JP2004185446A - Data management system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for efficiently sharing electronic data in a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation.
In a data management system, a common database collectively manages data commonly used by a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation. The workbench 30 is provided for each section, and manages data commonly used in each section. The application 40 processes tasks in the section. Data commonly used between the applications 40 is managed by the data management system 10 having a two-layer structure of the workbench 30 and the common database 20.
[Selection] Fig. 2

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a data management technique, and more particularly, to a data management system for sharing electronic data among a plurality of sections that cooperate and execute a project.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Following the trend of the information age at the end of the 20th century, each company has been working on computerization of various tasks to reduce costs and promote more efficient tasks. Especially for large companies, not only digitize the work of individual departments or sections, but also establish a mechanism to distribute information between multiple sections using electronic data, and facilitate the cooperation of work between sections. This has very important implications for cost savings across the enterprise. In the past, information distribution between sections was performed on a document basis, but by performing the distribution by electronic data, it is possible to significantly reduce the necessary cost and time.
[0003]
Also, when multiple sections cooperate to carry out a large-scale project such as in plant construction, it is important for each section to use IT to improve efficiency. By sharing electronic data in each section and making the electronic data generated in the work in each section sharable in other sections, the work efficiency of the entire project can be greatly improved.
[0004]
At present, IT is one of the important factors that determine a company's competitiveness. Each company is reviewing its business content company-wide and working on building a large system that controls all sections within the company. In.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-297116 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, at the work site in each section, the IT required for each business has been developed independently or a commercially available application has been used to individually implement the IT. In the case of sharing electronic data between independently developed applications, it is necessary to prepare interfaces for the combinations of applications that exchange data due to factors such as differences in the data structure inside each application. In order to enable individual data exchange between applications used in all sections in the company, prepare an interface for data exchange for any combination of applications, and upgrade each application version. It is necessary to reconsider the interfaces of all applications that exchange data with the application, which requires enormous man-hours and resources, and is not practical.
[0007]
On the other hand, analyzing the data structure of applications used in all sections of the company and changing the internal data structure of all applications to reconstruct the system from the ground up with the aim of unifying the interface is a huge amount. Requires many man-hours and resources. Also, sections that have used commercially available applications naturally have a desire to continue using the application, and it can be said that it is virtually impossible to unify the data structure of all applications.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for efficiently sharing electronic data in a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation. Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique for realizing a system for sharing electronic data among a plurality of sections. These objects are achieved by combinations of the features described in the independent claims. Also, the dependent claims define further advantageous embodiments of the present invention.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a data management system. The data management system is provided for each of a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation with each other, and includes a plurality of first database systems for managing data commonly used in each section; And a second database system that manages and collectively uses data commonly used by the sections, wherein the second database system receives a request for reference and registration of data from the plurality of first database systems. Has an interface.
[0010]
Rather than directly exchanging electronic data between applications used in each section, the second database system manages data commonly used in the project in an integrated manner. In addition, a first database system that comprehensively manages data commonly used in the section is provided for each section, and mediating data exchange between the second database system and each application in the section. . The first database system plays a role in absorbing differences in the internal data structure of each application in the section, and has a function between a second database system having a common data structure and an application having a unique data structure. And serves as an interface for exchanging data.
[0011]
The first database system has an interface for acquiring data used in the section from the second database system and for registering data updated in the section to the second database system. May be.
[0012]
The first database system may include an interface for receiving data reference and registration from a plurality of applications used in the section.
[0013]
The intermediate file used for input / output of data between the first database system and the second database system may have a structure in which one record is assigned to one data. The type of data required by the application and the order of the data differ depending on the type and application of the application, but the difference in the type and order of the data must be absorbed by using a data structure in which one record is assigned to one data. Can be. Further, even when the input / output specifications are changed, it is possible to cope without largely changing the interface.
[0014]
Note that the above summary of the present invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and a combination of these features may also be an invention. Further, the expression of the present invention converted between the device, the method, and the system is also effective as an aspect of the present invention.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the present invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and a combination of features described in the embodiments. Not all are essential to the solution of the invention.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the overall configuration of “i-PLANT21 (registered trademark)” 8, which is a management system for integrated management of a plant design project. In FIG. 1, a large number of operations and applications involved in a plant design project are roughly classified into seven types of bases. The i-PLANT 21 organically connects the seven bases and realizes unification of data, thereby contributing to improvement of the work efficiency of the entire project. The i-PLANT 21 includes an “i-FRONT” 1 for integrating a basic design, an “i-ENG” 3 for integrating engineering data management, an “i-DMS” 2 for integrating electronic document management, and tertiary. “I-3D” 4 for integration of space design based on original model, “i-PMS” 5 for integration of project management, “i-MAT” 6 for integration of material management, and site construction management It is composed of seven bases, i-Field7 for integration.
[0017]
The i-PLANT 21 (1) realizes an environment in which delivery time is shorter and high-quality engineering is performed by improving work efficiency, and (2) operation management and maintenance of the customer by directly converting the digitized design data. The purpose is to improve customer convenience by using it for maintenance management, etc., and (3) to unify design data by integrating design systems to achieve smooth communication at the time of design. And The i-PLANT 21 can be applied not only to the fields of hydrocarbons such as petroleum, petrochemicals, and natural gas, but also to project engineering in general industries such as medicine, food, automobiles, and copper smelting.
[0018]
In the embodiment, a data management technique in “i-ENG” 3 that integrally manages engineering data among seven bases in i-PLANT 21 will be described.
[0019]
FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the data management system 10 according to the present embodiment. The data management system 10 is a system for sharing electronic data among a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation. In the present embodiment, a plant design project will be described as an example. Here, a section is a management unit classified according to the type of business or the like, and may correspond to a department called a “department”, “section”, “section”, or the like in a company. A project is a unit of business or work performed for a certain purpose, and is generally performed by the cooperation of a plurality of sections. The application 40 is used for business in each section. For example, in the control design section, applications such as a control design support tool, a drawing tool, and a calculation tool are used.
[0020]
The workbench 30 as an example of the first database system is provided for each section. In order to share data between the applications 40 used in the section, data is input to and from each application 40. It provides an interface for output and manages data commonly used in those applications 40. In the data management system 10 according to the present embodiment, the mechanical design workbench 30a is used in the mechanical design section, the instrumentation design workbench 30b is used in the instrumentation design section, the electric design workbench 30c is used in the electric design section, and the piping design section is used. A piping design workbench 30d, a line list workbench 30e in a line list design section, and a system design workbench 30f in a system design section are provided. The workbench 30 is a database system for comprehensively managing data necessary for work in each section. When a section is involved in a plurality of projects, the workbench 30 for that section is May handle data related to other projects.
[0021]
The application 40 acquires data required for the processing from the workbench 30 and registers data changed by the processing or newly generated data in the workbench 30. Data input / output is performed via an interface designed according to the specifications of the application. The application 40 only needs to exchange data with the workbench 30 and does not need to directly exchange data with another application 40. That is, there is no need to provide an interface for inputting and outputting data to and from another application 40.
[0022]
In a system in which each application 40 individually exchanges data with another application 40, it is necessary to prepare as many interfaces as the number of combinations of applications 40 that share data. However, in the data management system 10 of the present embodiment, Since the workbench 30 exchanges data with all the applications 40 in the section, the interface for inputting and outputting data in the section can be integrated in the workbench 30. As a result, the man-hour for developing the interface can be significantly reduced, and even when the specifications of the application 40 are changed, the man-hour required for changing the interface can be significantly reduced.
[0023]
Each workbench 30 also has an interface for inputting and outputting data to and from a common database 20 as an example of a second database system, and communicates with other sections via the common database 20. Share data between. The workbench 30 acquires data required by the application 40 in the section from the common database 20 in advance and holds the data. When there is a data acquisition request from the application 40, the data is supplied via an interface for inputting and outputting data to and from the application 40. When there is a data registration request from the application 40, the data is registered in its own database, and if the data is common data used in other sections, the data is registered in the common database 20.
[0024]
The common database 20 as an example of the second database system collectively manages data commonly used by a plurality of sections in a project. First, the data generated by the initial design system of the plant and the process design tool are supplied and registered in the common database 20, and then provided for the design work in each section. The data is updated and added. The common database 20 is a database system for managing data related to a project in an integrated manner. However, when it is desired to share data in a plurality of related projects, a common database 20 for managing a plurality of projects may be provided. The common database 20 also serves as an interface for inputting and outputting data to and from each workbench 30. The mechanical design database 20a, the instrumentation design database 20b, the electric design database 20c, the piping design database 20d, It includes a line list database 20e and a system design database 20f, and further includes a master database 20g that manages item numbers and common data of devices and the like. Existing technology such as a relational database can be applied to each database, and data can be referenced and exchanged between the databases.
[0025]
In the data management system 10 of the present embodiment, since the common database 20 exchanges data with the workbench 30 of all sections related to the project, an interface for exchanging data between sections is shared. They can be collected in the database 20. As a result, the man-hour for developing the interface can be significantly reduced, and the man-hour required for changing the interface can be significantly reduced even when the specification of the data structure of the common database 20 or the workbench 30 is changed. Can be reduced.
[0026]
The workbench 30 may hold data commonly used in sections, and the common database 20 may hold data commonly used in sections related to a project. Thereby, required resources can be minimized. It is necessary to unify the definitions of data names and the like for commonly used data. However, the data used by each workbench 30 is input and output using a unified data definition in the common database 20. By designing the interface between them, it is possible to ensure the consistency of the data definition of the entire system. Similarly, in the case of each workbench 30, with respect to data commonly used only within a section, if an interface is designed to input and output data with each application using a unified data definition within the section Good. This ensures the consistency of the data definition and simplifies the interface.
[0027]
FIG. 3 shows a data structure of an intermediate file used for input / output between the common database 20 and the workbench 30. The intermediate file has a structure in which one record is assigned to one piece of data. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, one record has a data name, a data value, a unit, and a note for one piece of data. In this way, instead of arranging a plurality of data in one record, one record is allocated to one data and separated, so that even if the type or order of input / output data is changed, the contents of the intermediate file are changed. Can be changed so that the interface is not affected. For example, when each section outputs a data sheet, it is necessary to output a data sheet in a different format depending on the use of the data sheet, the request from the presenter, etc. The effect on input / output can be minimized.
[0028]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the data management system 10 for sharing electronic data among a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation with each other includes a workbench 30 for data management in the sections, and a plurality of sections. By having a two-layer structure of a common database 20 for data management in a project including sections, the interface is simplified, and a large-scale system for managing a large amount of data with relatively few man-hours is constructed. Can be. In addition, even if there is a change in the specifications of each application 40, the workbench 30 serves as a buffer, and the influence on the common database 20 can be minimized, so that the man-hour required for maintenance during system operation is greatly reduced. can do.
[0029]
Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. The above embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. is there.
[0030]
As an example of such a modification, in the embodiment, the data management system 10 has a two-layer structure of the workbench 30 and the common database 20, but may have a structure of three or more layers. For example, a database system that collectively manages a plurality of highly relevant sections may be further provided between the workbench 30 and the common database 20. When the number of applications 40 used in a section is large, a database system for grouping and managing a plurality of applications 40 may be further provided.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for efficiently sharing electronic data in a plurality of sections performing a project in cooperation. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for realizing a system for sharing electronic data among a plurality of sections.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an overall configuration of a management system for integrally managing a plant design project.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a data management system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a data structure of an intermediate file used for input / output between a common database and a workbench.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Data management system, 20 Common database, 30 Workbench, 40 Application.

Claims (4)

A plurality of first database systems provided for each of a plurality of sections that cooperate and execute a project, and managing data commonly used in each section;
A second database system that comprehensively manages data commonly used by the plurality of sections in the project;
The data management system according to claim 1, wherein the second database system has an interface for receiving data reference and registration requests from the plurality of first database systems. The first database system has an interface for acquiring data used in the section from the second database system and registering updated data in the section to the second database system. The data management system according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The data management system according to claim 1, wherein the first database system has an interface for receiving data reference and registration from a plurality of applications used in the section. 4. 4. The intermediate file used for input / output of data between the first database system and the second database system has a structure in which one record is assigned to one data. The data management system described in Crab.

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