Data Flow Diagram

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 Flow-Oriented Modeling
Represents how data objects are transformed at they
move through the system
A data flow diagram (DFD) is the diagrammatic form that
is used, considered by many to be an ‘old school’
approach.
Flow-oriented modeling continues to provide a view of
the system that is unique.
It should be used to supplement other analysis model
elements

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 Flow-Oriented Modeling
Use a Data Flow Diagram (DFD) to show the relationships
among the business processes within an organization to:

· external systems,
· external organizations,
· customers,
· other business processes.

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 Flow Modeling Notation

external entity

process

data flow

data store

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 The Flow Model
Every computer-based system is an
information transform ....

computer
input based output
system

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 External Entity

A producer or consumer of data

Examples: a person, a device, a sensor

Another example: computer-based
system
Data must always originate somewhere
and must always be sent to something

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 Process
A data transformer (changes input
to output)

Examples: compute taxes, determine area,

format report, display graph
Data must always be processed in some
way to achieve system function

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 Data Flow

Data flows through a system, beginning

as input and be transformed into output.

base
compute
area
triangle
height area

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 Data Stores
Data is often stored for later use.

sensor #
sensor #, type,
look-up location, age
sensor
report required data
type,
location, age
sensor number

sensor data

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 Methods
Data flow diagrams are used to describe how
the system transforms information.

They define how information is processed and

stored and identify how the information flows
through the processes.

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 Methods
When building a data flow diagram, the
following items should be considered:

1. where does the data that passes through the

system come from and where does it go,

2. what happens to the data once it enters the

system (i.e., the inputs) and before it leaves the
system (i.e., the outputs),

3. what delays occur between the inputs and

outputs (i.e., identifying the need for data stores)
.
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 STEPS TO DRAW A DATA
FLOW DIAGRAM
1. Start from the context diagram. Identify the parent
process and the external entities with their net inputs and
outputs.

2·Place the external entities on the diagram. Draw the

boundary.

3·Identify the data flows needed to generate the net

inputs and outputs to the external entities.

4·Identify the business processes to perform the work

needed to generate the input and output data flows.

5· Connect the data flows from the external entities to

the processes.
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6· Identify the data stores.
 STEPS TO DRAW A DATA
FLOW DIAGRAM
7· Connect the processes and data stores with data flows.

8· Apply the Process Model Paradigm to verify that the

diagram addresses the processing needs of all external
entities.

9· Apply the External Control Paradigm to further validate

that the flows to the external entities are correct.

10· Continue to decompose to the nth level DFD. Draw all

DFDs at one level before moving to the next level of
decomposing detail.

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 Modelling Rules

[Link] processes must have at least one data flow in and

one data flow out.
[Link] processes should modify the incoming data,
producing new forms of outgoing data.
3. Each data store must be involved with at least one data
flow.
4. Each external entity must be involved with at least one
data flow.
5. A data flow must be attached to at least one process

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 Data Flow Diagramming:
Guidelines
 all icons must be labeled with meaningful
names
 the DFD evolves through a number of
levels of detail
 always begin with a context level diagram
(also called level 0)
 always show external entities at level 0
 always label data flow arrows
 do not represent procedural logic

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 Level 0 - Context Diagram
 models system as one process box which represents
scope of the system
 identifies external entities and related inputs and outputs
 review the data model to isolate data objects and use a
grammatical parse to determine “operations”
 determine external entities (producers and consumers
of data)
 create a level 0 DFD
 Level 1 - overview diagram
 gives overview of full system
 identifies major processes and data flows between them
 identifies data stores that are used by the major
processes
 boundary of level 1 is the context diagram
 write a narrative describing the transform
 parse to determine next level transforms
 “balance” the flow to maintain data flow continuity
 develop a level 1 DFD
 Level 2 - detailed diagram
 level 1 process is expanded into more detail
 each process in level 1 is decomposed to show its
constituent processes
 boundary of level 2 is the level 1 process