JP2000020370A - Data synchronization processor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To synchronize data by exchanging data to be subjected to synchronization processing using an e-mail function of an information device without having to be constantly connected to a communication network. Provided is a data synchronization processing device capable of realizing the data synchronization. SOLUTION: Data synchronization information creating means for creating information necessary for data synchronization processing, communication means for transmitting the information, and synchronization processing means for performing data synchronization processing based on the data synchronization information are provided. A data synchronization processing device for performing data synchronization processing with a database of another information device via a communication network, wherein the communication means transmits and receives information necessary for data synchronization processing, It is realized by sending and receiving using e-mail.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data synchronization process (remote synchronization) between databases of a plurality of devices having a database function such as a personal computer and a portable information device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data synchronization processing device which can be carried around, and which can be used in a situation where it is difficult to connect to a device having a function of another database via a communication network at all times.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an information processing apparatus such as a computer in which a database is constructed has been a stand-alone type. However, in recent years, processing capabilities such as lightness, shortness, and processing speed, and storage capacity and the like have been increasing at an extremely rapid pace. Therefore, small and high-performance personal computers (PCs) or portable information devices (PDAs) have been developed. Has been created. Furthermore, the spread of communication networks including public lines and satellite communications has been remarkably progressing.
Therefore, these information devices have become environments in which resources can be shared via a communication network. For example, in the past, the original database was one on the main standalone computer,
In other information devices, the latest contents of the original database existed as duplicates. Therefore, in the information devices other than the main device, only the changed contents can be managed, and the changed contents are finally reflected in the main database while confirming the changed contents.

[0003] However, recently, as the amount of information to be handled has increased and the efficiency and speed of work have been required, there is only one database as an original, but a copy of the original database on a different information device. If there is an existing database, if the process of change / addition / deletion is performed on the duplicate database, the contents of the processed database and the contents of the original database should be synchronized (synchronized). Therefore, various technologies for realizing the above-described synchronization processing have been proposed.

For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-243003, in a distributed database system, sites having respective databases are connected via high-speed and low-speed communication channels, and the latest data is requested and read from a primary site. However, by updating the contents of the own site and notifying all sites of the update, data communication can be performed without the need for extra communication for synchronization processing and without further reduction in processing efficiency. A system that can realize the synchronous processing of the above has been proposed.

[0005] In addition to the above, as a usual form, a communication cable or optical communication is performed between devices having a database as required (hereinafter referred to as a database device), for example, between two PCs or between a PC and a PDA. There have been proposed various means for directly performing one-to-one connection to execute a data synchronization processing operation.

[0006]

However, the technique for realizing the data synchronization processing still has the following problems.

The above technique is based on the premise that the database devices are basically connected by a communication line to which a target information device such as a PC is always connected via a LAN or the like.

There is an idea of performing data synchronization processing by directly connecting each other's database devices using a telephone line. However, in order to directly connect to the database device, telephone charges may be a concern when the distance is long, and if the telephone line is limited, a dedicated line that only connects directly to the database device may be used. Sometimes you can't.

In many cases, direct connection to the database device from the outside is prohibited due to security.
In this case, the only way to connect the target database device to the remote database device is to move to a place such as a LAN where a terminal can be directly connected.

As described above, in the prior art, there is no suggestion of a technology for an information device that is assumed to be portable, such as a portable information tool.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and is directed to an information device that is assumed to be portable, such as a portable information tool, and uses an e-mail function of the information device. By exchanging data to be synchronized by e-mail without having to be constantly connected to the communication network, specifically, (1) the transmitting side creates information necessary for data synchronization. Converting the information into a format that can be transmitted by e-mail, transmitting the converted information using e-mail, receiving the e-mail, checking the type of the received e-mail, More information necessary for the data synchronization process is extracted and the data synchronization process is executed. (2) Further, the date and time and the result of executing the data synchronization process based on the information necessary for the data synchronization process are sent to an electronic mail. In and informs the other device, for performing synchronization processing of the data after the next on the basis of the notification information,
(3) Further, various setting conditions for executing the data synchronization process can be changed, and the changed contents are notified to another device.
Perform data synchronization based on the notification information,
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a data synchronization processing device capable of realizing data synchronization processing.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data synchronization processing apparatus comprising: a data synchronization information creation unit for creating information necessary for data synchronization processing; a communication unit for transmitting the information; A synchronization processing unit that performs synchronization processing of data based on the data synchronization information, and, via a communication network, a data synchronization processing device that performs synchronization processing of data with a database of another information device,
The communication unit transmits and receives information necessary for data synchronization processing by using an electronic mail.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the data synchronization processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the information created by the data synchronization information creation means is converted into an electronic mail format. Conversion means, synchronous mail identification means for judging whether or not the received e-mail is information containing information necessary for data synchronization processing, and extracting information necessary for data synchronization processing from the received e-mail Data synchronization information extracting means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data synchronization processing apparatus according to any one of the first to second aspects, wherein the data synchronization information creation means and the data synchronization information conversion means are provided with a predetermined constant. It starts every hour, automatically creates the information necessary for the data synchronization process, converts it to an e-mail format, and sends all the information necessary for the synchronization process created since the previous transmission at the time of sending the e-mail It is characterized by having means for automatically transmitting.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data synchronization processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the date and time and the result of executing the data synchronization processing based on information necessary for the data synchronization processing are electronically transmitted. A data synchronization execution result notifying unit for notifying another device by mail, a unit for identifying whether or not the received electronic mail is a notification mail of the data synchronization execution result, and the notified data synchronization execution result. Means for creating information necessary for the next data synchronization process according to its own data synchronization process status.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data synchronization processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein: means for changing various setting conditions for executing data synchronization processing; Means for automatically notifying the other device of the changed content by e-mail, and means for identifying whether or not the received e-mail is a notification mail of the change content of the setting condition of the synchronous processing, Wherein the change of the various setting conditions is performed by activating the setting condition changing means according to either the content of the change by the user or the content of the change notified from the other party.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a data synchronization processing device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, before describing the data synchronization processing device of the present invention, the concept of data synchronization will be briefly described.

Usually, there are two or more database devices, and when it is desired to operate the same database with the same contents, the database in one of the database devices is usually used as a main database, and In contrast, in many cases, only data operations are performed as a client from another terminal (another database device).

However, when the user is in a remote place and cannot directly access the main database, a copy of the main database is also prepared in the remote database apparatus, and the user in the remote place usually prepares the copy. Accessing the database has been done.

A personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a personal computer or a personal computer (PC))
) Or a portable personal computer (hereinafter referred to as HPC (Handheld Pers)
on-line computer) and a personal portable information tool (hereinafter PDA (Personal Digi)
For example, synchronizing (exactly the same contents) the databases of the schedule and the address book in the “Tal Assistant”).

Even if each database device is based on the same database data, data is input or changed to only one of the database devices. Therefore, as time passes, the content of the database in the database device naturally increases. Are different. Data synchronization is an operation performed to eliminate the generated difference.

A data synchronization processing apparatus according to the present invention based on the concept of the data synchronization processing will be described below.

The database device described in the following description is a data synchronization processing device as an object of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a schematic configuration of a data synchronization processing device according to the present invention composed of a distributed database system via a communication network.

A main feature of the present invention is that data for synchronization processing is transmitted and received between a PC, HPC, or PDA having a database using electronic mail, thereby realizing data synchronization processing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the network system includes an in-house network 10 and a remote terminal 20.
And the Internet provider 30. The in-house network 10 and the Internet provider 30 are connected by an Internet communication line 40, and the remote terminal 20 and the Internet provider 30 are connected by a public line 50 such as a telephone line.

The in-house network 10 includes a mail server device 11 and a plurality of database devices such as a database device A12 connected by a high-speed data communication line 13 such as an in-house LAN. Here, a PC is often used for the mail server device 11 and the database device A12.

The remote terminal 20 is a portable information device which is movable and can be connected to a communication device such as a modem. The database device B21 (usually exists in a remote place remote from the database device A or the like). ) And a modem 22 connected thereto. Here, as the database device B21 connected to the modem 22, HPC or P
DA is often used.

The Internet provider 30 comprises a mail server device 31 and an access point of the Internet service provider, specifically a modem 32.

The number of the database devices A12 and B21 is not particularly limited. here,
For the sake of simplicity, the description will proceed with one database device A and one database device B each. Further, it is assumed that the database device B exists in a remote place remote from the database device A and cannot be directly and always connected by a communication line such as a LAN.

Each of the database devices 12 and 21 has means for independently adding / changing / deleting data to its own database. The database devices 12 and 21 also have a function of browsing the received mail, a function of requesting the mail server devices 11 and 31 to transfer and receive a mail addressed to themselves in the server, and transmitting a newly created mail. Functions are provided.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the system configuration of the mail server devices 11 and 31 and the database devices 12 and 21.

The components of the system are mainly a CPU 100 that controls the processing, a ROM 101 in which a processing and control program is recorded, a RAM 102 having a work area for work and the like, an HDD, an FDD, an optical disk and the like. An input / output device 105 including a storage device 103, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and an input / output I / F 1 for the device.
04, a display device 107 including a display and the like, a control unit 106 of the device, a communication board 109 for performing communication with the outside using a communication cable and the like, and an I / F 108 thereof.

Next, how the mail is transferred between the databases of each database device in the data synchronization process using the electronic mail, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described.

The mail transmitted by the database device A12 of the in-house network 10 is once received by the mail server device 11 via the in-house LAN 13 or the like, and then transmitted to the outside via the Internet 40. Remote area 2
The mail addressed to the database device B21 at 0 is also transmitted by the same route and received once by the mail server device 31 such as the Internet provider 30 on the Internet 40, and transferred from the mail server device 31 to the database device B21 in response to a request from the database device A12. Is done.

Conversely, the database device B21 located at the remote location 20 and the database device A of the in-house network 10
If the outgoing mail to 12 is Internet mail,
When the database device B21 is connected to the access point of the nearby Internet service provider 30, it is transferred to the mail server device 31 of the Internet provider 30 and stored. Thereafter, the mail is transferred from the mail server device 31 of the provider 30 to the mail server device 11. The data is transferred from the mail server device 11 to the database device A12 in response to a request from the database device B21.

The above mail transfer mechanism is the same as a general Internet mail transfer mechanism via the Internet. In communication via LAN, T
It is assumed that a mail transfer protocol called POP3 or SMTP is used on the CP / IP protocol.

In the above description, Internet mail is used for mail transfer, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, the protocol used in the communication over the LAN is not limited to the above.

Next, the data structure used for the database of the database device will be described.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a data structure used in the database. One record has a format composed of a plurality of fields.

Here, for simplicity of explanation, one record is composed of the data ID field 201 and the first record.
To the fourth four data fields 202, 20
3, 204, and 205.

Each field is a data ID field 2
The first field 202 is “name”, the second field 203 is “address”, the third field 204 is “phone number”, and the fourth field is “01”. Field 205 is "birthday". Note that the number or configuration requirements of the data fields are not limited thereto.

It is assumed that each record has a unique number called a data ID. This data ID
Is a number that is completely unique in the database environment of the present invention and can be guaranteed to be the same if the records have the same ID number in a plurality of databases.

Next, the contents of the e-mail to be used will be described.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the format of the mail contents used.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mail items include a destination [To] 401 and a cc destination [Cc] 40 (not shown).
2, originator [from] 403, date [Date] 40
4, title [Subject] 405, body text [Body]
406.

RFC frequently used on the Internet
(Request For Comment) 822 standard (Standard format for APR)
A Internet text message) specifies a format for expressing these items.

The contents of the e-mail are not limited to the above items, and the e-mail format to be used depends on a specific format as long as the e-mail format has at least the above information. Not something.

In the above description, the database device A is used as the main database device with two database devices.
The description has been made on the assumption that the data synchronization work is also performed by the database apparatus A. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is assumed that it is possible even between database devices having an equal relationship without being positioned as primary / secondary.

As described above, e-mail, especially Internet mail, is one of the cheapest and most widespread communication means, such as access points of each communication company being established all over the world. Executing data synchronization has the advantage that costs such as telephone charges can be reduced. In addition, since a general e-mail system that has already been established worldwide is used as it is, no special communication line or communication protocol is required, the system construction is inexpensive and easy, and external This has the effect that data synchronization can be performed with a database device in an in-house network that restricts access.

Hereinafter, the above contents will be described in more detail and concretely in Examples.

(Embodiment 1) In this embodiment, a series of processes from the process of creating synchronization information in the database device on the transmitting side to the process of synchronizing data in the database device on the receiving side using electronic mail will be described. .

(1) Database Device on Transmission Side First, a database device on the transmission side until a mail including data synchronization information is transmitted will be described.

As described above, the database device B21 of the portable terminal 20 at the remote location can change (add / change / delete) the data by itself, and the database in the database device B21 can be changed at any time. It has been updated. This is, for example, a situation where a diplomat or the like carries the device and inputs a customer order at a visiting location.

The database device B21 has a data synchronization information creating means for recording and storing the data of the data change (addition / change / deletion) history as data synchronization information.

This data synchronization information is, for example, a data change history table as shown in FIG.

This data change history table shows what changes have been made to the data of the data ID numbers on the left side of the table. The structure includes a target data ID number 301 indicating the number of the changed data, a change category 302 indicating the type of change (addition / change / deletion), a change date 303 indicating the date and time of the change, and a specific change content. Is displayed.

Data change (addition /
Each time (change / delete) occurs, the above information is added to this data synchronization information, that is, the data change history table.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the content 311 of the first record represents a history in which the contents of the third and fourth fields have been changed from the original data.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart showing the flow of the data change process.

When data change (addition / change / deletion) occurs, data change processing is started (step a).
1). The data change process shifts to each corresponding process according to the change classification (addition / change / deletion) (step a2).

In the case of addition, a data ID is created (step a3), and the data ID is registered in the "target data ID number" of the "data synchronization information" (step a4).
“Add” is registered in the “change category” of the “data synchronization information” (step a5), and the “change content” of the “data synchronization information” is registered.
The content of the new data is registered (step a6).

In the case of deletion, the target data ID is checked (step a7), the data ID is registered in the "target data ID number" of the "data synchronization information" (step a8), and the "data synchronization information""Deletion" is registered in the "change category" of "" (step a9).

In the case of change, the target data ID is checked (step a10), the data ID is registered in the "target data ID number" of the "data synchronization information" (step a11), and the "data synchronization information" is registered. "Change" is registered in the "change category" of "" (step a12), and the content of the changed field is checked (step a13).
The content of the changed data is registered in "change content" of "data synchronization information" (step a14).

Finally, each of the above-described processes is performed by using “data synchronization information”
The current date and time are registered in the "change date" (step a1).
5), end this data change process (step a1)
6).

Thereafter, when the next data change occurs, the above processing is executed similarly.

As described above, the data synchronization information makes it possible to manage all the changes in the database.

Next, the database device B21 has data synchronization information conversion means for converting the change history data, which is the data synchronization information, into a format that can be transmitted by electronic mail.

The database device B21 sends a mail containing data synchronization information after the designated date and time to the database device A12.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the contents of this mail.

As shown in FIG. 4, the destination [To]
At 401, the database device A12 stores the sender [from
m] 403, the database device B21 stores the date [Da
te] 404 contains the date and time of the call, and the title [Subject
t] 405, the data synchronization information is transmitted in this case with a predetermined title, “Sync Information
A character string such as “tion” is the body [Body] 406
Is filled with the data synchronization information described above.

Next, the database device B21 transmits the created mail according to a predetermined procedure by the mail transmitting means for transmitting the electronic mail. This transmission procedure is performed using a protocol called SMTP in the case of Internet mail, and other mails are also performed according to predetermined protocols.

(2) Receiving Database Apparatus Next, the processing of the database apparatus that has received the mail including the data synchronization information will be described.

The database device on the receiving side is installed in a system such as the in-house network 10, and the flow of processing when an external mail is received is as follows.

The database device A12 receives mail from a database other than itself, for example, a mail addressed to the main database device A12 from the database device B21 by mail receiving means for receiving an electronic mail. This receiving procedure is performed by a protocol called POP3 in the case of Internet mail, and other mails are also performed by a predetermined protocol. It is assumed that the mail received by the database device A12 includes a normal mail that does not include the data synchronization information.

After receiving the mail by the mail receiving means, the database device A12 on the receiving side activates the received mail processing means for processing the received mail. This received mail processing means needs to identify the received mails, which include a normal mail and a mail including data synchronization information. Therefore, the synchronous mail identification means is operated to check whether or not the received mail is the mail including the data synchronization information. Thereafter, if the received mail is a mail including data synchronization information, the synchronization processing means is activated. The synchronization processing means operates the data synchronization information extraction means, extracts data synchronization information from the received mail, passes the information to the data synchronization means, and executes data synchronization processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing sequence of the received mail on the receiving side.

When the mail is received via the server device 11, the processing of the received mail is started (step b1). The received mail process checks the type of the received mail, that is, whether the received mail is a mail including data synchronization information, and shifts to each corresponding process (step b2).

If the received mail does not include the data synchronization information, a process other than the synchronization process is performed (step b3). After the processing, the processing of the received mail ends (step b6).

If the received mail is a mail containing data synchronization information, "data synchronization information" is extracted from the mail (step b4), and data synchronization processing is executed (step b5). After the processing, the processing of the received mail ends (step b6).

This process is performed when a mail is received next.

A method for recognizing whether or not the received mail is a mail including data synchronization information is as follows. As described in the description of FIG. 4, for example, the title [Subject] 405 is “Sy
nc Information ", it may be determined in advance that the mail contains data synchronization information, or the body [Body] 4 of the mail
A promise to put a character string "data synchronization information" in the first line of 06 may be made in advance.

For example, in the case of the mail shown in FIG. 4, the database device A12 receives the mail and outputs the title [Subject
In order to confirm the contents of [t] 405, the title recognition means is automatically activated to check the title. If the title [Subject
If [t] 405 is not “Sync Information”, the process proceeds to normal mail processing without doing anything. If the title [Subject] 405 is "Sync In
In the case of "formation", the data synchronization information is extracted from the mail, and the extracted data synchronization information is passed to the data synchronization means to start the synchronization processing.

Next, the synchronization processing of the data synchronization information will be described.

The database device A12 changes the database of the database device A12 based on the data synchronization information extracted from the received mail.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing sequence of the synchronization processing in step b5 of FIG.

The synchronous processing is started (step b1)
1), first, a pointer for reading a record of "data synchronization information" is initialized (step b12). The record of “data synchronization information” pointed to by the current pointer is read (step b13). The “change category” 302 in the record of “data synchronization information” is confirmed, and the process proceeds to a corresponding process according to the change category (step b14).

In the case of addition, the "target data ID number" 301 in the read record is confirmed (step b1).
5) Further, the “change contents” 304 is confirmed (step b).
16), the data ID number is set as a new data ID number, and the data of the changed content is registered in the database with the data ID number (step b17).

In the case of deletion, the "target data ID number" 301 in the read record is confirmed (step b1).
8) The record of the data ID number is deleted from the database (step b19).

In the case of a change, the "target data ID number" 301 in the read record is confirmed (step b2).
0), the record of the data ID number is read from the database (step b21), and the contents of the field in which the "change contents" 304 in the record of "data synchronization information" are written correspond to the records read from the database. The record is replaced with a field (step b22), and the replaced record is registered again in the database with the same data ID number (step b23).

When the above change processing is completed, it is checked whether or not a record still exists in the "data synchronization information" (step b24). As a result, if there is still a record, the pointer for reading the record of "data synchronization information" is updated (step b25), and the process returns to step b13. On the other hand, if there is no more record, the synchronization processing ends (step b26).

That is, the above processing is sequentially performed by the number of records described in the “data synchronization information”, whereby the synchronization processing of the database on the receiving side can be performed.

By the above processing, the data in the database shown in FIG. 3 becomes the data in the database shown in FIG. 9 when processed based on the "data synchronization information" in FIG.

For example, the records 311, 313, and 314 of “data synchronization information” in FIG. 5 have been updated to the first record, fourth record, and fifth record from the top in FIG. 9, respectively. However, the record 312 of “data synchronization information” in FIG. 5 has been deleted and disappeared.

The above description is an example of the case where the data change of the database device B21 is reflected on the database device A12. However, the reverse is also possible with the same procedure.

As described above, in this embodiment, since a general electronic mail system already constructed worldwide is used as it is, no special communication line or communication protocol is required, and the construction of the system is inexpensive. It is easy and easy, and data synchronization can be performed with a database device in an in-house network that restricts external access.

Further, even if the target database apparatuses are not always directly connected by the communication line, the data can be synchronized by using the electronic mail.

Also, in a mail system that receives a mail containing data synchronization information (data synchronization information notification mail), a mail system that also receives other types of electronic mails, all mails received by the user are used. Can be visually checked, and data synchronization by e-mail can be executed without the need for a complicated operation of specially treating only the data synchronization information notification mail for data synchronization. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the danger of overlooking the synchronization information notification mail.

(Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, the first embodiment will be described.
A configuration in which a means for automatically creating data synchronization information according to a previously specified rule is added as a modification of the first embodiment will be described.

The database device B21 has a timer function therein. When a certain time is reached every day by the timer, the data synchronization information creating means and the data synchronization information conversion means are activated, and the change which has occurred since the previous processing is performed. This is to automatically perform an operation of creating data synchronization information on the contents, converting the created data synchronization information into a mail format, and creating a mail including the data synchronization information. The procedure for creating the same is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

After the creation of the mail, the mail is added to the transmission mail queue of the mail transmission means in the database device B21, and when the user of the database device B21 connects to the Internet via a telephone line or the like, the queue is changed. Is automatically sent out.

As described above, in this embodiment, the user uses the mail including the data synchronization information (data synchronization information notification mail).
Can be automatically created and transmitted without the need for a complicated operation of manually creating the. Therefore, there is no danger of forgetting to create the data synchronization information notification mail.

(Embodiment 3) In this embodiment, based on the data synchronization information, the database device activates the synchronization processing means, executes the synchronization process, and ends the data synchronization information of the partner database device at what date and time. A description will be given of a configuration for automatically creating an e-mail to be sent to the partner database when information indicating when the data synchronization of the own database has been completed based on the above.

For convenience of description, the database device A
12 serves as the main database side, and manages the progress of data synchronization of the database device B21.

The database device B21 stores the date and time of the data synchronization information described in the "data synchronization information" at the time of executing the synchronization process of the database of the device, and records the synchronization execution date and time that is completed after the completion of the synchronization process. Next, a mail (synchronization execution result report mail) in which information of the stored data synchronization information date and time and the synchronization execution date and time is entered is created and added to the transmission queue of the mail transmission means of the database device B21. After that, when the user of the database device B21 connects to the Internet via a telephone line or the like, the mail including the created synchronization execution result is automatically sent.

FIG. 10 is an example of this mail (synchronization execution result report mail).

[0108] In this mail, the data synchronization information date and time, the synchronization execution date and time, and the result of the synchronization process are described in the body [Body] 406. This mail has a title [Subject] 40 as its identification character string.
The content of No. 5 is “Sync Result”.

On the other hand, the main database device A12 prepares a synchronization processing history table for the database device B21,
When the synchronization execution result report mail is received from the database device B21, the execution date and time and the date and time of the data synchronization information on which the execution is based are registered in the synchronization processing history table.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the synchronous processing history table.

One record of the synchronization processing history includes a data synchronization execution date / time 501, a date / time 502 of data synchronization information on which data synchronization is based, and a data synchronization processing execution result 503.
It consists of items. Here, the execution result 503 is an item for entering whether the data synchronization processing has been successful or the data synchronization processing has not been correctly completed for some reason.

When sending a mail containing the next data synchronization information to the database device B21, the database device A12 refers to the synchronization processing history table of the database device B21 and obtains the date and time of the previous synchronization execution in the database device B21. Then, from the data synchronization information of the main database device A12, a mail including data synchronization information obtained by extracting only new data synchronization information after the obtained final synchronization execution date and time is created.

For example, when this embodiment is applied to FIG. 5, the latest synchronization processing is 19 in the synchronization information history of FIG.
Since the processing is executed at 8:10:23 on February 6, 1998, the changes in the records 311 and 312 in FIG. 5 are reflected in this synchronous processing. Therefore, the data synchronization information record 31 shown in FIG.
No change information of 1, 312 is necessary, and records 313, 312
Only 14 need be extracted. That is, record 313,
It is sufficient to extract only 314 from the data synchronization information table, create a mail including the data synchronization information, and then transfer the mail to the database device B21, whereby the data amount of the data synchronization information can be reduced.

As described above, in this embodiment, the main database device A12 can grasp the progress of the synchronization of the database device B21, reduce the amount of data synchronization information, and execute the data synchronization reliably and quickly. it can. In addition, since the synchronization progress status can be grasped, various measures such as issuing a warning when the other database device is not connected to the Internet and has not received an email containing data synchronization information (data synchronization information mail) Becomes possible.

(Embodiment 4) In the present embodiment, first, when a change occurs in the synchronization condition setting of one of the database apparatuses, a mail to which information describing this content is attached is automatically created and automatically sent. The configuration provided with the means for causing the following will be described.

As a data synchronization condition, "difference (conflict)"
In the event of an occurrence, the item of "priority side database" is taken up. For example, depending on the content of the change, the same data ID
It is expected that a discrepancy (conflict) will occur in which the data of the record of the number is changed on the database device A12 and deleted on the database device B21. In this case, the condition is a setting of which database processing is to be prioritized. This conflict is dealt with by preliminarily determining rules for resolving the conflict. For example, a rule such as "prioritize data operations in database device B" is provided.

For example, regarding this setting item, the user of the database device B21 sets the priority side database setting value when a discrepancy (conflict) occurs to “database A”.
Is changed to "database B". In this case, immediately after the user changes the set value, the database device B21 automatically creates a mail (synchronization condition change notification mail) including the synchronization condition change information, and puts it into its own mail transmission queue.

FIG. 12 is an example of a mail (synchronization condition change notification mail) containing the above-mentioned synchronization condition change information.

In this synchronization condition change notification mail,
The target item to be changed, the set value to be changed, the content to be changed, and the date and time of the change are used as synchronization condition change information in the mail body [B
ody] 406. In this mail, the content of the title [Subject] 405 is "Sync setting Modifier" as the identification character string.
ion ”.

Upon receiving the synchronization condition change notification mail, the database device on the receiving side checks the contents of the mail and automatically changes the synchronization condition set value of its own database according to the contents.

In the case of this embodiment, the database device B2
The database device A12 that has received the synchronization condition change notification e-mail from No. 1 changes the setting value of the "priority database when a discrepancy (conflict) occurs" of the database device A12 to "database device B" according to the contents of the mail. I do.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to notify the user of a change in the data synchronization condition setting even between database devices that are distant and cannot be connected at all times. Can be easily handled.

In each of the above embodiments, the description has been made on the assumption that the database device A is the main database device and the database device A also takes the initiative in data synchronization. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is assumed that it is possible even between database devices having an equal relationship without being positioned as primary / secondary.

For example, each database device creates "data synchronization information" when the content of its own database is changed, and sends this "data synchronization information" to each other by e-mail. Compares the “data synchronization information” with the “data synchronization information” of the other party, extracts contents that really need to be changed from the “data synchronization information”, and executes data synchronization processing. However, in practice, different changes are made to the data having the same data ID number. In such a case, a predetermined "mismatch (conflict)" occurs between the database devices. It is assumed that data synchronization processing is performed based on the "priority database" setting value. The "priority side database" setting value can be changed by the user as necessary as described in the fourth embodiment.

The data synchronization processing devices in the embodiments described above are realized based on the data synchronization processing method including the processing sequence and the like described in each of the above embodiments. Therefore, a processing program for performing data synchronization processing is always stored in the ROM or the storage medium of the apparatus. Control unit of each device (CP
In U), etc., data synchronization processing is executed using this program. This program is executed by the device itself, for example, R
It may be stored in a storage device such as an OM or a hard disk, or may be a separable information recording medium such as C
It may be stored in a recording medium such as an optical disk such as a D-ROM, an MD, and a DVD, a floppy disk, and an IC card. When the detachable information recording medium is attached to the apparatus main body, the information recording medium may be downloaded and stored in the apparatus main body by an installer of the apparatus main body.

By starting this program,
It is assumed that data synchronization processing by the data synchronization processing device of the present invention is performed.

The contents of the above-described embodiments are not limited to the contents described above unless the gist of the present invention is changed.

[0128]

According to the data synchronization processing device of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained in each claim.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, by performing data synchronization using an electronic mail system, communication costs such as telephone charges can be reduced. Basically, most of the existing systems that have already been built around the world are used, making system construction inexpensive and easy. In addition, data is shared with database devices in the company network that restrict external access. Synchronous processing becomes possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the user does not need to perform a complicated operation of visually confirming the contents of all the received mails and specially treating only the mails including the data synchronization information for data synchronization. Then, data synchronization by e-mail can be performed. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the risk of overlooking the mail including the data synchronization information.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the user can automatically create and send a mail including data synchronization information without the need for a complicated operation of manually creating the mail. Also, there is no danger of forgetting to create the desired mail.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the main database device side can grasp the synchronization progress status of the partner database device, reduce the amount of data synchronization information, and execute data synchronization reliably and quickly. can do. In addition, since the synchronization progress status can be grasped, various measures can be taken, such as issuing a warning, when the database device of the other party has not been connected to the Internet and has not received the mail including the data synchronization information.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even between database apparatuses that are distant and cannot always be connected,
Since it is possible to notify and change the setting change of the data synchronization condition by the user, it is possible to easily cope with a conflict or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a connection example between respective devices on a network constituting the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of each device constituting the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a database according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the content of a mail including data synchronization information according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the content of data synchronization information according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for creating data synchronization information according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for processing a received mail according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for performing a data synchronization process according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an updated database after execution of a synchronization process according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mail including a data synchronization execution report according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data synchronization execution history contents according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a mail including data synchronization condition change information according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 In-house network 11, 31 Mail server device 12, 21 Database device (data synchronization processing device) 20 Remote terminal 22, 32 Modem 30 Internet provider 40 Internet 50 Public line

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A data synchronization information creating means for creating information necessary for data synchronization processing, a communication means for transmitting the information, a synchronization processing means for performing data synchronization processing based on the data synchronization information, A, through a communication network, in a data synchronization processing device that performs data synchronization processing with a database of another information device, the communication means, when transmitting and receiving information necessary for data synchronization processing, A data synchronization processing device for performing transmission and reception using electronic mail. 2. The data synchronization processing device according to claim 1, wherein the data created by the data synchronization information creation means is converted into an email format, and the received email is synchronized with the data. Synchronous mail identification means for determining whether or not the mail contains information necessary for processing, and data synchronization information extraction means for extracting information necessary for data synchronization processing from the received electronic mail. Characteristic data synchronization processing device. 3. The data synchronization processing device according to claim 1, wherein the data synchronization information creation means and the data synchronization information conversion means are activated at predetermined time intervals to automatically synchronize data. Means for generating information necessary for processing, converting the information into an e-mail format, and automatically transmitting all information necessary for the synchronization processing created after the previous transmission at the time of e-mail transmission. Data synchronization processing device. 4. The data synchronization execution device according to claim 1, wherein the date and time and the result of executing the data synchronization process are notified to another device by e-mail based on information necessary for the data synchronization process. Notifying means, means for identifying whether or not the received e-mail is a notification mail of the data synchronization execution result, and next data in accordance with the notified data synchronization execution result and its own data synchronization processing status. Means for creating information necessary for synchronous processing of the data. 5. A data synchronization processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for changing various setting conditions for executing data synchronization processing is transmitted to another device by e-mail indicating the changed contents of said setting conditions. Means for automatically notifying, and means for identifying whether or not the received e-mail is a notification mail of the change content of the setting conditions of the synchronization process, the change of the various setting conditions, A data synchronization processing device, which is performed by activating the setting condition changing means according to either the own change content or the change content notified from the other party.