Definition
•In the late 1970s data-flow diagrams (DFDs)
were introduced and popularized for
structured analysis and design (Gane and
Sarson 1979).
•DFDs show the flow of data from external
entities into the system, showed how the data
moved from one process to another, as well as
its logical storage.
Data Flow Diagram
•Data flow diagram (DFD) is a picture of the
movement of data between external entities
and the processes and data stores within a
system
Symbols and meaning
•Squares representing external entities, which are
sources or destinations of data.
•Rounded rectangles representing processes, which
take data as input, do something to it, and output it.
•Arrows representing the data flows, which can either
be electronic data or physical items.
•Open-ended rectangles representing data stores,
including electronic stores such as databases or XML
files and physical stores such as or filing cabinets or
stacks of paper.
Example of DFD1.0
Check
Status
2.0
Issue
Status
Messages
3.0
Generate
Shipping
Order
ACCOUNTING
CUSTOMER WAREHOUSE
4.0
Manage
Accounts
Receivable
5.0
Produce
Reports
Order In-Stock Request
Status Data
Status
Message
Pending
Orders
D1
Order
Data
Order Data
Shipping
Order
Shipping
Confirmation
Invoice
Payment
Accounts
Receivable
D2
Accounting Data
Accounts Receivable Data
Order Data
Inventory
Reports
ProcessGrade Detail 1.0
Produce
Grade
Report Grade Report
•Work or actions performed on data (inside the
system)
•Labels should be verb phrases
•Receives input data and produces output
Rule 1: Process
•Can have more than one outgoing data flow or
more than one incoming data flow1.0
Grade
Student
Work Submitted Work Student Grade Graded Work 3.0
Calculated
Gross
Pay Pay Rate Hours Worked Gross Pay
Rule 2: ProcessOrder Accepted Order 2.0
Assemble
Order Inventory
Change 1.0
Verify
Order
Data Flow
•Is a path for data to move from one part of the IS
to another
•Arrows depicting movement of data
•Can represent flow between process and data
store by two separate arrows2.1
Post
Payment Payment Detail Invoice Detail Accounts
Receivable
D1
Data Flow: Correct/Incorrect?Courses Class
List Students 5.0
Post
Payment Customer
Payment D2 Daily Payments Daily
Payment 6.0
Prepare
Deposit
Data StoreStudentsD1
•Is used in a DFD to represent data that the
system stores
•Labels should be noun phrases
Rule: Data Store
•Must have at least one incoming and one
outgoing data flowCustomer Payment Daily
Payments
D1 Daily Payment
Data Store: Correct/Incorrect?2.0
Book
Flight Fight
Request Passengers D2 Accounts
Receivable Invoice
Detail Payment
Detail 3.0
Post
Payment
Source/Sink (External Entity)CUSTOMER Invoice Order 1.0
Verify
Order
•External entity that is origin or destination of
data (outside the system)
•Is the singular form of a department, outside
organisation, other IS, or person
•Labels should be noun phrases
Rule: Source/Sink
•Must be connected to a process by a data flowBANK Bank
Deposit 2.0
Prepare
Deposit
Rules for Using DFD Symbols
•Data Flow That Connects
A process to another process
A process to an external entity
A process to a data store
An external entity to another external entity
An external entity to a data store
A data store to another data store
Yes No
List the errors of this DFDE1
E1
P2
P1
1.0
2.0
DS1
DF2
DF2
DF6
DF4
DF3
DF1
DF5
Context Diagram
•Top-level view of IS
•Shows the system boundaries, external entities that
interact with the system, and major information flows
between entities and the system.
•Example: Order system that a company uses to enter
orders and apply payments against a customer’s balance
Context Diagram of Order System0
Order
System SALES
REP CUSTOMER WAREHOUSE BANK ACCOUNTING Order
Order
Reject
Notice
Picking
List
Completed
Order
Payment Invoice Commission
Bank
Deposit
Cash
Receipts
Entry
Level-0 DFD
•Shows the system’s major processes, data flows, and data
stores at a high level of abstraction
•When the Context Diagram is expanded into DFD level-0,
all the connections that flow into and out of process 0
needs to be retained.
1.0
Fill
Order
2.0
Create
Invoice
3.0
Apply
Payment
SALES
REP
BANK ACCOUNTING
CUSTOMER WAREHOUSE
Order
Order
Reject
Notice
Picking List
Accounts
Receivable
D1
Invoice
Invoice
Invoice
DetailPayment
Detail
Payment
Commission Bank Deposit Cash Receipts Entry
Completed
Order
Lower-Level Diagrams
•Functional Decomposition
–An iterative process of breaking a system description down
into finer and finer detail
–Uses a series of increasingly detailed DFDs to describe an
IS
•Balancing
–The conservation of inputs and outputs to a data flow
process when that process is decomposed to a lower level
–Ensures that the input and output data flows of the parent
DFD are maintained on the child DFD
Strategies for Developing DFDs
•Top-down strategy
–Create the high-level diagrams (Context Diagram),
then low-level diagrams (Level-0 diagram), and so
on
•Bottom-up strategy
–Create the low-level diagrams, then higher-level
diagrams
Exercise:
M/S Precision Tools sells a line of high-quality
woodworking tools. When customers place orders
on the company’s Web site, the system checks to
see if the items are in stock, issues a status message
to the customer, and generates a shipping order to
the warehouse, which fills the order. When the
order is shipped, the customer is billed. The system
also produces various reports.
•Draw a context diagram for the order system
•Draw DFD diagram 0 for the order system
Identify Entities,Process,Data Stores & Data Flow
•Entities
–Customer
–Warehouse
–Accounting
•Processes
–1.0 Check Status
–2.0 Issue Status Messages
–3.0 Generate Shipping Order
–4.0 Manage Accounts Receivable
–5.0 Produce Reports
•Data Stores
–D1 Pending Orders
–D2 Accounts Receivable
Data Flows
Order
In-Stock Request
Order Data
Status Data
Status Message
Shipping Order
Order Data
Invoice
Shipping Confirmation
Payment
Accounting Data
Accounts Receivable Data
Order Data
Inventory Reports
Context Diagram of Order SystemACCOUNTING
WAREHOUSECUSTOMER
0
Order
System
Order
Payment
In-Stock
Request
Status
Message
Invoice Shipping Confirmation
Shipping
Order
Inventory
Reports
1.0
Check
Status
2.0
Issue
Status
Messages
3.0
Generate
Shipping
Order
ACCOUNTING
CUSTOMER WAREHOUSE
4.0
Manage
Accounts
Receivable
5.0
Produce
Reports
Order In-Stock Request
Status Data
Status
Message
Pending
Orders
D1
Order
Data
Order Data
Shipping
Order
Shipping
Confirmation
Invoice
Payment
Accounts
Receivable
D2
Accounting Data
Accounts Receivable Data
Order Data
Inventory
Reports