage source data item of a first main business flow among the business flows, with business data related to the first linkage destination data item of a first sub-business flow, which is the business flow that receives supply from the first main business flow and carries out business, and is characterized in that the business data mapping unit links the business data related to the first linkage source data item of the first main business flow with the business data related to the first linkage destination data item of the first sub-business flow during the performance of a first business operation related to the first linkage source data item of the first main business flow. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, data linkage can be achieved between business flows that proceed in parallel. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of data linkage according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a computer that realizes the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of business data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of mapping data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3C] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of implemented tenant data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4A]FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of business flow data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of business flow case data. [Figure 4C] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of linked data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4D] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of mapping data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for generating a business flow and linking data according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when data is changed according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an output screen of the system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of data linkage according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of linked data according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. [Example]

[0012] 1 is an explanatory diagram of data linkage according to Example 1. In this example, an explanation will be given using as an example data linkage in a system that manages a supply chain for delivering products, particularly regenerative medicine products, in cooperation with product wholesalers, delivery companies, and medical institutions at delivery destinations, using a business flow that is a chain of business operations.

[0013] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of a business flow, with the circular shapes representing the business or events of each business flow. A business represents the work performed by a stakeholder, and an event refers to an event in which data is linked to another business flow when the work of one business flow is performed, and is created in the business flow that is the destination of the data link.

[0014] Examples of tasks include registering product delivery quantities, delivery requests, and delivery company input. In this system, tasks or events are treated as nodes, and the supply chain is managed by a workflow in which the nodes are connected by links. In this embodiment, the workflow is called a case, and a case ID is set so that each workflow can be uniquely identified. Then, the progress of each case is managed by associating each node with implementation history, etc.

[0015] The progress of each project is managed using business flow data. Business flow data is data that associates various information related to a project with a project ID that uniquely identifies the project. Each node in Figure 1 shows the name of the project and the data that will be registered in the system as project data for that project.

[0016] There are two workflows for executing deliveries: a main workflow that manages the number of deliveries possible and executes the delivery work, and a secondary workflow that requests deliveries within the number of deliveries possible and manages the request until it is administered to the patient.

[0017] Here, the definitions of main workflows and secondary workflows in this invention will be explained. Main workflows and secondary workflows refer to workflows that have a relative relationship. A workflow that performs a task to manufacture, process, complete, or prepare goods, products, or parts is called a main workflow, and a workflow that receives goods, products, or parts from the main workflow and performs the task is called a secondary workflow. Note that multiple secondary workflows may be linked to a main workflow. In other words, goods, etc. from the main workflow may be supplied to multiple secondary workflows.

[0018] In Figure 1, Case 1 is the main business flow. In this example, a case is created when task A1, "Register delivery quantity," is executed. At this time, the scheduled delivery date of 2023 / 8 / 31 and the deliverable quantity of 8 are registered in the system as case data for Case 1. In this example, the deliverable quantity is the number of products that a wholesaler can deliver to a medical institution on a specific day. Medical institutions have already purchased or plan to purchase products from pharmaceutical companies, etc., and wholesalers manage the product purchase quantities for each medical institution. For example, the number of products that can be delivered on the specific day of 2023 / 8 / 31 is 8.

[0019] In Figure 1, Item 11 is a sub-workflow. In this example, first, task A11 "Delivery Request" is executed for Item 1 in the main workflow. If the delivery request can be executed, the delivery request is executed, and an item in the sub-workflow is generated. Then, an event "Delivery Request Confirmation" is generated in the main workflow. At this time, the number of delivery requests, 2, is registered in the system as workflow data for Item 11, and is linked to the data on the number of deliveries possible for Item 1 in the main workflow (Event B1).

[0020] As a result, the "Quantity available for delivery" for Item 1 will be linked to the "Quantity of delivery requests" for Item 11, and the number of products that can be delivered on 8 / 31 for Item 1 will be 6, which is 8 minus the number of delivery requests for Item 11 (2). Details of how data is linked will be explained later.

[0021] In Figure 1, Item 12 is a sub-workflow. As with Item 11, Task A12 "Delivery Request" is executed for Item 1 in the main work flow, generating a sub-workflow item. At this time, the number of delivery requests (5) is registered in the system as work flow data for Item 12, and is linked to the data on the number of deliveries available for Item 1 in the main work flow (Event C1).

[0022] As a result, the "Available Delivery Quantity" for Item 1 is linked to the "Number of Delivery Requests" for Item 11 and Item 12, and the number of products that can be delivered on 8 / 31 for Item 1 is 8 minus the number of delivery requests for Item 11 (2) and the number of delivery requests for Item 12 (5), which is 1. In other words, changes made in all sub-workflows linked to the main workflow are reflected immediately. For this reason, even if the management granularity of the workflows differs, such as when there are multiple sub-workflows linked to the main workflow, the work carried out in the main workflow and sub-workflows can proceed smoothly.

[0023] In Figure 1, after performing task B11 "Enter transportation information," Item 11 performs task C11 "Change delivery request quantity," changing the delivery request quantity from 2 to 1. Also, after changing the delivery request quantity, Item 1 performs task C1 "Register shipping box."

[0024] At this time, the number of delivery requests, 1, is registered in the system as workflow data for Item 11, and is linked to the data on the number of deliveries possible for Item 1 in the main workflow (Event D1). As a result, the "number of delivery requests" for Item 11 and Item 12 are linked to the "number of deliveries possible" for Item 1, and the number of products that can be delivered for Item 1 on 8 / 31 / 2023 is 2, calculated by subtracting the number of delivery requests for Item 11 (1) and the number of delivery requests for Item 12 (5) from 8. Furthermore, Task C1, "Register shipping box," is then executed, and the number of shipping boxes, 6, is registered in the system as workflow data for Item 1 on the scheduled delivery date, 8 / 31 / 2023.

[0025] At this time, in the business flow of Case 1, before task C1 is performed, a delivery request approval is performed for task A1 "Register delivery quantity." Delivery request approval is a task in the business flow of Case 1 that approves delivery requests that have been accepted from the sub-business flows of Cases 11 and 12 up to now, and is performed after task A1 "Register delivery quantity" is performed and immediately before "Register shipping box." After the delivery request is approved, new delivery requests and changes to existing delivery requests are not accepted, and the delivery quantity in the business flow of Case 1 is finalized. By accepting data linkage related to the business during the execution of the business in this way, when the main business flow and sub-business flow are performed in parallel while linking specific data items, data linkage from the sub-business flow can be accepted according to the progress of the main business flow.

[0026] 2 is a configuration diagram of a computer 1 that realizes the system according to the embodiment 1. The computer 1 shown in FIG.

[0027] A computer 1, which functions as a data linkage system that executes a data linkage method for linking data between multiple business processes, communicates with one or more terminals 2 via a communication network NT. The communication network NT is a mobile wireless communication network capable of high-capacity, high-speed communication, such as a fifth-generation mobile communication system. In Figure 2, base stations, switches, and other components of the mobile wireless communication network are not shown.

[0028] Terminal 2 is a mobile terminal capable of communicating with computer 1 via communication network NT. However, communication network NT and terminal 2 are not limited to these. In other words, communication network NT may be either a wireless line or a wired line, and may be either a public network or a closed network. Furthermore, terminal 2 may be any computer equipped with communication capabilities, whether portable or fixed.

[0029] The interface unit 21 receives input from an operator of the terminal 2 via the communication network NT, for example, and provides the operator with an operation screen to be displayed on the display screen of the terminal 2 via the terminal 2. The operators include a builder who builds a supply chain model, an operator who sets access restrictions, and an executor who executes tasks included in the supply chain.

[0030] The interface unit 21 can provide an operation screen that is individually provided for each of the builder, the operator, and the executor.

[0031] The control unit 22 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and realizes various functions by expanding and executing programs in a memory (not shown). The storage unit 23 is a storage medium such as a magnetic storage device, and is used to store various data.

[0032] Specifically, the control unit 22 operates as a business flow management unit 31, a business flow generation unit 32, a business data mapping unit 33, an active tenant data management unit 34, and an access control unit 35.

[0033] The storage unit 23 stores case data 41, which associates a case ID that uniquely identifies a case with various information related to the case (product name, pharmaceutical company name), and business flow data 42, which stores data implemented in a business flow for each business. The storage unit 23 also stores business flow case data 43, which stores data items related to the product of the case related to the business flow, and linkage target data 44, which stores data items that are linked between business flows. The storage unit 23 also stores mapping data 45, which associates and manages business flows and data items related to data that are linked between business flows. The storage unit 23 also stores implementation tenant data 46, which associates cases with tenants, area data 47, which associates implementation tenants with the areas to which the tenants belong, and the like.

[0034] The workflow management unit 31 stores and manages workflow data 42 of the supply chain in the storage unit 23. The workflow management unit 31 also stores and manages data items related to products of cases related to the workflow as workflow case data 43 in the storage unit 23.

[0035] The workflow generation unit 32 generates a workflow for the supply chain and issues a case ID corresponding to the workflow. The workflow management unit 31 associates the generated workflow data with the case ID and stores it as workflow data 42 in the storage unit 23.

[0036] The business data mapping unit 33 links data items between business flows and generates mapping data 45 that associates and manages business flows and data items related to data linked between business flows. When there is a change in the data at the data link destination, the business data mapping unit 33 links and changes the data at the data link source based on the mapping data 45.

[0037] The implementing tenant data management unit 34 generates implementing tenant data 46 by associating identification information of the tenant performing the business with identification information of the case, and stores the data in the storage unit 23. Specifically, when a new case is registered, the implementing tenant data management unit 34 generates implementing tenant data 46 by associating each business of the new case with an implementing tenant in advance. Note that, when data on the area to which the implementing tenant belongs is given, area data 47 that associates the implementing tenant with each area may be generated and stored in the storage unit 23.

[0038] When an access request is received from a user such as a business executor, the access control unit 35 performs access control based on the tenant assigned to the user. Specifically, when an access request is received from a business executor, the access control unit 35 refers to the execution tenant data 46 and permits access to the case associated with the tenant to which the executor belongs.

[0039] 3A, 3B, 3C, 4A, and 4 are explanatory diagrams of specific examples of data.

[0040] Project data 41 shown in Figure 3A associates a project ID that uniquely identifies the project with various information related to the project (product name, pharmaceutical company name). Area data 47 shown in Figure 3B associates areas with stakeholders involved in projects within those areas. In Figure 3B, the area "Tokyo Area" and tenants "Medical Institution A," "Medical Institution B," "Wholesale Company A," and "Delivery Company A" are registered. In this way, if multiple stakeholders are involved in an area, it is sufficient to register the same number of stakeholders involved in the area.

[0041] The implementing tenant data 46 shown in Figure 3C is data that associates a case ID with the facility that performs the work for the case or the facility that views the business data for the case. In Figure 3C, the combinations of case ID "1" and tenants "Medical Institution A," "Medical Institution B," "Wholesale Company A," and "Delivery Company A" are registered. In this way, if multiple stakeholders are involved in a case, it is sufficient to register the same number of case ID and tenant combinations as the number of stakeholders involved.

[0042] The system disclosed in this embodiment uses this implementation tenant data 46, which associates a project ID with a tenant, to implement access control so that only stakeholders involved in the project can access the business flow data of the project, thereby maintaining the confidentiality of the information.

[0043] In the implementing tenant data 46 shown in Figure 3C, delivery companies a and b / medical institutions a and b / wholesale company A are associated with case ID 1 as implementing tenants. Also, delivery company a / medical institution a / wholesale company A are associated with case ID 11. Therefore, medical institution a can grasp not only the data for case 11, which is managing its own delivery requests, but also the data for case 1, which is related to the number of deliveries that can be made. In other words, data from the main workflow can also be confirmed from the secondary workflow, making it easy to link data from the secondary workflow to the main workflow (e.g., delivery request).

[0044] The workflow data 42 shown in Fig. 4A stores data executed in the workflow for each task. In Fig. 4A, the workflow data 42 stores data related to the workflow (type, labels and data of registered items in the workflow) in a workflow / event ID that uniquely identifies the workflow or event executed in the workflow related to case ID1 and ID11.

[0045] The workflow case data 43 shown in FIG. 4B stores data items related to the products of the workflow cases in association with the case ID of the workflow case. In FIG. 4B, the data items related to the product of case ID 1 include "Available Delivery Quantity" and "Scheduled Delivery Date," and the values ​​of these items are "8" and "August 31, 2023," respectively. It is also possible to aggregate and manage workflow case data for workflows whose product-related data items match or partially match those of the workflow cases. For example, the workflow for case 1 shown in FIG. 1 is the main workflow, and the workflows for cases 11 and 12 shown in FIG. 1 are sub-workflows. Therefore, the workflow data for case 1 may be managed as main workflow case data 43-1, and the workflow data for cases 11 and 12 may be managed as sub-workflow case data 43-2.

[0046] The linked data 44 shown in Figure 4C stores data items that are linked between business flows. In Figure 4C, the data link source is the "number of deliveries available," and the data link destination is the "number of delivery requests." The number of delivery requests, which is the data link destination, represents the number of products that a medical institution plans to administer on a specific day, and the number of deliveries available, which is the data link source, represents the number of products that a wholesaler can deliver on a specific day. For example, if the number of delivery requests at the data link destination increases, the data is linked so that the number of deliveries available at the data link source decreases accordingly.

[0047] The mapping data 45 shown in Figure 4D is data that links the case ID of the case of the main workflow and the data item that is the data linkage source with the case ID of the case of the secondary workflow and the data item that is the data linkage destination. In Figure 4D, the combinations of the case ID "1" of the case of the main workflow and the data linkage source "Number of deliverables" and the case IDs "11," "12," and "Number of delivery requests" of the cases of the secondary workflow are registered. In this way, when a case of a main workflow is linked to a case of multiple secondary workflows, it is sufficient to register the same number of combinations of the case of the main workflow and the cases of multiple secondary workflows as there are linked cases of the secondary workflows.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for generating a business flow case.

[0049] (S101) When the workflow generation unit 32 receives input for a task related to a main workflow, it issues a case ID corresponding to the main workflow and generates a main workflow. In the example shown in Figure 1, this corresponds to the creation of a case by performing a delivery quantity registration task.

[0050] (S102) Once the main workflow is generated, the workflow management unit 31 registers workflow data 42 relating to the main workflow in the storage unit 23. Data items relating to the products of the case relating to the main workflow may also be registered in the storage unit 23 as workflow case data 43. In the example shown in Figure 1, this corresponds to the scheduled delivery date and the number of deliveries possible being registered as workflow data for Case 1.

[0051] (S103) The business data mapping unit 33 accepts a data linkage request input by one of the implementing tenants related to the main business flow case by referring to the business flow case data of the case. In the example shown in Figure 1, this corresponds to the implementation of the data linkage request for Case 1 by implementing Business A11 "Delivery Request."

[0052] (S104) The business data mapping unit 33 checks whether the data linkage request for the main business flow case can be accepted, and if it can be accepted, proceeds to S1055. If it cannot be accepted, the data linkage request is rejected. In the example shown in FIG. 1, this corresponds to executing a check process to see whether the "number of delivery requests" entered as the data linkage request is less than or equal to the "number of deliveries possible" for case 1. If the number of delivery requests is less than or equal to the number of deliveries possible, the data linkage request is accepted, and if the number of delivery requests is greater than the number of deliveries possible, the data linkage request is rejected.

[0053] (S105) The workflow generation unit 32 issues a case ID for the sub workflow linked to the case of the main workflow based on the data linkage request received via the input unit (not shown), and generates a sub workflow. The workflow management unit 31 then registers the business / event information in the workflow data 42. In the example shown in FIG. 1, this corresponds to generating a workflow for Instance 11 as a sub workflow linked to the main workflow for Instance 1, and registering the number of delivery requests as workflow data for Instance 11. This also corresponds to registering an event indicating that Instance 11 has been linked to Instance 1 as workflow data.

[0054] (S106) The business data mapping unit 33 links the data items between the business flows of the main business flow and the sub business flow, and generates mapping data 45 that associates and manages the business flows and data items related to the linked data between the business flows. S106 is the business data mapping procedure. In the example shown in Figure 1, the "number of deliverables" of the main business flow related to Item 1 is mapped as the data link source, and the "number of delivery requests" of the sub business flow related to Item 11 is mapped as the data link destination, and registered as mapping data 45.

[0055] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for changing the number of delivery requests in a sub-workflow.

[0056] (S201) The business data mapping unit 33 receives a request for linkage data change from one of the implementing tenants related to the sub business flow case to change the linkage data for the main business flow case using the sub business flow case. In the example shown in Figure 1, performing a delivery request quantity change task corresponds to a request for linkage data change for Case 1 of the main business flow.

[0057] (S202) When the business data mapping unit 33 receives a request to change the linked data, it checks whether the request to change the linked data can be accepted, and if it can be accepted, proceeds to S203. If it cannot be accepted, the request to change the linked data is rejected. In the example shown in Figure 1, this corresponds to the execution of a check process to determine whether the number of delivery requests is equal to or less than the "number of deliveries possible" for case 1 as a result of changing the "number of delivery requests" input as the request to change the linked data. If the number of delivery requests is equal to or less than the number of deliveries possible, the request to change the linked data is accepted. If the number of delivery requests is greater than the number of deliveries possible, the data linkage request is rejected.

[0058] (S204) When the request to change the linked data is accepted, the workflow management unit 31 changes the sub-workflow instance data and registers the changed number of delivery requests in the workflow data.

[0059] (S205) The workflow management unit 31 links the changed delivery request quantity to the main workflow case due to the change in the delivery request quantity, and registers the changed deliverable quantity for the main workflow case in the workflow data as workflow / event information.

[0060] FIG. 7 is an example of an output screen D11 according to the first embodiment. The output screen D11 is displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the terminal 2. As shown in the output screen D11, the computer 1 as a data linkage system can present the value of the deliverable quantity, which is the data link source as of August 31, 2023, to the implementing tenant of the case 1 via the interface unit 21. The computer 1 can also present the IDs (cases 11 and 12) of the cases that receive the supply of the case 1. The computer 1 can also present the value of the delivery request quantity, which is the data link destination, and the approval status of the delivery request work. The output unit (not shown) of the computer 1 associates the data shown in FIG. 7 and outputs it as the output screen D11. As a result, the implementing tenant of the case 1 can grasp the progress of the business flow related to the case 1 and the status of delivery requests from other business flows.

[0061] In this example, management of a supply chain for regenerative medicine products is exemplified, and data linkage in a system for managing a supply chain for delivering products in which a wholesaler of regenerative medicine products cooperates with a delivery company and a medical institution at the delivery destination is used as an example. The supply chain for regenerative medicine products is merely an example, and the present invention can be used for any supply chain. [Example]

[0062] As with Example 1, Example 2 will be described using a business flow, which is a chain of operations, as an example of data linkage in regenerative medicine products in particular. The data linkage system manages a supply chain for regenerative medicine products, in which product wholesalers, delivery companies, and destination medical institutions work together to deliver the products, and a supply chain in which pharmaceutical companies that sell the products work together with product wholesalers to sell the products. Differences between Example 2 and Example 1 will be described in detail.

[0063] Figure 8 shows an example of hierarchical data linkage between business flows according to Example 2. The business flow according to Example 2 consists of multiple layers, and at each layer, the main business flow and sub-business flow are linked, with the main business flow at a certain layer being the sub-business flow at the layer immediately above.

[0064] In this example, the product sales quantity is the number of products that a pharmaceutical company can sell to a wholesaler on a specific day. Wholesalers can purchase products from pharmaceutical companies, and pharmaceutical companies manage the product purchase quantities of each wholesaler. For example, the number of products that can be sold on a specific day, August 31st, is 10.

[0065] In Figure 8, Case 0 is the main business flow. In this example, Case 0 is created when Business A0 Sales Quantity Registration is executed. At this time, the planned sales date of 8 / 31 and the available sales quantity of 10 are registered in the system as case data for Case 0.

[0066] Also, Case 1 is a sub-workflow. In this embodiment, first, task A1 "Product Request Task" is performed for Case 0 of the main workflow. If the product request is executable, the product request is performed, thereby generating Case 1 of the sub-workflow. Then, event B0 "Product Request Confirmation" is generated in the main workflow. At this time, the number of product requests (8) is registered in the system as workflow data for Case 1, and is linked to the data on the available product sales quantity for Case 0 of the main workflow. This task is the same as task A1 "Delivery Quantity Registration" shown in embodiment 1, and a case is generated when delivery quantity registration is performed through the product request. At this time, the available delivery quantity (8), which is the same as the number of product requests (8), is registered in the system as case data 41 for Case 1.

[0067] As shown above, Item 1 is a secondary workflow in relation to Item 0, and a primary workflow in relation to Item 11. In this case, among the data items in Item 1, the data item linked to Item 0 and the data item linked to Item 11 may be the same data item, or may be linked within the workflow of Item 1. For example, the number of deliveries available, which is a data item in the primary workflow of Item 1, is linked to the number of manufacturing requests, which is a data item in the secondary workflow of Item 1, and the relationship is: number of deliveries available = number of product requests - number of delivery requests. In other words, if the number of manufacturing requests in Item 1 is 8, the number of products available to distribute to medical institutions is 8, and the number of delivery requests that have already been received is subtracted from that. If no delivery requests have been received, the number of deliveries available is also 8.

[0068] In this way, when the data item of the data link source in the main business flow (number of deliveries possible (Figure 8)) is linked to the data item of the data link destination in the relationship with another business flow (number of product requests (Figure 8)), the following will happen. In other words, the results of changing the data of the data link destination in the relationship with another business flow will be immediately reflected as the result of a change in the data link source in the main business flow. For example, in Figure 8, as a result of executing business B1 "Change product request" in Case 1 and changing the number of product requests from 8 to 10, the number of deliveries possible will also change from 1 to 3.

[0069] Therefore, when data linkage between business flows is performed hierarchically, the results of data changes made at the data link destination in the upper layer are not only immediately reflected in the data link source in the upper layer, but also in the data link source in the lower layer. Therefore, data linkage between hierarchical business flows can also be handled.

[0070] Product request approval may be performed in the Workflow of Case 0. Product request approval is a task in the Workflow of Case 0 to approve product requests that have been accepted from Case 1, which is a sub-workflow, and is performed after Task A0 "Sales Quantity Registration" is performed and immediately before "Shipping Box Registration" is performed. After the product request is approved, new product requests and changes to existing product requests are not accepted and the sales quantity in the Workflow of Case 0 is finalized. By accepting data linkage related to the task during execution in this way, when the main workflow and sub-workflow are performed in parallel while linking specific data items, data linkage from the sub-workflow can be accepted according to the progress of the main workflow.

[0071] Furthermore, product request approval for task A0 "Sales Quantity Registration" of Item 0 can be performed after delivery request quantity approval for task A1 "Delivery Quantity Registration" of Item 1. In other words, task A0 "Sales Quantity Registration" of Item 0 can be performed while task A1 "Delivery Quantity Registration" of Item 1 is being performed. This allows the business flow of Item 1 to adjust supply (product requests) at higher levels after understanding demand (delivery request quantity) at lower levels.

[0072] FIG. 9 shows linked data 44B between business flows consisting of multiple layers.

[0073] In Figure 9, as interlocking target data 44B, which replaces interlocking target data 44 in Example 1, the link between the main workflow and the sub workflow is defined as one hierarchy, and hierarchical levels are defined. For example, at hierarchy level N, one level below hierarchy level N+1, the sub workflow at the N+1th hierarchy level becomes the main workflow. In addition, data items that are identical between hierarchical levels or that are linked within a workflow are defined as data relationships between hierarchical levels. For example, the data item "Number of product requests" at hierarchy level N+1 is linked to the data items "Number of deliverables" and "Number of delivery requests" at the next lower hierarchy level N so as to satisfy a predetermined relational expression, and strict linkage is established based on the relational expression.

[0074] Furthermore, the data linkage destination and data linkage source on the same hierarchical level are linked, as in Example 1. For example, when the number of product orders at the data linkage destination increases, the data is linked so that the number of products that can be manufactured and sold at the data linkage source decreases accordingly.

[0075] In Example 2, data linkage between pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, and medical institutions was explained, but the configuration and operation shown in the example are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented by changing the configuration and operation as appropriate.

[0076] For example, for data linkage between pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers, a data link source "available production quantity" and a data link destination "number of manufacturing requests" may be defined, and a data relationship may be defined in which the "number of manufacturing requests" and the "number available for manufacturing and sale" are linked. Also, for data linkage between cell banks and manufacturers, a data link source "number of available cells" and a data link destination "number of cell requests" may be defined, and a data relationship may be defined in which the "number of cell requests" multiplied by the number of products manufactured from one cell is the "available production quantity."

[0077] In this example, supply chain management of regenerative medicine products was illustrated, and hierarchical data linkage in a system for managing a supply chain for regenerative medicine products was described as an example. Specifically, the combination of the first main business flow and the second main business flow was one of the following: administration and delivery of regenerative medicine products, sales and delivery of regenerative medicine products, and manufacturing and storage of regenerative medicine products. This enables rapid and appropriate delivery, sales, and storage of regenerative medicine products. The supply chain for regenerative medicine products is merely an example, and the present invention can be used for any supply chain.

[0078] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. The above-described embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. In addition, the configurations may be replaced or added, not limited to the deletion of the configurations.

[0079] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The present invention can also be realized by software program code that implements the functions of the embodiments. In this case, a recording medium on which the program code is recorded is provided to a computer, and a processor included in the computer reads the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium implements the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the program code itself and the recording medium on which it is stored constitute the present invention. Examples of recording media for providing such program code include flexible disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, hard disks, solid-state drives (SSDs), optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, and ROMs.

[0080] Furthermore, the program code for realizing the functions described in the above-described embodiments can be implemented in a wide range of programming or scripting languages, such as assembler, C / C++, perl, Shell, PHP, Java (registered trademark), and the like.

[0081] In the above-described embodiment, the control lines and information lines are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the product. All components may be interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1: Computer, 22: Control unit, 23: Memory unit, 33: Business data mapping unit, 34: Implementation tenant data management unit, 35: Access control unit, 41: Case data, 42: Business flow data, 43: Business flow case data, 43-1: Main business flow case data, 43-2: Sub-business flow case data, 44: Linkage target data, 44B: Linkage target data, 45: Mapping data, 46: Implementation tenant data, 47: Area data, D11: Output screen.

Claims

1. A data linkage system that links data between multiple business flows, workflow case data including the workflow consisting of a plurality of linked tasks and information on cases handled by the workflow; a storage unit that stores link target data including information that maintains the relationship between a link source data item and a link destination data item among the data items that are linked between the business flows; a business data mapping unit that maps and links business data related to a first data item of the link source of a first main business flow among the business flows with business data related to a first data item of the link destination of a first sub-business flow, which is the business flow that receives a supply from the first main business flow and executes a business; and The business data mapping unit During the execution of a first task related to the data item of the first link source of the first main task flow, task data related to the data item of the first link source of the first main task flow is linked with task data related to the data item of the first link destination of the first sub-task flow. A data linkage system characterized by:

2. The data linkage system according to claim 1, The business data mapping unit mapping and linking business data related to the second link source data item of a second main business flow, which is the business flow that supplies the first main business flow, with business data related to the second link destination data item of the first main business flow; Business data relating to the data item of the first link source of the first main business flow and business data relating to the data item of the second link destination of the first main business flow are linked and linked. A data linkage system characterized by:

3. 3. The data linkage system according to claim 2, During the execution of a second task related to the second link source data item of the second main task flow, task data related to the second link source data item and task data related to the second link destination data item are linked, The first task is performed while the second task is being performed. A data linkage system characterized by:

4. The data linkage system according to claim 1, The business data mapping unit The business data relating to the data item of the first link source is linked with the business data relating to one or more data items of the first link destination of a second sub-business flow, which is the business flow that receives a supply from the first main business flow and executes a business. A data linkage system characterized by:

5. The data linkage system according to claim 1, The storage unit further stores implementation tenant data including information on tenants involved in each business flow; an input unit that receives a data linkage request for the first sub-workflow from a first tenant that is an implementing tenant of the first main workflow; a workflow generation unit that generates the first sub-workflow based on the data linkage request; an implementing tenant data management unit that sets at least the first tenant as an implementing tenant of the first sub-workflow; an access control unit that controls access to the business data of each business flow by a tenant belonging to the implementation tenant data of each business flow; A data linkage system further comprising:

6. The data linkage system according to claim 1, an output unit that outputs business data related to the data item of the first link source of the first main business flow and business data related to the data item of the first link destination of the first sub-business flow in association with each other; a display unit that displays the output from the output unit; A data linkage system further comprising:

7. 3. The data linkage system according to claim 2, Business data relating to the data item of the second link source of the second main business flow and business data relating to the data item of the first link destination of the first main business flow are linked so as to satisfy a predetermined relational expression. A data linkage system characterized by:

8. 3. The data linkage system according to claim 2, The combination of the first main workflow and the second main workflow is any one of administration and delivery of a regenerative medicine product, sales and delivery of a regenerative medicine product, and manufacturing and storage of a regenerative medicine product. A data linkage system characterized by:

9. A data linkage method executed by a data linkage system that links data between multiple business flows, comprising: The data linkage system includes: workflow case data including the workflow consisting of a plurality of linked tasks and information on cases handled by the workflow; a storage unit for storing link target data including information holding a relationship between a link source data item and a link destination data item among the data items linked between the business flows; a business data mapping unit of the data linkage system having a business data mapping procedure for mapping and linking business data related to a first data item of the link source of a first main business flow among the business flows with business data related to a first data item of the link destination of a first sub-business flow, which is the business flow that receives a supply from the first main business flow and performs a business; In the business data mapping step, the business data mapping unit: During the execution of a first task related to the data item of the first link source of the first main task flow, task data related to the data item of the first link source of the first main task flow is linked with task data related to the data item of the first link destination of the first sub-task flow. A data linkage method comprising:

10. Computer, workflow case data including the workflow consisting of a plurality of linked tasks and information on cases handled by the workflow; a storage unit that stores linkage target data including information that maintains the relationship between a link source data item and a link destination data item among the data items that are linked between the business flows; a business data mapping unit that maps and links business data related to a first data item of the link source of a first main business flow among the business flows with business data related to a first data item of the link destination of a first sub-business flow, which is the business flow that receives a supply from the first main business flow and executes a business; It functions as The business data mapping unit During the execution of a first task related to the data item of the first link source of the first main task flow, task data related to the data item of the first link source of the first main task flow is linked with task data related to the data item of the first link destination of the first sub-task flow. A data linkage program characterized by:

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