PURPOSE: To shorten information acquiring time by providing a means which retrieves an integrated OA processing function out of an EDP process and refers to it and a means which retrieves the environment of an integrated OA processing system out of the terminal of its own host CPU and refers to it.

CONSTITUTION: An operator of a terminal 40 connects it to an integrated OA process 16 and retrieves and refers to an electronic mail document 21 received by a mailbox 18, the electronic filing document 21 of a folder 19 in a cabinet 20, and the contents of an office environment information file 17 to produce newly and updates the information. Thus a system retrieves the information out of an EDP process 11 and refers to the information and also uses a TSS process 12 or a batch process 13. The systems working in both processes 12 and 13 can use a basic work process 14. In other words, a retrieval/reference application program 30 which can retrieve and refer to the integrated OA process information is prepared in the process 12. As a result, the information acquiring time is shortened.