Business flow processing method and apparatus

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a business flow processing program for causing a computer to execute a procedure comprising:

• obtaining transaction records including a processing time, a process type and an identifier from a database;
• grouping said transaction records based on said identifier, and sorting transaction records in each group based on said processing time;
• calculating a processing period for each of said transaction records, based on a sequence of processing times included in said transaction records within each said group, in case where said processing time included in each of said transaction records represents a start time or an end time;
• generating, for each said process type, data of distribution of calculated processing periods;
• first identifying transaction records relating to a process carried out in parallel based on said data of said distribution for each said process type;
• and
• second identifying, for each said group, a business flow of the group from processing results of the first identifying and said transaction records within the group, and
• wherein said calculating comprises:
• calculating a first tentative processing period for each of said transaction records in case where said processing time is assumed to be said start time, and a second tentative processing period for each of said transaction records in case where said processing time is assumed to be an end time;
• calculating, for each said process type, a first index value representing dispersion of first tentative processing periods and a second index value representing dispersion of second tentative processing periods;
• and
• statistically judging, for each said process type, said processing time indicates either of said start time and said end time, by comparing said first index value with said second index value.

A business flow processing method, comprising:

• obtaining, by using a computer, transaction records including a processing time, a process type and an identifier from a database;
• grouping, by using the computer, said transaction records based on said identifier, and sorting transaction records in each group based on said processing time;
• calculating, by using the computer, a first processing period for each of said transaction records, based on a sequence of processing times included in said transaction records within each said group, by using said processing time included in each of said transaction records as a start time;
• calculating, by using the computer, a second processing period for each of said transaction records, based on the sequence of the processing times included in said transaction records within each said group, by using said processing time included in each of said transaction records as an end time;
• calculating, by using the computer and for each said process type, a first standard deviation of calculated first processing periods and a second standard deviation of calculated second processing periods;
• determining, by using the computer and based on calculated first standard deviations and calculated second standard deviations, whether said processing time represents the start time or the end time;
• generating, by using the computer, for each said process type, data of frequencies of the calculated processing periods that are calculated by using the processing time determined in the determining;
• first identifying, by using the computer, transaction records relating to a process carried out in parallel based on said data of said frequencies for each said process type;
• and
• second identifying, by using the computer, for each said group, a business flow of the group from processing results of the first identifying and said transaction records within the group.

A business flow processing apparatus, comprising:

• a memory;
• a storage device including a database storing transaction records including a processing time, a process type and an identifier;
• a unit to obtain and store into the memory, transaction records from said database;
• a unit to group said transaction records based on said identifier, and sort transaction records in each group based on said processing time;
• a unit to calculate a first processing period for each of said transaction records, based on a sequence of processing times included in said transaction records within each said group, by using said processing time included in each of said transaction records as a start time, and to calculate a second processing period for each of said transaction records, based on the sequence of the processing times included in said transaction records within each said group, by using said processing time included in each of said transaction records as an end time;
• a unit to calculate, for each said process type, a first standard deviation of calculated first processing periods and a second standard deviation of calculated second processing periods;
• a determining unit to determine, based on calculated first standard deviations and calculated second standard deviations, whether said processing time represents the start time or the end time;
• a unit to generate, for each said process type, data of frequencies of the calculated processing periods that are calculated by using the processing time determined by the determining unit;
• a first identifying unit to identify transaction records relating to a process carried out in parallel based on said frequencies for each said process type;
• and
• a second identifying unit to identify, for each said group, a business flow of the group from processing results by the first identifying unit and said transaction records within the group.