The present invention relates to an information life cycle processor (management system) for processing information such as programs and databases, and an information organizing method using this system. More particularly, it relates to an information life cycle management system and a method using this system, suitable for processing information safely and efficiently based on the information life cycles starting with an information generating state and ending with an information aborting state.
Essentially, information has life cycles starting with an information generating state and ending with an information aborting state. Different information management functions or different information usages are needed at respective states in information life cycles.
Concerning program library management in an enterprise, for example, a program produced but still not completed for debugging and operation test is not allowed to be used. The complete program after operation test cannot be changed freely even by the programmer. After the program is approved by a proper person in the enterprise, it becomes available to the public as the enterprise's product. If any change is required thereafter for enhancing its functions or other reasons usage of this program is prohibited if necessary, and a new program with another version may be produced based on that program. Such information management has been achieved by operation rule's. As above conventional program library management software cannot discriminate each program that have different information life cycle states such as complete or incomplete. Practically, for these programs, there have been provided different operation rules such as store them in different storage areas, establish different naming rules, grant access privileges, and so on. Because of operation rules, whether they can manage programs rightly depends on the programmer's responsibility. As the amount of valuable programs increases, there occurs an increase burden of responsibility. Such as destruction of these programs caused by careless errors or program theft may cause many risks.
Also in the database management system (DBMS), for example, in "Hitachi Relational Database Management System RDBl Manual", information stored in the database is handled in the same manner whether it is incomplete or complete. Therefore, in the same manner as of programs, data are managed based on operation rules, thereby posing similar problems. In addition, DBMS has only one processing mechanism for stored information with various life cycle states. For safety, most delicate mechanisms will be applied to whole information. Ideally, it will prefer to apply the most suitable or efficient processing mechanism to each information. For example, for incomplete information, the DBMS must provide a proper user with facilities for information updating and dealing with failures during updating. But, a delicate mechanism for information sharing facility may be not important. On the other hand, for complete information, the DBMS must provide with facilities for information reading. And it is necessary to provide efficient mechanisms for search within a great amount of information against various read requests. But, a mechanism for information updating facilities and recovery facility against failure may be considerably rough.
It is also the same for the case of managing document information in business field or drawing information in design field. At these fields, it also depends on operation rules about the information development management such as information generating, check, approval and publicizing, information distribution management for literary works with intellectual properties, e.g., restriction against copying them, and other managements.
The above-described conventional technique is not provided with information management facilities for managing information based on life cycles while it is an essential attribute. For this reason, information administrators establish information operation rule to be observed by user. But, there is only one type of processing mechanism for the information with various states of the information life cycle, and there is not provided information management facilities for literary works.
There involve the problems such as an increased burden on information management, unavailability of most proper and efficient mechanism, difficulty in safety management for literary work, and so on.
Apart from the above, as with application systems using databases and database management systems, document or drawing management systems have recently appeared.
In the real world, information, i.e., documents or drawings, becomes formal documents only after they are examined and approved. Formal documents are not usually allowed to be changed. To share these formal documents, they are kept in a public file or cabinet available to every person. Secret documents which should not be read by unauthorized person, are kept in a safe or keyed cabinet.
Conventional database systems, however, don't manage information based on information life cycle states described above. An information administrator must control the available operation for user by authorizing them to access the information. This is described in, e.g., "Investigation on Database System--Investigation on Database Security Function--" at pages 167 to 172 (59-C-480, issued in March 1984), compiled by The Japan Electronic Industry Development Association, Special Interest Group on Database.
In order to manage information on computer systems in same manner of real world, conventionally, a user must write programs by which the user can manage information based on information life cycle states, or establish operation rules on databases.
In the case of operation rules, we may use a view function supported by DBMSs. A view is a "virtual" database--i.e., database that does not directly exist in physical storage, but looks to the user as if it did. A user can define views. In a relational database, the database is constructed from a set of tables. Views are defined in terms of one or more of the underlying base tables. Also, it is possible to define a view as a fraction (vertically divided portion, and or horizontally divided portion) of base tables. When a user stores flags that indicate a life cycle state into base tables, and defines different views for each state, to a user may be able to manage information based on life cycle state by using views.
Formerly, to manage the information based on information life cycle states by using database management system, a user had to write programs or establish operation rules as above. The burden for those works is not light for user. Also, user may use an authorization mechanism provided by DBMS for access control. The user may have access priviledges for tables. In this case, the user may update all the information within that tables, so it is difficult to protect information based on information life cycle states.
In the case of using a view function, information administrators must define views for each state, and they must manage access privileges for each view. The burden for such work is also not light.
When life cycle state of an information is changed, the user must request this information by using different view. The burden for such work substantial.