Information processing device and matching method

Abstract

An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a storage unit, a matching processing unit, and a display control unit. The storage unit stores a first sequence represented as a set of ordered elements and a second sequence represented as a set of ordered elements. The matching processing unit repeats matching processing for sequentially determining whether or not to match each element of the first sequence with the elements of the second sequence, and matches common elements among the elements of the first sequence and the elements of the second sequence. The display control unit visually associates the matched elements of the first and second sequences to adjust a display position, and generates display data. The matching processing unit prohibits matching between the elements of the first sequence and elements, of the second sequence, having lower orders than the elements that have already been matched.

Description

Information processing device and matching method

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing device and a matching method.

[0002] In order to improve and streamline daily operations using computer systems, it is effective to first obtain operation logs. Tools for obtaining operation logs are also available (see, for example, Reference [1]).

[0003] Incidentally, when visually displaying acquired operation logs using a viewer or the like, there is room for ingenuity in designing the type of UI (User Interface). For example, consider a use case in which an operation log of a veteran (operation log A) is compared with an operation log of a novice (operation log B) for the same task. In the following explanation, the abstract concept of an operation is referred to as a "node," and the arrows showing the relationship between operations are referred to as "edges."

[0004] Consider a case where the time series of operation log A is displayed on the left side of the screen, and the time series of operation log B is displayed on the right side of the screen. With existing technology (for example, Display: flex (Non-Patent Document 1)), nodes are displayed aligned vertically or horizontally. Here, if a business improvement specialist wants to compare similar nodes, there is a possibility that the nodes they want to compare will not fit within the display screen. While it is expected that the user can manually adjust the display area using a scroll bar or the like, this is time-consuming when the series is long, and it becomes difficult to see and grasp the whole picture.

[0005] "Basic Concepts of Flexbox - CSS Cascading Style Sheets MDN", [online], [Retrieved December 11, 2023], Internet <https: / / developer.mozilla.org / ja / docs / Web / CSS / CSS_Flexible_Box_Layout / Basic_Concepts_of_Flexbox>

[0006] An operation log can be thought of as a series of multiple nodes arranged in timestamp order. Each operation log is thought to contain multiple common elements. When designing a UI that compares multiple series containing multiple common elements side-by-side, ingenuity is required to create an easy-to-understand display. Simply aligning the elements vertically or horizontally does not necessarily mean that the parts the user wants to compare can be displayed within the display area, making comparison difficult depending on the use case. However, zooming out to fit all elements within the display area makes it difficult to display the details.

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a technique that makes it possible to easily compare ordered nodes.

[0008] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit, a matching processing unit, and a display control unit. The storage unit stores a first sequence represented as a set of ordered elements and a second sequence represented as a set of ordered elements. The matching processing unit repeats a matching process in which each element of the first sequence is sequentially determined to determine whether it matches an element of the second sequence, thereby matching common elements between the elements of the first sequence and the elements of the second sequence. The display control unit visually associates the matched elements of the first sequence and the elements of the second sequence, adjusts their display positions, and generates display data. Here, the matching processing unit prohibits matching of an element of the first sequence with an element of the second sequence that is younger in order than an already matched element.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, ordered nodes can be compared in an easily viewable manner.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a series on a display unit 52. Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining prohibited matters in the matching process in the first embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the procedure of the matching process when the sizes of sets P and Q are each 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining another example of the procedure of the matching process when the sizes of sets P and Q are each 5. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of prohibited matching.

[0011] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 1 is a computer including a processor 10 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage 20, and a memory 30. The information processing device 1 further includes a communication unit 40 and an interface unit 50 connected to an input unit 51 and a display unit 52. The storage 20 stores a program 20a for causing the computer to function as the information processing device 1. Note that a terminal device 2 may be included in the information processing device 1.

[0012] For example, a business application that can be controlled according to an automatic operation scenario (RPA scenario) is installed on the terminal device 2. The communication unit 40 communicates with the terminal device 2 (computer) as a target of operation by RPA (Robotic Process Automation), for example, via a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0013] The processor 10 includes, as processing functions according to the embodiment, a data acquisition unit 101, a matching processing unit 102, and a display control unit 103. The data acquisition unit 101 acquires, as an operation log, the processing content of a business application of the terminal device 2 operated based on an automatic operation scenario. The acquired operation log is stored in the memory 30 (operation log 301).

[0014] Incidentally, an operation log can be expressed as a set of ordered elements. In the embodiment, such a set is called a sequence. The nodes included in the operation log are the elements of the set. In the use case described above, the veteran's operation log (operation log A) can be understood as the first sequence, and the rookie's operation log (operation log B) as the second sequence. Memory 30 stores such operation logs A and B.

[0015] The matching processing unit 102 repeats the matching process of determining in turn whether each element in the operation log A matches an element in the operation log B. Then, the matching processing unit 102 matches common elements between the elements in the operation log A and the elements in the operation log B. The matching data generated by the matching process is stored in the memory 30 (matching data 30).

[0016] Here, the matching processing unit 102 prohibits matching of an element in operation log A with an element in operation log B that is younger in order than an already matched element. In other words, matching with an element above an already matched element is prohibited.

[0017] The display control unit 103 visually associates the elements of the operation log A and the elements of the operation log B that match each other, adjusts the display positions, and generates display data. The generated display data is stored in the memory 30 (display data 303), and is also passed to the display unit 52 for visual display.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the display of series on the display unit 52. Series 1 shows an operation log A by a veteran, and Series 2 shows an operation log B by a novice. Each series includes multiple operations (nodes) arranged vertically in chronological order. Here, the operations in each series (operations A to Z) are both the same and different. When comparing two series by looking at the display unit 52, business improvement personnel have a need to see similar operations side by side. In other words, a display like that of FIG. 2(b) is easier for users to see than that of FIG. 2(a).

[0019] In this way, when comparing two series that have an order and contain multiple common elements side by side, a method is disclosed below that can automatically control the display position so that the common elements of the two series are lined up as side by side as possible.

[0020] In order to align the two sequences in as many points as possible, it is possible to match common elements by utilizing the maximum matching problem of a bipartite graph, for example. Alternatively, matching may be performed using an arithmetic algorithm.

[0021] First Embodiment A method for matching common elements using an algorithmic approach will be described below. Pseudo-code for the algorithm applied in the first embodiment is shown below.

[0022] Here, when there are ordered sets P and Q, each having a size of n and m, a method for matching their elements is considered. Specifically, common element matching using Algorithm 1 is as follows.

[0023] P １ GaQ １ ~Q ｍ It will be judged whether it matches or not, and it ... ｍ When the determination up to this point is completed, the i-th (i = 1, 2, ..., n) element P ｉ and the jth (j=1, 2, ..., m) element Q of Q ｊ If they are the same, it is a match, and if they are different, it is not a match.

[0024] Here, max_j in lines 1:, 3:, and 6: of the pseudocode is ｉ is a process for prohibiting matching with an element above an element that has already been matched in Q. This prohibition process is provided to automatically adjust the display position by adjusting only the display interval without rearranging the nodes on the display screen of the display unit 52. This is because, since the target is a sequence that has an order, such as an operation log, rearranging the sequence may cause the original meaning to be lost.

[0025] 3 is a diagram for explaining prohibited matters in the matching process in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, a new rule is added to the matching process that prohibits matching with elements above an element that has already been matched.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the procedure of the matching process when the sizes of the sets P and Q are each 5.

[0027] In Fig. 4(a), it is determined whether the first element of set P is the same as the first element of set Q. As a result, they are different, so the first element of set P and the first element of Q do not match (step 1).

[0028] In Fig. 4(b), it is determined whether the first element of set P is the same as the second element of set Q. As a result, they are the same, so the first element of set P and the second element of Q match (step 2).

[0029] In Figure 4(c), the first element of set P has already been matched, so consider the second element of set P. Here, the second element in set Q has already been matched, so the third element and subsequent elements of Q are checked in order from top to bottom. As a result, there are no elements in the range from third to fifth in Q that match the second element of P (steps 3 to 5).

[0030] In Figure 4(d), the second element of set P does not match Q, so consider the third element of set P. As in steps 3 to 5, the second element in set Q has already been matched, so the third element and subsequent elements of Q are checked in order from top to bottom. As a result, there is no element in the range from the third to the fifth element of Q that matches the third element of P (steps 6 to 8).

[0031] In Figure 4(e), the third element of set P does not match Q, so consider the fourth element of set P. As in steps 3 to 8, the second element in set Q has already matched, so the third element and subsequent elements of Q are checked in order from top to bottom. As a result, there is no element in the range from the third to the fifth element of Q that matches the fourth element of P (steps 9 to 10).

[0032] In Figure 4(f), the fourth element of set P does not match Q, so consider the fifth element of set P. As in steps 3 to 10, the second element in set Q has already been matched, so the third element and subsequent elements of Q are checked in order from top to bottom. As a result, it matches the third element of Q (step 11).

[0033] 5A to 5D are diagrams illustrating another example of the procedure for the matching process when the sizes of sets P and Q are each 5. As shown in Fig. 5A to 5D, the correspondence between each node in set P and set Q is determined as the matching process progresses.

[0034] Second Embodiment A method for matching common elements by utilizing maximal bipartite matching will be described below.

[0035] Consider the problem of matching zero or one node belonging to set P with a node belonging to set Q, when there are ordered sets P and Q, each having a size of n and m. Here, in order to display ordered sequences side-by-side without rearranging them, a node belonging to P cannot be matched with a node above an already matched node belonging to Q. In other words, matching represented by (x) in FIG. 6 is prohibited.

[0036] The conditions for matching can be summarized as follows: (Condition 1) A node on set P can be connected to zero or one node on set Q. (Condition 2) Only nodes with the same attribute can be matched. (Condition 3) A node above a node on set Q that has already been matched cannot be matched.

[0037] Here, the maximum weight matching of a normal bipartite graph is expressed by equation (1).

[0038] In equation (1), the solution x ｉｊ takes the value 0 or 1, and x ｉｊ = 1, i and j are a match, where the weight c ｉｊ is given as follows: P ｉ =Qｉ When c satisfies ｉｊ = 1, P ｉ ≠Q ｉ When c satisfies ｉｊ =-∞

[0039] By solving formulation (1), it is possible to find a solution that satisfies (Condition 1) and (Condition 2). However, this does not necessarily mean that the solution satisfies (Condition 3). Therefore, we set a penalty constant p that imposes a penalty of -∞ on matchings that violate (Condition 3). ｉｊ While executing equation (2) with the objective function, the constant p ｉｊ By updating the above, a solution that satisfies all of (Condition 1), (Condition 2), and (Condition 3) is optimized. This is the algorithm (Algorithm 2) in the second embodiment.

[0040] The pseudocode of the algorithm applied in the second embodiment is shown below.

[0041] As described above, in the embodiment, for two series A and B, a determination is made in order as to whether each element in A matches an element in B. However, matching with an element above an element in B that has already been matched is prohibited. This type of matching process, which is so-called restricted, makes it possible to display the positions of elements common to series A and series B without changing their order. This makes it easy for a business improvement specialist to compare two operation logs, A and B, in which different workers, one veteran and one novice, performed the same task side by side, in order to, for example, optimize the work of a novice worker to match that of a veteran worker.

[0042] As a result, according to the embodiment, it is possible to provide an information processing device and a matching method that enable easy comparison of ordered nodes, thereby improving the visibility of operation logs and further promoting business improvements.

[0043] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the information having a sequence is not limited to an operation log, but may be a business procedure.

[0044] Furthermore, in the implementation stage, the components of this invention can be modified and embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

[0045] <References> [1] “Operation process classification type business design support technology”, [online], [searched December 11, 2023], Internet <https: / / journal.ntt.co.jp / article / 18032>

[0046] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...information processing device 2...terminal device 10...processor 20...storage 20a...program 30...memory 40...communication unit 50...interface unit 51...input unit 52...display unit 101...data acquisition unit 102...matching processing unit 103...display control unit

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores a first series represented as a set of elements having an order and a second series represented as a set of elements having an order; a matching processing unit that repeatedly performs a matching process of sequentially determining whether each element of the first series matches an element of the second series, thereby matching common elements between the elements of the first series and the elements of the second series; and a display control unit that visually associates the elements of the first series and the elements of the second series that match each other and adjusts a display position to generate display data, wherein the matching processing unit prohibits matching between an element of the first series and an element of the second series that is younger in order than an element of the second series that has already been matched.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the matching processing unit matches common elements between the elements of the first series and the elements of the second series by maximum bipartite matching.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the matching processing unit repeats the matching process by imposing a penalty on a matching that violates a preset condition.

4. A process in which a computer stores a first series represented as a set of elements having an order and a second series represented as a set of elements having an order in a storage unit; a process in which the computer repeatedly performs a matching process of sequentially determining whether each element of the first series matches an element of the second series, thereby matching common elements between the elements of the first series and the elements of the second series; and a process in which the computer visually associates the elements of the first series and the elements of the second series that match each other and adjusts a display position to generate display data, wherein the computer prohibits matching between an element of the first series and an element of the second series that is younger in order than an element of the second series that has already been matched in the matching process.

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