JP7418238B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies July 26, 2020 https://ascii. jp/planetway/ https://ascii. Announced through jp/elem/000/001/894/1894685/ July 26, 2020 https://www. nichigas. co. jp/https://www. nichigas. co. jp/corporate/outline/ https://ssl4. eir-parts. net/doc/8174/tdnet/1734053/00. Published via pdf September 20, 2020 Published in "Call Center Japan October 2019 issue, pages 40 to 41" published by Rick Telecom Co., Ltd. September 20, 2020 https://callcenter-japan ．． com https://callcenter-japan. com/category/273/1. html https://callcenter-japan. com/magazine/4291. html https://callcenter-japan. com//magazine/4277. Announced through htm

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an information processing device that is used to refer to the contents of a database such as a customer management database (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-060225

However, in conventional information processing devices, there has been a problem in that it is difficult to handle information stored in each of two or more databases that are distributed and stored in two or more storage units.

The information processing device of the first invention is an information processing device used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units, and wherein each of the two or more databases has a is stored in association with first user information including a user identifier regarding one user and second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding one user, and is stored in an information processing apparatus. acquires two or more pieces of first user information included in each of the user information storage unit and the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that identifies a record of the database in which each piece of first user information is stored; A user information storage unit that stores information in a user information storage unit, an access request information reception unit that receives access request information for accessing the second user information associated with a user identifier, and an access request information reception unit that receives The information processing apparatus includes an access control unit that accesses second user information stored in a corresponding database based on a record identifier corresponding to a user identifier associated with access request information.

With this configuration, information stored in each of two or more databases can be appropriately accessed in response to an access request.

Furthermore, in the information processing device of the second invention, in contrast to the first invention, the access request information received by the access request information reception unit is associated with a requester identifier that identifies the requester who requested access. The access control unit acquires authority information regarding the access authority of the requester identified by the requester identifier corresponding to the access request information received by the access request information reception unit, and based on the acquired authority information, 2. This is an information processing device that accesses user information.

With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately access information stored in each of two or more databases, depending on the access authority of the requester who made the access request.

Further, in the information processing device of the third invention, in contrast to the second invention, the access control unit determines the attributes of some of the second user information to be the target of the access request, based on the acquired authority information. The information processing apparatus performs at least one of restricting access to a value and restricting the types of operations that can be performed on second user information that is the subject of an access request.

With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately access information stored in each of two or more databases, depending on the access authority of the requester who made the access request.

Further, in the information processing device of the fourth invention, in accordance with any one of the first to third inventions, the authority information includes access information regarding two or more records stored in the database for each of the two or more databases. This is an information processing device that collectively defines authority.

With this configuration, the requester's access authority can be easily defined.

Further, the information processing apparatus of the fifth invention provides an access record for accumulating the access record by the access control unit in a distributed ledger database realized in the information processing system, for any one of the first to fourth inventions. The information processing device further includes a storage section.

With this configuration, access records can be stored reliably.

Further, the information processing device of the sixth invention is configured to input user information, which is either the first user information or the second user information, from a requester for any one of the first to fifth inventions. a search request information receiving unit that receives search request information received by the search request information receiving unit; a search execution unit that searches for user information based on the search request information received by the search request information reception unit; and a search unit that outputs search results by the search execution unit. The information processing device further includes a result output unit.

With this configuration, information stored in each of two or more databases can be appropriately searched.

Further, the information processing device of the seventh invention is an information processing device used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units, and which includes a user information storage unit and a user information storage unit. , acquire two or more pieces of user information including a user identifier related to one user stored in each of two or more databases in association with a record identifier that specifies the record of the database in which each user information is stored, and A user information storage section that stores user information in an information storage section; a search request information reception section that receives search request information input from a requester regarding user information; and a search request information reception section that receives search request information that is received by the search request information reception section. The information processing apparatus includes a search execution unit that searches for user information, and a search result output unit that outputs search results from the search execution unit.

With this configuration, information stored in each of two or more databases can be appropriately searched.

Further, in the information processing device of the eighth invention, in contrast to the sixth or seventh invention, the search result output unit visually displays user information included in the search results and the database from which the user information was obtained. This is an information processing device that outputs information in association with identification information for indicating information.

With this configuration, it is possible to easily understand whether individual user information in the search results is based on one of two or more databases.

In addition, in the information processing device of the ninth invention, in contrast to any one of the sixth to eighth inventions, the search execution unit performs the search based on the requester identifier that identifies the requester who inputs the search request information. This is an information processing device that searches for different search targets for each requester who inputs search request information.

With this configuration, it is possible to perform a search according to a requester who inputs search request information.

In addition, in addition to the ninth invention, the information processing device of the tenth invention acquires an index information storage unit and two or more pieces of index information containing mutually different contents for searching user information, and each The search execution unit further includes an index information storage unit that stores the index information in the index information storage unit in association with the corresponding requester identifier, and the search execution unit stores the index information based on the requester identifier that identifies the requester who inputs the search request information. The information processing apparatus performs a search using index information corresponding to a requester identifier among two or more pieces of index information stored in a storage unit.

With this configuration, information stored in each of two or more databases can be quickly and appropriately searched.

In addition, in the information processing device of the eleventh invention, in contrast to the ninth or tenth invention, the search execution unit is configured to include a specific information processing unit that is associated with a requester identifier that identifies a requester who inputs search request information. This is an information processing device that performs a search using user information stored in a database or information derived therefrom as a search target.

With this configuration, information stored in each of the two or more databases can be appropriately searched depending on the requester who inputs the search request information.

Further, the information processing device of the twelfth invention requests any one of the first to eleventh inventions to display a reception screen for accepting search request information input from a requester. a display request information reception unit that receives reception screen display request information; and a reception screen information output unit that outputs reception screen information for displaying the reception screen based on the reception screen display request information received by the display request information reception unit. The reception screen information output unit is an information processing device that outputs reception screen information based on a requester identifier that identifies a requester who inputs the reception screen display request information.

With this configuration, it is possible to display a reception screen with contents corresponding to a requester who has input reception screen display request information.

According to the information processing device according to the present invention, information stored in each of two or more databases can be appropriately handled, and convenience is improved.

Block diagram of an information processing system according to this embodiment Block diagram of the information processing system Block diagram of the information processing device Block diagram of the terminal device A diagram explaining an example of the operation of the information processing device Flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device Flowchart showing an example of index information generation and accumulation processing of the information processing device Flowchart showing an example of search processing of the information processing device Flowchart showing an example of access processing of the information processing device A diagram showing a specific example of requester information stored in the requester information storage unit of the information processing device A diagram showing a specific example of authority information stored in the authority information storage unit of the information processing device A diagram illustrating a specific example of a first database that can be accessed by the information processing device A diagram illustrating a specific example of a second database that can be accessed by the information processing device A diagram showing a specific example of the first display screen of the terminal device A diagram showing a specific example of the second display screen of the terminal device A diagram showing a specific example of the third display screen of the terminal device A diagram showing a specific example of the fourth display screen of the terminal device A diagram showing a first modified example of a screen for displaying search results of the terminal device. A diagram showing a second modification of the screen for displaying search results for the terminal device. A diagram showing a third modification of the screen for displaying search results for the terminal device. An overview diagram of the computer system in the above embodiment Block diagram of the computer system

Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing device and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the embodiments, constituent elements with the same reference numerals perform similar operations, and therefore, repeated explanation may be omitted.

Note that terms used in the description of the embodiments are generally defined as follows. Note that the meanings of these terms should not always be interpreted as shown here; for example, if they are explained individually in the description of the embodiments below, they should also be interpreted in light of that explanation. be.

A requester is a person who uses an information processing system to view or operate information regarding a user. Here, the term "user" refers exclusively to a target person (customer) who receives services, etc. through operations performed using an information processing system.

An identifier for a certain matter is a character, code, etc. that uniquely indicates the matter. The identifier is, for example, an ID, but any type of information may be used as long as it can identify the corresponding item. That is, the identifier may be the name of the thing it represents, or may be a combination of codes so as to uniquely correspond to each other. A combination of two or more pieces of information (for example, attribute values of records recorded in a database) may be used as the identifier.

User information refers to information regarding a user. User information includes, for example, a user identifier that identifies the user, the user's name, and information regarding the user's address (which may be the street address of the address or location information such as longitude and latitude). Various information corresponding to the user may be included, such as (good). User information may be recorded as a record in a database, and in that case, each piece of information included in the user information may be included as an attribute value of the record.

Acquisition may include obtaining items input by a user or the like, or may include obtaining information stored in another device. Obtaining information stored in another device may include obtaining information stored in another device via an API or the like, or may include obtaining information stored in another device via an API or the like, or may include obtaining information stored in another device via an API. This may include acquiring the content (including the content of a web page) by scraping or the like. It may also include obtaining information in a different format based on the original information, such as obtaining information by performing optical character reading on the image file.

Furthermore, a so-called machine learning method may be used to obtain the information. For example, machine learning techniques can be used as follows. That is, a learning device that receives a specific type of input information and outputs the desired type of output information is configured using a machine learning method. For example, two or more sets of input information and output information are prepared in advance, and the two or more sets of information are given to a module for configuring a machine learning learning device to configure the learning device, and the configured learning device is Accumulate in storage. Note that the learning device can also be called a classifier. Note that the machine learning method may be, for example, deep learning, random forest, SVR, etc. Further, for machine learning, functions in various machine learning frameworks such as fastText, tinySVM, random forest, and TensorFlow, and various existing libraries can be used, for example.

Regarding information, selecting and deciding are concepts that include obtaining certain information, obtaining a link to certain information, setting a flag regarding certain information, and the like.

Outputting information means displaying it on a display, projecting it using a projector, printing it on a printer, outputting sound, sending it to an external device, storing it on a recording medium, processing it to other processing devices or other programs, etc. This is a concept that includes the delivery of results. Specifically, this includes, for example, displaying information on a web page, sending it as an e-mail, outputting information for printing, and the like.

Accepting information refers to accepting information input from input devices such as keyboards, mice, touch panels, etc., receiving information sent via wired or wireless communication lines from other devices, etc., receiving information from optical disks, magnetic disks, semiconductors, etc. This is a concept that includes receiving information read from a recording medium such as a memory.

Regarding various types of information stored in information processing devices, etc., updating refers to not only changing the stored information, but also adding new information to the stored information, or updating the stored information. This is a concept that includes erasing part or all of the data.

(Embodiment)

The outline of this embodiment is as follows. That is, in the present embodiment, information processing system 900 has two or more databases arranged in a distributed manner. Each of the two or more databases stores user information including first user information and second user information that are associated with each other. The information processing apparatus 100 of the information processing system 900 enables access to second user information stored in the corresponding second database based on the access request corresponding to the first user information. At this time, the information processing apparatus 100 may control access to the second user information based on the authority information of the requester who has requested access. For example, based on the authority information, the information processing apparatus 100 may At least one of restricting access to attribute values and restricting access methods is performed. The authority information may be defined for each of two or more databases. Furthermore, the access record to the second user information may be stored in a distributed ledger database.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the information processing system 900 searches for user information, which is either the first user information or the second user information, based on the search request information input from the requester, and outputs the search request information. You may also do so. Here, the user information included in the search results may be output in association with identification information for visually indicating the database from which the search results were obtained. Note that the search may be performed on different search targets for each requester, for example, the search may be performed using index information corresponding to the requester, or the user information of the database selected corresponding to the requester or the like. A search may be performed using the derived information as a search target. Further, the content of the reception screen displayed to the requester may be changed depending on the requester.

(Embodiment 1)

The configuration of the information processing system 900 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing system 900 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, an information processing system 900 includes a first external device 910, a second external device 920, a third external device 930, an information processing device 100, a terminal device 600, and the like. Each device can communicate with each other via a network, such as a local area network or the Internet. The configuration of the information processing system 900 is not limited to this. The number of each device included in the information processing system 900 does not matter, and other devices may be included in the information processing system 900.

In this embodiment, the first external device 910 and the second external device 920 are devices used in different businesses. The first external device 910 performs, for example, the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household use (for example, for users, services such as gas cylinder delivery services, meter reading services, equipment security services, etc.) are performed. ). On the other hand, the second external device 920 is used, for example, to supply water to each household (for example, for users, tasks such as meter reading of water usage and accounting services such as collection of fees are performed). This is the device used. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an apparatus that is used in businesses such as equipment sales and maintenance in conjunction with gas and water supply businesses. Note that these businesses may be operated by one organization, or may be operated by separate organizations such as separate companies.

The third external device 930 is, for example, a node used to manage a distributed ledger database using blockchain technology. The third external device 930 maintains and manages a distributed ledger database together with other devices connected via the network.

In addition, in FIG. 1, for example, a portable information terminal device such as a so-called smartphone, a tablet type information terminal device, and a personal computer (PC) such as a laptop computer are shown as the terminal device 600. Any of these may be used as the device 600, or devices other than these may be used. The requester can use the information processing system 900 using the terminal device 600. In the example below, it is assumed that a so-called personal computer having a keyboard, a display, etc. is used as the terminal device 600, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the information processing system 900. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the information processing apparatus 100. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the terminal device 600.

First, the configurations of the first external device 910, the second external device 920, and the third external device 930 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first external device 910 includes a first external device storage section 911, a first external device processing section 915, a first external device transmitting section 916, and a first external device receiving section 917. The first external device 910 is, for example, a server device having a general configuration, but is not limited to this, and may be another type of computer, or a device realized by connecting multiple devices to each other. It may be. The first external device 910 is connectable to a network and configured to communicate with other devices connected to the network.

The first external device storage section 911 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be implemented using a volatile recording medium. The first external device storage section 911 stores various information, programs, and the like. The process by which this information is stored does not matter. For example, information may be stored in the first external device storage section 911 via a recording medium, or information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the first external device storage section 911. Alternatively, information input via an input device may be stored in the first external device storage section 911.

The first external device storage section 911 includes a first database storage section 912 .

The first database storage unit 912 stores a first database. The first database will be described later.

The first external device processing section 915 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the first external device processing section 915 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit). The first external device processing unit 915 performs, for example, acquiring information in the first external device 910. For example, various databases stored in the first external device storage section 911 are operated based on the acquired SQL statement and the like.

The first external device transmitting section 916 transmits information read from the first external device storage section 911 or the like by the first external device processing section 915. For example, the first external device transmitting section 916 transmits the user information read from the first external device storage section 911 based on the operation of the first external device processing section 915 to the information processing device 100, the terminal device 600, etc. Send over the network.

The first external device receiving unit 917 receives information transmitted from the information processing device 100 and other devices via the network. The first external device receiving section 917 stores the received information in, for example, the first external device storage section 911 so that the first external device processing section 915 and the like can acquire it.

The second external device 920 is also a server device configured similarly to the first external device 910. That is, the second external device 920 includes a second external device storage section 921 having the same hardware configuration as the first external device storage section 911 . Further, the second external device 920 includes a second external device processing section 925, a second external device transmitting section 926, and a second external device receiving section 927. The second external device processing section 925, the second external device transmitting section 926, and the second external device receiving section 927 are the first external device processing section 915, the first external device transmitting section 916, and the first external device receiving section, respectively. 917, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The second external device storage section 921 includes a second database storage section 922 . The second database storage unit 922 stores a second database.

In this embodiment, each of the first database and the second database includes user information about two or more users (customers). In this embodiment, the user information includes at least a user identifier that identifies the user and one or more attribute values (sometimes referred to as user attribute values) regarding the user. For example, the user information includes a user identifier consisting of a code that uniquely indicates the user, and information such as the user's name, address, and telephone number. In addition to this information, the user information may include other user attribute values for each user. The user attribute value may include various things, such as user location information (user location information; for example, the user's home address, latitude and longitude information, etc.), memo information recorded about the user, and the like. Note that if the user identifier is something other than the user's name, it is preferable that the user's name is included as another user attribute value. The user's name may be the user identifier.

Note that at least one of the first database and the second database may be provided inside the information processing apparatus 100 instead of a device external to the information processing apparatus 100.

In the present embodiment, the user information is such that first user information including a user identifier regarding one user is associated with second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding one user. It is information. For example, user information may be a record stored in any database. Further, the first user information and the second user information may be stored as records in mutually different tables. The second user information is sometimes referred to as user details information. That is, in the present embodiment, each of the two or more databases includes first user information including a user identifier regarding one user, and second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding one user. It can be said that the information is stored in association with the other information.

In this embodiment, the first user information includes a user identifier and some attribute values (for example, the user's address, etc.). The second user information includes other attribute values. For example, the user attribute values included in the second user information may be different from the first user information, such as the user's family structure, the user's contract information, the user's usage information (gas and water consumption, etc.), and the user's payment information. This includes, but is not limited to, information that is relatively more sensitive than the contained information.

Here, the first database and the second database, which are distributed and arranged in the first external device 910 and the second external device 920, are connected to an intersystem cooperation platform (https://e-estonia) called "X-Road". It is desirable that they be mutually linked using, for example, .com/solutions/interoperability-services/x-road/). This allows the information processing device 100 to access each database using an easily executable method without having to deal with differences in the arrangement status or system configuration of two or more distributed databases individually. can.

The third external device 930 is also a server device having the same hardware configuration as the first external device 910. That is, the third external device 930 includes a third external device storage section 931 having the same hardware configuration as the first external device storage section 911. In addition, like the first external device 910, the third external device 930 has various units such as a third external device processing section 935, a third external device transmitting section 936, and a third external device receiving section 937. However, detailed explanation will be omitted.

The third external device storage section 931 includes a third database storage section 932. The third database storage unit 932 stores a distributed ledger type database. It is desirable that the distributed ledger database be managed using distributed ledger technology that uses, for example, so-called blockchain technology or other time stamp technology that uses hashed information.

Note that the first external device 910, the second external device 920, and the third external device 930 may be interpreted as not being included in the information processing system 900. In this case, for example, each device of the information processing system 900 is configured to be able to communicate with two or more other external devices having the same configuration as the first external device 910 and the second external device 920 via the respective networks. That's fine. That is, the information processing system 900 only needs to be configured to be able to access two or more databases that are stored in a distributed manner. Further, the third external device 930 may not be provided, or the function of the third external device 930 may be configured to be performed by another device of the information processing system 900.

As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 100 includes a storage section 110, a reception section 120, a reception section 130, a processing section 140, and an output section 160. The information processing device 100 is, for example, a server device.

The storage unit 110 includes a user information storage unit 111 , an index information storage unit 112 , a requester information storage unit 113 , and an authority information storage unit 114 .

Although a non-volatile recording medium is suitable for the storage unit 110, a volatile recording medium is also possible. Each section of the storage section 110 stores, for example, information acquired by the receiving section 120 and the processing section 140, but the process by which information is stored in each section of the storage section 110 is not limited to this. For example, information etc. may be stored in the storage unit 110 via a recording medium, or information etc. transmitted via a communication line etc. may be stored in the storage unit 110. Alternatively, information etc. input via an input device may be stored in the storage unit 110.

The user information storage unit 111 stores user information acquired by the user information storage unit 141.

The index information storage unit 112 stores index information acquired by the index information storage unit 142.

The requester information storage unit 113 stores requester information related to requesters who use the information processing system 900. The requester information includes, for example, two or more pieces of information in which a requester identifier identifying one requester is associated with an attribute value indicating information regarding the requester, but is not limited thereto. The attribute value includes, for example, information identifying the terminal device 600 used by the requester. Further, the attribute value includes, for example, information that specifies the role of the requester, such as the group to which the requester belongs, type of job, position, etc., or an identifier corresponding to the information. Note that attribute values other than these may be included. Note that the requester information storage section 113 may be provided in a storage section of an external device. That is, the requester information does not need to be stored in the storage unit 110 of the information processing device 100.

The authority information storage unit 114 stores authority information. In this embodiment, the authority information is information regarding the access authority that each requester has for records in each database. For example, the access authority may be defined for each requester (for each requester identifier). Additionally, it may be specified in association with information that identifies the role of the requester and an identifier corresponding to that information. In this case, the access authority corresponding to each requester identifier can be specified based on the requester information. becomes. The access authority limits access to some attribute values of the second user information (limits the objects that can be manipulated), and the access method for the second user information that is the target of the access request (limits access to the second user information). (2) Restricting the types of operations that are possible with respect to user information.

In this embodiment, the authority information collectively defines, for each of two or more databases, access authority regarding two or more records stored in the databases. That is, the authority information for one requester includes information indicating the content of the access authority to the user information stored in the first database, and information indicating the content of the access authority to the user information stored in the second database. and information indicating. The authority information differs for each record, such as one that collectively defines access authority for all records in two or more databases, or one that defines access authority that corresponds to a specific attribute value of each record. It may also be possible to define access privileges.

Receiving section 120 receives information transmitted from other devices. The receiving unit 120 stores the received information in the storage unit 110, for example.

The reception unit 130 includes an access request information reception unit 131, a search request information reception unit 132, and a display request information reception unit 133.

The receiving unit 130 receives the information received by the receiving unit 120. Note that the reception unit 130 receives information input using an input means connected to the information processing apparatus 100 and input performed using a reading device (for example, a code reader) connected to the information processing apparatus 100. Information input through an operation (including information read by a device, for example) may be accepted. The accepted information is stored in the storage unit 110, for example.

The access request information receiving unit 131 receives access request information. The access request information is, for example, information input by the requester for accessing the second user information, and is information associated with a user identifier. In other words, the access request information is information for specifying a target user and accessing the second user information of that user. Note that in this embodiment, when access request information is received, the access request information receiving unit 131 also receives a requester identifier that identifies the requester who has input the access request information. In other words, the access request information received by the access request information receiving unit 131 is associated with a requester identifier that identifies the requester who requested access.

Note that the access request information can be input in various ways. For example, an operation (operation using a keyboard or pointing device, Any type of operation, such as operation by voice or the like) can correspond to input of access request information. Further, for example, an operation for inputting, changing, deleting, etc. an attribute value of the second user information of one or more users displayed on the display may correspond to inputting access request information. In other words, inputting access request information is information for requesting the database containing the record corresponding to the user identifier to obtain or change the attribute value of the second user information corresponding to the first user identifier. It can be said that it is inputting.

The search request information receiving unit 132 receives search request information regarding user information that is either first user information or second user information. The search request information is information given to the information processing apparatus 100 in order to narrow down the user information that can be outputted by the information processing apparatus 100 through a search. The search request information may include, for example, various information specifying character strings and conditions for searching. Note that in this embodiment, when search request information receiving section 132 receives search request information, it also receives a requester identifier that identifies the requester who input the search request information. In other words, the search request information received by the search request information receiving unit 132 is associated with a requester identifier that identifies the requester who requested the search.

The display request information receiving unit 133 receives reception screen display request information input from a requester that requests the display of a reception screen for accepting search request information. In this embodiment, information processing device 100 is a web server and can output information that can be displayed by a web browser running on terminal device 600. The reception screen display request information is information output from the terminal device 600 in order to display the reception screen on a web browser running on the terminal device 600. Note that the information processing device 100 does not need to be a web server, and the reception screen display request information is information output from the terminal device 600 in order to display the reception screen in other applications running on the terminal device 600. Good too. Note that in this embodiment, when the display request information receiving unit 133 receives reception screen display request information, it also receives a requester identifier that identifies the requester who input the reception screen display request information. In other words, the reception screen display request information received by the display request information reception unit 133 is associated with a requester identifier that identifies the requester who has requested display of the reception screen.

Note that inputting access request information, search request information, and reception screen display request information means that these pieces of information are indirectly input into the information processing device 100 by the requester via the terminal device 600 or the like. However, it may be interpreted to mean that the requester inputs the information directly into the information processing apparatus 100 using an input means. Furthermore, the access request information, search request information, and reception screen display request information do not necessarily have to be information generated based on the requester's direct actions (such as input operations). In other words, inputting these request information includes various actions that cause these request information to be provided to the information processing device 100, such as running a program that automatically generates these request information, or inputting various information. It can include things like giving and making things work.

The processing unit 140 includes a user information storage unit 141, an index information storage unit 142, a search execution unit 143, an access control unit 144, and an access record storage unit 145. The processing unit 140 performs various processes. The various processes are, for example, processes performed by each part of the processing unit 140 as described below.

The user information storage unit 141 acquires two or more pieces of user information included in at least one of the first database and the second database. That is, the user information storage unit 141 stores two or more databases that are distributed and stored, and includes two or more databases that are stored in at least one external device. Get user information for. The user information storage unit 141 stores the acquired user information in the user information storage unit 111.

Note that in this embodiment, the user information storage unit 141 acquires and stores first user information among the user information. The user information storage unit 141 acquires two or more pieces of first user information included in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that specifies the record of the database in which each piece of first user information is stored, and The information is stored in the information storage unit 111. Note that in this embodiment, the record identifier is associated with a database identifier that specifies the source database (referring to the source database obtained by the user information storage unit 141) in which the record identified by the record identifier is stored. However, it is not limited to this. That is, in this embodiment, the first user information stored in the user information storage unit 111 is associated with information that allows identification of the source database and the records stored therein. Note that the database identifier may be a device identifier that identifies an external device that manages the acquisition source database.

The index information storage unit 142 generates and generates index information for searching for user information corresponding to each piece of first user information based on the two or more pieces of first user information stored in the user information storage unit 111. The index information obtained is stored in the index information storage unit 112. In generating index information, information that is to be searchable is acquired from among the user information (user information corresponding to the user identifier) corresponding to the first user information recorded in each database, and the information including the acquired information is Use as index information. The index information is, for example, information having a data structure suitable for a search using a predetermined search algorithm by the search execution unit 143, but is not limited to this, and may be information that includes the acquired user information as it is, for example. By using such index information, the information processing apparatus 100 does not need to access the first external device 910 and the second external device 920 every time a search is performed. Therefore, user information can be searched at high speed, and the load placed on the information processing system 900 during the search can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the index information is stored in association with the requester identifier. That is, the index information storage unit 142 stores index information that is generated in association with each requester identifier so that user information within a range corresponding to the access authority possessed by the requester is searchable. That is, the index information storage unit 142 acquires two or more pieces of index information containing mutually different contents for searching user information, and stores them in the index information storage unit 112 in association with the respective requester identifiers. Such index information in a range corresponding to the access authority is generated based on the authority information stored in the authority information storage section 114. Note that when there are two or more requester identifiers that have access authority for the same content, the index information storage unit 142 generates index information in the range corresponding to the access authority once, and uses the generated index information for the two or more requester identifiers. The information may be stored in association with the above requester identifier. Furthermore, the index information storage unit 142 acquires authority information corresponding to each requester identifier for each of all requester identifiers based on the requester information, generates index information, and stores the generated index information. The information may be stored in association with the requester identifier.

Note that the index information is generated periodically. For example, this is performed every day at a predetermined time. Generation of the index information may be performed according to another predetermined schedule, or may be performed, for example, when the reception unit 130 receives information requesting generation of index information.

The search execution unit 143 searches for user information by generating a search query based on the search request information received by the search request information receiving unit 132. For example, the search execution unit 143 searches for different search targets for each requester who inputs search request information, based on a requester identifier that identifies the requester who inputs search request information.

In this embodiment, the search execution unit 143 uses index information stored in the index information storage unit 112 to search for user information. For example, based on the requester identifier that identifies the requester who has input the search request information, the search execution unit 143 selects the index information corresponding to the requester identifier from among the two or more pieces of index information stored in the index information storage unit 112. Search using things. That is, the search execution unit 143 searches for user information in a range according to the access authority of the requester who inputs the search request information. Note that the search execution unit 143 directly searches the user information stored in the user information storage unit 111 and the user information stored in the first database or the second database without using index information. You can do it like this.

Note that the search execution unit 143 searches for user information stored in a specific database associated with a requester identifier that identifies a requester who has input search request information, or information derived therefrom. You can do it like this. For example, if the requester is specifically related to the first database, when the requester inputs search request information, the first database is accessed with the user information stored in the first database as the search target. You may also search by In addition, when the requester inputs search request information, index information generated in advance based on user information stored in the first database (information derived from user information stored in a specific database) For example, the first user information stored in the user information storage unit 111 (for example, the first user information stored in the user information storage unit 111 that has been acquired from the first database and accumulated in the user information storage unit 111) may be searched for. An example of information derived from user information that exists may be searched for.

The access control unit 144 accesses the second user information stored in the corresponding database based on the record identifier corresponding to the user identifier associated with the access request information received by the access request information receiving unit 131. Access means, for example, using an SQL query or the like to allow the management program of each database to operate the database by viewing information contained in records (an example of acquisition), updating, adding, deleting, etc. (access method). This refers to, but is not limited to, executing. The access control unit 144 is configured to access the second user information stored in a corresponding database using an API, or configured to access the second user information using a function or the like. You can.

In this embodiment, specifically, when the access request information receiving unit 131 receives access request information, the access control unit 144 controls the access control unit 144 to access the Get permission information about permissions. The access control unit 144 generates a query for accessing when the requester has access authority based on the acquired authority information. Then, the access control unit 144 uses the generated query to access the corresponding database. In other words, the access control unit 144 restricts access to the second user information to which the access request is made and the access method, depending on the access authority of the requester. More specifically, the access control unit 144 restricts access to some attribute values of the second user information that is the target of the access request, according to the requester's access authority, and The second user information may be configured to be able to limit the types of operations (select, update, append, delete, etc.) that can be performed on the second user information.

The access record storage unit 145 is configured to be able to store information in a distributed ledger database managed by the third external device 930 or the like. The access record storage unit 145 stores access records related to accesses performed by the access control unit 144 in a distributed ledger database implemented in the information processing system 900. As a result, the information processing apparatus 100 records access trails such as the act of acquiring user information from each of the first database and the second database in a state that is difficult to falsify.

The output unit 160 includes a search result output unit 161 and a reception screen information output unit 162. In the present embodiment, the output unit 160 outputs information by transmitting the information to another device using the transmitting unit 170 etc., but is not limited to this, and for example, a display device provided in the information processing device 100 The information may be output by displaying the information on the .

The search result output unit 161 outputs information indicating the search results by the search execution unit 143. Specifically, the search result output unit 161 visually displays user information included in the search results (such as a user identifier corresponding to the user information hit by the search) and the database from which the user information was obtained. It is output in association with the identification information for showing. Identification information is, for example, an image that shows a predetermined mark or code, a code string that can be displayed as text, or information that indicates user information with a font color or background color depending on the database from which it was obtained. Various things such as information can be applicable. For example, identification information stored in the storage unit 110 in association with a record identifier or a database identifier may be output based on a user identifier corresponding to user information included in the search results. Regarding the user information included in the search results, second user information may be acquired and included in the search results, if necessary. In other words, the search result output unit 161 can output the user information included in the search results to be displayed on the terminal device 600 or the like in a visual manner according to the database from which it was obtained.

Note that the information indicating the search results is, for example, information that allows the search results to be displayed as a web page on the terminal device 600 (for example, an HTML format document, or a web page generation function that functions on the information processing device 100 or the terminal device 600). information used in a system (such as a content management system), but is not limited to this.

The reception screen information output unit 162 outputs reception screen information for displaying the reception screen based on the reception screen display request information received by the display request information reception unit 133. The reception screen information is, for example, information stored in advance in the storage unit 110 that is used to display the reception screen as a web page (for example, a document in HTML format, or information on the information processing device 100 or the terminal device 600). information used in a functioning web page generation system (such as a content management system), but is not limited to this.

Note that the reception screen information output unit 162 may output the reception screen information based on a requester identifier that identifies the requester who input the reception screen display request information. Specifically, for example, the reception screen information may be output so that the content of the access authority according to the requester identifier is visually indicated, or the search request information may be input only in a predetermined manner according to the access authority. It may also be possible to output reception screen information for displaying a reception screen that enables this.

The transmitter 170 transmits information to other devices making up the information processing system 900 via the network. The transmitter 170 transmits information output by the output unit 160, for example. The information output by the search result output unit 161 is transmitted to the requester's terminal device 600 based on the requester identifier of the requester who input the search request information. Further, the information output by the reception screen information output unit 162 is transmitted to the terminal device 600 of the requester based on the requester identifier of the requester who input the reception screen display request information.

Next, the configuration of the terminal device 600 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal device 600 includes a terminal storage section 610, a terminal reception section 620, a terminal reception section 630, a terminal processing section 640, a terminal output section 660, and a terminal transmission section 670.

The terminal device 600 is, for example, a general personal computer, and has a display as an output device, an input device (for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, etc.) used for input operations by the requester, etc. It is not limited. The terminal device 600 is configured to be connectable to a network and capable of communicating with other devices connected to the network.

Although the terminal storage unit 610 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, it can also be implemented using a volatile recording medium. The terminal storage unit 610 stores various information, programs, and the like. The process by which this information is stored does not matter. For example, information may be stored in the terminal storage unit 610 via a recording medium, or information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the terminal storage unit 610. Alternatively, information input via an input device may be stored in the terminal storage unit 610.

The terminal receiving section 620 includes a reception screen information receiving section 621. The terminal receiving unit 620 receives information transmitted from the information processing device 100 and other devices via the network. The terminal receiving section 620 stores the received information in, for example, the terminal storage section 610 so that the terminal processing section 640 and the like can acquire it.

The reception screen information receiving unit 621 receives reception screen information transmitted from the information processing device 100 and stores it in the terminal storage unit 610.

The terminal reception unit 630 receives various input operations on the terminal device 600 by a requester using the terminal device 600. The operation is performed using, for example, an input device (not shown), but is not limited thereto. The terminal reception unit 630 may, for example, accept an input operation using a voice input through a microphone, or may accept an input operation performed using a reading device (for example, a code reader, etc.) connected to the terminal device 600. You may accept it.

The terminal processing section 640 uses each section of the terminal device 600 to perform various information processing operations.

The terminal output unit 660 outputs information by displaying it on a display device, for example. Note that the method of outputting the information is not limited to this, and may be performed by outputting audio or the like from a speaker or the like.

The terminal transmitter 670 includes an access request information transmitter 671, an acceptance screen display request information transmitter 672, and a search request information transmitter 673. The terminal transmitter 670 transmits, for example, information acquired by the terminal processor 640 or the like via the network.

The access request information transmitting unit 671 transmits the access request information to the information processing apparatus 100 when the terminal accepting unit 630 accepts the input operation of the access request information by the requester.

The reception screen display request information transmitting unit 672 transmits reception screen display request information to the information processing apparatus 100 when the terminal reception unit 630 accepts an input operation by the requester to request the display of the reception screen.

The search request information transmitting unit 673 transmits the search request information to the information processing apparatus 100 when the terminal receiving unit 630 accepts the input operation of the search request information by the requester.

Note that the above-described processing unit 140 and terminal processing unit 640 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedures of the processing unit 140 and the terminal processing unit 640 are usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

Further, any input means that can be used to input information that can be accepted by the reception unit 130 or the terminal reception unit 630 may be any type of input means, such as a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, or a menu screen. The reception unit 130 and the terminal reception unit 630 can be realized by a device driver for input means such as a numeric keypad or a keyboard, control software for a menu screen, or the like.

Further, the first external device receiving section 917, the second external device receiving section 927, the third external device receiving section 937, the receiving section 120, and the terminal receiving section 620 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means. It may be realized by means for receiving broadcasts.

Further, the first external device transmitting section 916, the second external device transmitting section 926, the third external device transmitting section 936, the transmitting section 170, and the terminal transmitting section 670 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means. It may also be realized by broadcasting means.

Further, the output unit 160 and the terminal output unit 660 may or may not include output devices such as a display and a speaker. The output unit 160 and the terminal output unit 660 can be realized by output device driver software, output device driver software and the output device, or the like.

Note that the information processing device 100, the first external device 910, the second external device 920, and the third external device 930 may each be configured by one server, or may be configured by multiple servers that operate in cooperation with each other. , or may be an electronic computer built into another device. Note that the server may be a so-called cloud server, an ASP server, etc., and it goes without saying that the type does not matter.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the information processing apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 5, the user information storage unit 141 of the information processing device 100 acquires and stores first user information from a first external device 910 and a second external device 920 located at different locations. That is, the user information storage unit 141 acquires first user information included in the first database from the first external device 910 and acquires second user information included in the second database from the second external device 920. .

Furthermore, the index information storage unit 142 generates and stores index information based on information acquired from the first external device 910 and the second external device 920. For example, if there are two types of requester access authority (temporarily referred to as A authority and B authority), two pieces of index information are generated according to each type.

To such an information processing device 100, for example, a terminal device 600 used by a requester with authority A and a terminal device 600 used by a requester with authority B, transmit search request information (simply search A case is assumed in which transmission of access request information to second request information corresponding to first user information (sometimes simply referred to as an access request) is performed.

When a search request is made from the terminal device 600 used by a requester with A authority, the search execution unit 143 performs a search using the index information generated for A authority. The search results are transmitted to the terminal device 600, and the search results according to the access authority of the requester of the terminal device 600 are outputted at the terminal device 600. Further, when an access request is made from the terminal device 600 used by the requester having the A authority, the access control unit 144 controls the first database based on the access request if the access is possible according to the A authority. Alternatively, the second database is accessed and processing such as acquiring second user information is performed. This makes it possible to view the second user information on the terminal device 600.

On the other hand, when a search request is made from the terminal device 600 used by a requester with B authority, the search execution unit 143 performs a search using the index information generated for B authority. As a result, the terminal device 600 outputs search results according to the access authority of the person requesting the terminal device 600. Further, when an access request is made from the terminal device 600 used by the requester having the B authority, the access control unit 144 controls the second user based on the access request if the access is possible according to the B authority. Processing such as acquiring information is performed, and the second user information can be viewed on the terminal device 600.

Note that an access trail indicating that the information processing device 100 has accessed the first external device 910 and the second external device 920 is recorded in the third database by the access record storage unit 145 of the information processing device 100. Ru. By recording the access trail in a recording format that is difficult to tamper with, it becomes possible to verify, for example, records of access to sensitive user information.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing apparatus 100.

The information processing device 100 performs various operations as described below, for example. Note that such an operation may be terminated, for example, when the information processing apparatus 100 is powered off.

(Step S101) As shown in FIG. 6, the user information storage unit 141 acquires the first user information recorded in the database from each of two or more databases, and stores it in the user information storage unit 111. .

(Step S102) The processing unit 140 determines whether the index information generation timing has arrived. If the index information generation timing has arrived, the process advances to step S103; otherwise, the process advances to step S104.

(Step S103) The index information storage unit 142 performs index information generation and storage processing. As a result, the index information corresponding to each requester identifier is stored in the index information storage unit 112. When the index information generation and accumulation process is completed, the process advances to step S104.

(Step S104) The processing unit 140 determines whether the display request information receiving unit 133 has received the received screen display request information. If the reception screen display request information has been accepted, the process advances to step S105; otherwise, the process advances to step S106.

(Step S105) The reception screen information output unit 162 outputs reception screen information for displaying the reception screen based on the reception screen display request information accepted by the display request information reception unit 133. The transmitter 170 transmits the reception screen information to the requester's terminal device 600 based on the requester identifier of the requester who input the reception screen display request information.

(Step S106) The processing unit 140 determines whether the search request information receiving unit 132 has received the search request information. If search request information has been accepted, the process advances to step S107; otherwise, the process advances to step S108.

(Step S107) The search execution unit 143 performs a search process based on the search request information received by the search request information reception unit 132. As a result, the search results are transmitted to the requester's terminal device 600.

(Step S108) The processing unit 140 determines whether the access request information receiving unit 131 has received the access request information. If access request information has been accepted, the process advances to step S109; otherwise, the process returns to step S102.

(Step S109) The access control unit 144 performs access processing based on the access request information received by the access request information reception unit. When the access process ends, the process returns to step S102.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of index information generation and accumulation processing performed by the information processing apparatus 100.

The index information storage unit 142 stores index information in the index information storage unit 112 in association with each requester identifier included in the requester information, for example, as described below.

(Step S121) The index information storage unit 142 sets a counter i to 1.

(Step S122) The index information storage unit 142 acquires the authority information corresponding to the i-th requester identifier among the requester identifiers included in the requester information from the authority information storage unit 114.

(Step S123) The index information storage unit 142 acquires user information in a range corresponding to the authority information from among the user information acquired from each of the two or more databases. Then, index information is generated using the acquired user information.

(Step S124) The index information storage unit 142 stores the generated index information in the index information storage unit 112 in association with the i-th requester identifier.

(Step S125) The index information storage unit 142 determines whether the counter i is the total number of requester identifiers included in the requester information. If i is the total number of requester identifiers, the index information generation and accumulation process is ended and the process returns to the process shown in FIG. 6, and if not, the process proceeds to step S126.

(Step S126) The index information storage unit 142 increments the counter i by one. Return to step S122.

Note that the processing is not limited to the above processing, and index information is generated for each access authority granting pattern (access authority granting manner for one requester), and each requester identifier and access authority granting manner for that requester. Index information corresponding to the information may be stored in association with each other.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a search process of the information processing apparatus 100.

(Step S141) The search execution unit 143 acquires the requester identifier corresponding to the search request information. The requester identifier is, for example, a requester identifier that identifies a requester who has input search request information accepted by the search request information receiving unit 132.

(Step S142) The search execution unit 143 identifies index information corresponding to the requester identifier from among the index information stored in the index information storage unit 112.

(Step S143) The search execution unit 143 searches for index information using the search request information. Thereby, the search execution unit 143 obtains the search results.

(Step S144) The search result output unit 161 obtains the search results from the search execution unit 143 and outputs them. For example, the search result output unit 161 associates and generates user information found in a search with identification information for visually indicating the database from which the user information was obtained. Note that the search result output unit 161 may acquire second user information related to user information hit by the search from each database and include it in the search results.

(Step S145) The transmitter 170 transmits the search result to the terminal device 600 corresponding to the requester identifier. This allows the terminal device 600 to display the search results in the form of a web page or the like. Returning to the process shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of access processing of the information processing apparatus 100.

(Step S161) The access control unit 144 acquires the requester identifier and record identifier corresponding to the access request information.

(Step S162) The access control unit 144 acquires authority information based on the requester identifier.

(Step S163) Based on the authority information, the access control unit 144 determines whether the requester who has input the access request information has the access authority to perform the requested access. If the user has access authority, the process advances to step S165; otherwise, the process advances to step S164.

(Step S164) The access control unit 144 does not perform the access and generates error information indicating that the access has not been performed. The transmitter 170 transmits the error information to the terminal device 600 corresponding to the requester identifier. Note that generation and transmission of error information may not be performed. When the process of step S164 is completed, the process returns to the process shown in FIG. 6.

(Step S165) The access control unit 144 creates a query for access based on the access request information and the record identifier.

(Step S166) The access control unit 144 accesses the database using the query.

(Step S167) The access control unit 144 acquires information indicating the access result. For example, when access is made to obtain second user information, the second user information is obtained.

(Step S168) The transmitting unit 170 transmits the information (for example, second user information, etc.) acquired as a result of the access by the access control unit 144 to the terminal device 600 corresponding to the requester identifier. Note that the output unit 160 may generate information indicating the result of the access, and the transmitter 170 may output the generated information. For example, the output unit 160 may display acquired information as a web page on the terminal device 600 (for example, an HTML document, or a web page generation system that functions on the information processing device 100 or the terminal device 600). (information used in a content management system, etc.). In this way, the access results can be displayed in the form of a web page or the like on the terminal device 600. Returning to the process shown in FIG.

Specific examples of functions that can be used by a requester using the information processing device 100 will be described below.

In the following specific example, the information processing device 100 integrates customer databases of two different companies and provides a customer management service that allows the requester to view and search customer information (user information). It is assumed that it will be used to In this specific example, the first external device 910 is, for example, a device of a gas company operating an LPG supply business. The first database is, for example, a customer information database of a gas company. Further, the second external device 920 is, for example, a device of a water company that operates a water supply business. The second database is, for example, a customer information database of a water company. Each customer information database records information about users of each company.

In this specific example, the range in which user information can be viewed, searches, etc. differ depending on the access authority of each of two or more requesters using the information processing device 100. For example, access privileges can be set as follows. That is, a requester employed by a gas company has relatively broad access rights to the user information contained in the first database and relatively narrow access rights to the user information contained in the second database. On the other hand, a requester employed by a water company has relatively narrow access rights to the user information contained in the first database and relatively broad access rights to the user information contained in the second database. Note that the access authority can be set as appropriate.

In this specific example, each requester using the information processing device 100 can use the customer management service by logging into the customer management service realized by the information processing device 100 with a preset account. It is configured so that it can be done. Each account can be said to correspond to a requester identifier.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of requester information stored in the requester information storage unit 113 of the information processing apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 10, in this specific example, the requester information storage unit 113 includes a plurality of pieces of requester information. Each requester information includes, for example, attribute values for each attribute such as name, requester ID, password used for login, and terminal identifier (terminal ID) of the terminal device 600 used (terminal device 600 used for login). is recorded. Any of these attribute values may not be included, or attribute values of attributes other than these may also be included. For example, it may include an identifier that specifies the organization to which the requester belongs. In this specific example, for example, the requester ID is also used as the requester identifier, but the requester ID is not limited to this. For example, the device identifier may be configured to be used as the requester identifier, and in this case, if the terminal on which the requester is logged in with his or her account is changed, the requester identifier that identifies the requester is changed. Although the requester's account may be changed, it is only necessary that the requester's account and the terminal identifier of the terminal device 600 used for login are always associated with each other.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of authority information stored in the authority information storage unit 114 of the information processing apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 11, in this specific example, the authority information storage unit 114 includes authority information for each requester ID. That is, in each piece of authority information, for example, attribute values are recorded for each attribute of the requester ID which is the requester identifier, the contents of the access authority regarding the first database, and the contents of the access authority regarding the second database. . Any of these attribute values may not be included, or attribute values of attributes other than these may also be included. Attribute values of access authority include, for example, only the ability to search the first user information, the ability to search, obtain, and change each attribute value of user information, and the ability to access each attribute value including deletion. It is sufficient if it is possible or set appropriately. Further, a range in which access is not permitted may be determined.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the first database that can be accessed by the information processing device 100.

As shown in Figure 12, the gas company's customer information database includes each user's customer ID, name, general address (for example, address excluding addresses below 1 block), detailed address, presence or absence of uncollected charges, payment account, etc. For each attribute, an attribute value is recorded in each user information. Any of these attribute values may not be included, or attribute values of attributes other than these may also be included. Note that in the customer information database, the attribute value of the customer ID may be treated as a user identifier, or the attribute value of other attributes such as name and address, or a combination thereof, may be treated as the user identifier.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the second database that can be accessed by the information processing device 100.

As shown in Figure 12, the water company's customer information database also contains information about each user's attributes such as customer ID, name, general address, detailed address, usage amount for the last month, and amount of uncollected charges. Attribute values are recorded for each piece of information. Any of these attribute values may not be included, or attribute values of attributes other than these may also be included.

In this specific example, among the user information in these customer information databases, the attribute values of the customer ID, name, and general address are included in the first user information, and the other attribute values are It shall be included in the second user information. That is, in this specific example, the user information storage unit 141 acquires and stores the attribute values of customer ID, name, and general address from each of the two databases. Thereby, the information processing apparatus 100 can handle the first user information without accessing each database. For example, when there is a request to search or view the first user information from the terminal device 600, the request can be sent to the terminal device 600 without accessing each database. Note that the distinction between the first user information and the second user information is not limited to this. For example, only the customer ID may be interpreted as the first user information, or only some attribute values may be interpreted as the second user information, and most other attribute values may be interpreted as the first user information. You can.

It is assumed that such information is stored in the information processing device 100, the first external device 910, and the second external device 920. In this specific example, the requester can use one terminal device 600 to utilize the customer management service provided by the information processing device 100 in the following manner. Note that in each of the following figures, screen examples shown surrounded by two-dot chain lines can be displayed by the web browser running on the terminal device 600 as a result of the web browser accessing the information processing device 100. Note that each screen example may be displayed by another application operated by the terminal device 600 based on information received from the information processing device 100.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a specific example of the first display screen S11 of the terminal device 600.

The first display screen S11 shown in FIG. 14 is an example of a login screen for the customer management service. A requester of the terminal device 600 can log into the customer management service by inputting his or her own account information and performing an operation to transmit information to the information processing device 100. Note that various types of account information can be used, such as a requester ID and a password paired therewith. When the login is performed, for example, the screen changes to a second display screen S12 shown below.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a specific example of the second display screen S12 of the terminal device 600.

The second display screen S12 shown in FIG. 15 is an example of a reception screen for accepting search request information in the customer management service. The reception screen is displayed after logging in. That is, in this specific example, the operation of logging in on the login screen can be said to be an operation for transmitting reception screen display request information.

The reception screen is provided with a search key input area for inputting information serving as a search key for performing a search, and a search button for transmitting information input to the information processing apparatus 100. That is, when the search button is operated with a character string etc. input in the search key input area, the input character string is included in the search request information and transmitted. When the search request information is transmitted, for example, the screen changes to a third display screen S13 shown below.

Note that in this specific example, the reception screen is displayed in a manner depending on the requester. That is, the reception screen includes the name of the logged-in requester and an image showing, for each database, the second user information that the requester can mainly access. In FIG. 15, the requester's name "Ichitaro Tano" and an image indicating that the second user information obtained and included in the gas company's customer information database can be accessed are displayed in the upper right corner of the reception screen. is displayed.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a specific example of the third display screen S13 of the terminal device 600.

The third display screen S13 shown in FIG. 16 is an example of a screen for displaying search results. In this specific example, first user information is displayed as a list on the screen for users whose user information is hit by the search. In this specific example, the user information is displayed together with the database in which the user information is recorded (database from which it was obtained). For example, if it is the first database, it is displayed together with characters such as "gas" and if it is the second database, "water supply" (an example of identification information). Further, in this specific example, the user information is displayed together with an identification image F21 for visually indicating the database from which the user information was acquired. In the example shown in FIG. 16, only the user information of "Suido Hanako" in the second line is acquired from the second database, and this user information is identified by an identification image different from other user information on the screen. It is displayed with the words F21 and "Waterworks." Note that the display mode is not limited to this. The requester can determine whether each piece of user information is related to a gas company or a water company, based on the identification image F21 and characters indicating the source database being displayed in association with the user information. It is easy to know.

In this specific example, for user information for which the requester has access authority, an access request button F23 is displayed for transitioning to a detailed screen for confirming the second user information for that user. Ru. For user information that does not have access authority, a dummy image F24 is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the user information for "Suido Hanako" in the second line is obtained from the second database, and the logged-in requester "Tano Ichitaro" only has search access privileges. Therefore, a dummy image F24 is displayed for the user information (see the access authority in the first line of FIG. 11, which corresponds to the first line of FIG. 10). Since the requester has access authority to search, obtain, and change other user information, the access request button F23 is displayed. When the requester presses the access request button F23, access request information corresponding to the corresponding user identifier is transmitted to the information processing apparatus 100. When the access request information is transmitted, for example, the screen changes to the fourth display screen S14 shown below. Since the access request button F23 and the dummy image F24 are displayed, the requester can easily know for which user information the second user information can be confirmed. Note that instead of displaying the access request button F23 or the dummy image F24, the display mode of each user information may be changed depending on the access authority. Furthermore, the access request information may be transmitted by performing an operation on the area or characters in which the user information is displayed.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a specific example of the fourth display screen S14 of the terminal device 600.

The fourth display screen S14 shown in FIG. 17 is an example of a detailed display screen that displays second user information about the user who has made the access request (selected user). Here, an example of a detailed display screen is shown when there is an access request for the second user information regarding the user "Ichiro Gas" in the first line of FIG. 16. Information such as detailed address and telephone number included in the second user information about the selected user is displayed on the screen. Note that identification information such as an identification image corresponding to the selected user may also be displayed.

In this specific example, on the detailed display screen, various types of information included in the second user information can be displayed in the sub-display area F26 for each genre. Examples of genres include, but are not limited to, matters related to fees, matters related to billing, matters related to equipment used by users, matters related to reception, security, and delivery services. On the detailed display screen, a genre selection section F25 for the requester to select these genres is displayed, and the second user information regarding the one genre selected by the requester is displayed in the sub display area F26. It looks like this. Note that the second user information that can be displayed in the sub-display area F26 is transmitted all at once from the information processing device 100 to the terminal device 600 before the detailed display screen is displayed, and that corresponds to the selected genre. The terminal device 600 may obtain the information and display it on the screen. Further, the second user information displayed in the sub-display area F26 is transmitted from the information processing device 100 to the terminal device 600 through communication between the terminal device 600 and the information processing device 100 every time a genre is selected. You may also do so. In this case, in the information processing device 100, the access control unit 144 may acquire the second user information used for display each time a genre is selected, or the 2 user information may be acquired from the storage unit 110.

In FIG. 17, the sub-display area F26 displays matters related to billing for the selected user. That is, for example, information such as account information and the presence or absence of receivables for the selected user is displayed, but the information is not limited thereto.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a first modified example of a screen for displaying search results of the terminal device 600.

FIG. 18 shows a third display screen S23 according to the first modification. That is, the third display screen S13 is different from the third display screen S13 in which the requester is logged in, and the third display screen S23 is a screen displaying search results when the requester "Fikako Tano" is logged in. An example is shown. The search key is the same as in the third display screen S13 described above. This requester "Nikako Tano" only has search access authority for the first database, and has search, acquisition, and modification access authority for the second database (second line in Figure 10). (See the access authority in the second line of FIG. In this case, the user information other than "Suido Hanako" in the second line was obtained from the first database, and since the logged-in requester only has access privileges for searching, this user information cannot be accessed. dummy image F24 is displayed. Regarding the user information of "Suido Hanako," the access request button F23 is displayed because the requester has access authority to search, obtain, and change.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a second modification of the screen for displaying search results of the terminal device 600.

FIG. 19 shows a third display screen S33 according to the second modification. That is, the logged-in requester and search key are different from the third display screen S13 described above. The third display screen S33 shows an example of a screen displaying search results when the requester "Sanjiro Tano" who can access the second user information of both databases is logged in. Further, the search key is specified to search for user information that indicates that there is an amount due, regarding the presence or absence of accounts receivable, which is an attribute value of the second user information. In this modification, the user information that is said to have unaccounted money is searched for using index information that is generated in advance and is associated with "Sanjiro Multi-talented". As a result, if a total of three pieces of user information are hit, for example, two pieces of user information whose acquisition source is the first database and one piece of user information whose acquisition source is the second database, they are displayed as shown in the figure.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a third modification of the screen for displaying the search results of the terminal device 600.

FIG. 20 shows a third display screen S43 according to a third modification. That is, the requester who is logged in is different from the third display screen S33 described above, and in the third display screen S43, the requester "Fikako Tano" who can search only the first user information for the first database. An example of a screen displaying search results when `` is logged in is shown. As described above, the search key is specified to search for information on users who are said to have unpaid bills. In this modified example, user information that is said to have unaccounted money is searched for using index information that has been generated in advance and that is associated with "Nikako Mikako." As a result, based on the access authority, the index information does not include the second user information whose acquisition source is the first database, so only one piece of user information whose acquisition source is the second database is hit. displayed as shown in .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, information processing apparatus 100 can access user information stored in each of two or more databases when access request information is received. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately handle user information in two or more databases that are stored in a distributed manner, increasing convenience. Since access is performed according to the access authority of the requester, requests from two or more requesters with different access authority can be handled appropriately.

Note that the processing in this embodiment may be realized by software. This software may then be distributed by software download or the like. Further, this software may be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed.

Note that the software that implements the information processing device 100 in this embodiment is the following program. That is, this program is used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units, and is a program for an information processing apparatus having a user information storage unit, In each of the above databases, first user information including a user identifier regarding one user and second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding the one user are stored in association with each other. The computer of the information processing device stores two or more pieces of first user information included in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that identifies the record of the database in which each piece of first user information is stored. a user information accumulation step of acquiring and accumulating in a user information storage unit; an access request information reception step of receiving access request information for accessing second user information associated with a user identifier; and an access request information reception step. The program executes an access control step of accessing second user information stored in a corresponding database based on a record identifier corresponding to a user identifier associated with access request information received by the program. Further, this program is used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units, and the two or more databases are stored in a computer of an information processing device having a user information storage unit. Acquire two or more pieces of user information, including a user identifier related to one user stored in each, in association with a record identifier that specifies a database record in which each piece of user information is stored, and store them in the user information storage unit. A user information accumulation step, a search request information reception step for receiving search request information input from a requester regarding user information, and a search for user information based on the search request information accepted by the search request information reception step. The program may be a program that executes a search execution step and a search result output step that outputs the search results obtained by the search execution step.

(others)

FIG. 21 is an overview diagram of the computer system 800 in the above embodiment. FIG. 22 is a block diagram of the computer system 800.

These figures show the configuration of a computer that executes the programs described in this specification to realize the information processing apparatus and the like of the embodiments described above. The embodiments described above may be implemented in computer hardware and computer programs executed thereon.

Computer system 800 includes a computer 801 including a CD-ROM drive, a keyboard 802, a mouse 803, and a monitor 804.

In addition to a CD-ROM drive 8012, the computer 801 is connected to an MPU 8013, a bus 8014 connected to the CD-ROM drive 8012, etc., a ROM 8015 for storing programs such as a boot-up program, and connected to the MPU 8013. It includes a RAM 8016 for temporarily storing program instructions and providing temporary storage space, and a hard disk 8017 for storing application programs, system programs, and data. Although not shown here, computer 801 may further include a network card that provides connection to a LAN.

A program that causes the computer system 800 to execute the functions of the information processing apparatus of the above-described embodiments may be stored in the CD-ROM 8101, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 8012, and further transferred to the hard disk 8017. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 801 via a network (not shown) and stored on the hard disk 8017. The program is loaded into RAM 8016 during execution. The program may be loaded directly from CD-ROM 8101 or the network.

The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) that causes the computer 801 to execute the functions of the information processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, a third party program, or the like. The program need only contain those parts of the instructions that call the appropriate functions (modules) in a controlled manner to achieve the desired results. How computer system 800 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

Note that in the above program, in the transmission step for transmitting information and the reception step for receiving information, processing is performed by hardware, such as processing performed by the modem or interface card in the transmission step (processing that can only be performed by hardware). Processing that is not carried out) is not included.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the information exchange performed between each component is performed by one component, for example, when the two components that exchange the information are physically different. This may be done by outputting information and receiving the information by the other component, or by one component if the two components passing the information are physically the same. This may be performed by moving from a phase of processing corresponding to the component to a phase of processing corresponding to the other component.

In the above embodiments, information related to processing executed by each component, for example, information accepted, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component. Information such as threshold values, formulas, addresses, etc. used by each component in processing may be stored temporarily or for a long period in a recording medium (not shown), even if not specified in the above description. Further, each component or a storage section (not shown) may store the information in the recording medium (not shown). Further, each component or a reading unit (not shown) may read information from the recording medium (not shown).

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, if the information used in each component, for example, information such as threshold values, addresses, various setting values, etc. used by each component in processing, may be changed by the user, the above-mentioned Even if it is not specified in the description, the user may or may not be able to change the information as appropriate. If the information can be changed by the user, the change is realized by, for example, a reception unit (not shown) that receives change instructions from the user, and a change unit (not shown) that changes the information in accordance with the change instruction. You can. The acceptance of the change instruction by the reception unit (not shown) may be, for example, acceptance from an input device, information transmitted via a communication line, or information read from a predetermined recording medium. .

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made, which are also included within the scope of the present invention.

The configuration of the embodiments described above is not limited to the configuration itself, and each component of the embodiments described above may be replaced or combined with components of other embodiments as appropriate. Moreover, some components and functions may be omitted from the embodiments described above.

Each of the databases described in the above embodiments may be realized by multiple databases that are related to each other, and these multiple databases may be distributed and arranged in separate hardware or devices. You can leave it there. For example, an attribute value described as being included in a record of one database may be an attribute value included in another database that is related to the one database.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by being centrally processed by a single device (system), or by being distributed by multiple devices. (In this case, it is possible to understand the entire system made up of a plurality of devices that perform distributed processing as one “device”).

As described above, the information processing device according to the present invention can appropriately handle information stored in each of two or more databases, has the effect of increasing convenience, and can be used as an information processing device, etc. Useful.

100 Information processing device 110 Storage unit 111 User information storage unit 112 Index information storage unit 113 Requester information storage unit 114 Authority information storage unit 120 Receiving unit 130 Reception unit 131 Access request information reception unit 132 Search request information reception unit 133 Display request information Reception unit 140 Processing unit 141 User information storage unit 142 Index information storage unit 143 Search execution unit 144 Access control unit 145 Access record storage unit 160 Output unit 161 Search result output unit 162 Reception screen information output unit 170 Transmission unit 600 Terminal device 610 Terminal Storage section 620 Terminal reception section 621 Reception screen information reception section 630 Terminal reception section 640 Terminal processing section 660 Terminal output section 670 Terminal transmission section 671 Access request information transmission section 672 Reception screen display request information transmission section 673 Search request information transmission section 900 Information processing system

Claims (16)

An information processing device used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units,
Each of the two or more databases is associated with first user information including a user identifier regarding one user and second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding the one user. is stored as
The information processing device includes:
a user information storage unit;
Acquire two or more pieces of first user information included in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that identifies a record of the database in which each piece of first user information is stored, and store the first user information in the user information storage unit. A user information storage unit that stores
an access request information receiving unit that receives access request information for accessing the second user information associated with the user identifier;
and an access control unit that accesses the second user information stored in the corresponding database based on a record identifier corresponding to the user identifier associated with the access request information received by the access request information reception unit. , information processing equipment. The access request information received by the access request information receiving unit is associated with a requester identifier that identifies a requester who requested access;
The access control unit includes:
obtaining authority information regarding access authority of a requester identified by a requester identifier corresponding to the access request information received by the access request information receiving unit;
The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the second user information is accessed based on the acquired authority information. The access control unit, based on the acquired authority information,
restricting access to some attribute values of the second user information subject to the access request; and
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information processing apparatus performs at least one of the following: limiting the types of operations that can be performed on the second user information that is the target of the access request. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the authority information collectively defines, for each of the two or more databases, access authority regarding two or more records stored in the database. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an access record storage unit that stores access records by the access control unit in a distributed ledger database implemented in the information processing system. a search request information receiving unit that receives search request information input from a requester regarding user information that is either the first user information or the second user information;
a search execution unit that searches for the user information based on the search request information received by the search request information reception unit;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a search result output unit that outputs a search result by the search execution unit. An information processing device used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units,
a user information storage unit;
acquiring two or more pieces of user information including a user identifier related to one user stored in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that specifies a record of the database in which each user information is stored; a user information storage unit that stores the user information in the user information storage unit;
a search request information reception unit that receives search request information input from a requester regarding the user information;
a search execution unit that searches for the user information based on the search request information received by the search request information reception unit;
An information processing device comprising: a search result output unit that outputs search results by the search execution unit. 7. The search result output unit outputs the user information included in the search result in association with identification information for visually indicating the database from which the user information was obtained. The information processing device described in . 9. The search execution unit searches for different search targets for each requester who inputs the search request information, based on a requester identifier that identifies the requester who inputs the search request information. The information processing device according to any one of the items. an index information storage section;
further comprising an index information storage unit that acquires two or more pieces of index information containing mutually different contents for searching the user information, and stores the index information in the index information storage unit in association with each corresponding requester identifier;
The search execution unit is configured to search for information that corresponds to the requester identifier from among two or more pieces of index information stored in the index information storage unit, based on a requester identifier that identifies a requester who has input the search request information. The information processing device according to claim 9, wherein the information processing device performs the search using a device. The search execution unit searches for user information stored in a specific database associated with a requester identifier identifying a requester who has inputted the search request information, or information derived therefrom. The information processing device according to claim 9 or 10. a display request information reception unit that receives reception screen display request information input from a requester that requests display of a reception screen for accepting the search request information;
further comprising a reception screen information output unit that outputs reception screen information for displaying the reception screen based on reception screen display request information received by the display request information reception unit,
12. The reception screen information output unit according to claim 6 , wherein the reception screen information output unit outputs the reception screen information based on a requester identifier that identifies a requester who inputs the reception screen display request information. Information processing device. A user information storage unit and an access request information reception unit of an information processing device having a user information storage unit used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units; An information processing method realized by an access control unit,
Each of the two or more databases is associated with first user information including a user identifier regarding one user and second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding the one user. is stored as
The user information storage unit acquires two or more pieces of first user information included in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that specifies a record of the database in which each piece of first user information is stored. , a user information accumulation step of accumulating in the user information storage unit;
an access request information receiving step in which the access request information receiving unit receives access request information for accessing the second user information associated with the user identifier;
The access control unit accesses the second user information stored in the corresponding database based on a record identifier corresponding to a user identifier associated with the access request information received by the access request information receiving step. An information processing method, comprising: an access control step. A user information storage unit and a search request information reception unit of an information processing device having a user information storage unit used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units; An information processing method realized by a search execution unit and a search result output unit, the method comprising:
The user information storage unit associates user information including a user identifier related to one user stored in each of the two or more databases with a record identifier that identifies a record of the database in which each user information is stored. a user information accumulating step of acquiring two or more and accumulating them in the user information storage unit;
a search request information receiving step in which the search request information receiving unit receives search request information input from a requester regarding the user information;
a search execution step in which the search execution unit searches for the user information based on the search request information accepted by the search request information reception step;
An information processing method, wherein the search result output unit includes a search result output step for outputting a search result obtained by the search execution step. A program for use in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units, and for an information processing device having a user information storage unit,
Each of the two or more databases is associated with first user information including a user identifier regarding one user and second user information including an attribute value different from the first user information regarding the one user. is stored as
The computer of the information processing device,
Acquire two or more pieces of first user information included in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that identifies a record of the database in which each piece of first user information is stored, and store the first user information in the user information storage unit. a step of accumulating user information;
an access request information receiving step for receiving access request information for accessing the second user information associated with the user identifier;
and an access control step of accessing the second user information stored in the corresponding database based on a record identifier corresponding to the user identifier associated with the access request information received by the access request information receiving step. program. Used in an information processing system having two or more databases distributed and stored in two or more storage units, and in a computer of an information processing device having a user information storage unit,
acquiring two or more pieces of user information including a user identifier related to one user stored in each of the two or more databases in association with a record identifier that specifies a record of the database in which each user information is stored; a user information accumulation step for accumulating in a user information storage unit;
a search request information receiving step of receiving search request information input from a requester regarding the user information;
a search execution step of searching for the user information based on the search request information accepted by the search request information receiving step;
A program for executing a search result output step of outputting a search result obtained by the search execution step.

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