Week 8 Lecture
Transitioning Use Case Models to
Process Models
Objectives
• To reveal the link between use case models
and process models
• To get acquainted with the concept of process
modelling
• To understand basic notations of a data flow
diagram (DFD)
A few Words about a Use Case Model
• It defines the scope of the system and its
functions.
• It depicts all the people who will interact with
the system and the processes in the system
which they will need to use.
• It emphasizes those processes which are
critical to system acceptance and which will
drive the major design decisions.
A few Words about a Use Case Model
• The functional requirements can be further
refined through use case descriptions which
typically are written at three separate levels of
detail: brief description, intermediate
description, and fully developed description
Shortcomings of a Use Case Model
• No distinction between the initiating actor and
the participating actors
• No mention of the data input or output in the
use case diagram
• No clear indication of the difference between
a temporal and an external events
Traditional Systems Analysis Models
Events, Use
Cases, and
Event Table
Data Models (Entity- Process Models (
Relationship Data Flow
Diagrams) Diagrams)
Traditional Systems Analysis Models
• The traditional approach takes the use cases in
the event table and creates a set of data flow
diagrams (DFDs) based on the information in
the table.
• The entity-relationship diagram defines the
data storage requirements that are included in
the DFDs.
Introducing Process Modelling
• Graphically represents the processes that
capture, manipulate, store and distribute data
between a system and its environment and
among system component
• Data-flow Diagrams (DFD) is a common form
of a process model
– Graphically illustrate movement of data between
external entities and the processes and data
stores within a system
Process Modelling
• Modelling a System’s Process
– Utilize information gathered during requirements
determination
– Structure of the data is also modeled in addition
to the processes
• Deliverables and Outcomes
– Set of coherent, interrelated data-flow diagrams
Process Modelling
• Deliverables and Outcomes (continued)
– Context data-flow diagram (DFD)
• Scope of system
– DFDs of current system
• Enable analysts to understand current system
– DFDs of new logical system
• Technology independent
• Show data flows, structure and functional requirements
of new system
Process Modelling
• Deliverables and Outcomes (continued)
– Project dictionary and CASE repository
• Data-flow Diagramming Mechanics
– Four symbols are used
• Data Flow, Data Store, Process, and Source/Sink
– Developed by Gane and Sarson
Data-Flow Diagramming Mechanics
• Data Flow
– Depicts data that are in motion and moving as a
unit from one place to another in the system
– Drawn as an arrow
– Select a meaningful name to represent the data
Data-Flow Diagramming Mechanics
• Data Store
– Depicts data at rest
– May represent data in
• File folder
• Computer-based file
• Notebook
– Drawn as a rectangle with the right vertical line missing
– Label includes name of the store as well as the number
Data-Flow Diagramming Mechanics
• Process
– Depicts work or actions performed on data so that
they are transformed, stored, or distributed
– Drawn as a rectangle with rounded corners
– Number of process as well as name are recorded
Data-Flow Diagramming Mechanics
• Source/Sink
– Depicts the origin and/or destination of the data
– Sometimes referred to as an external entity
– Drawn as a square symbol
– Name states what the external agent is
– Because they are external, many characteristics
are not of interest to us
An Example of DFD – on a context level
An Exercise
• How can you draw a simple context diagram of an
ATM machine system?
• Remember a context diagram has only one process
and it no needs for any data store
• Think about the four symbols used in DFDs and how
to relate them to the ATM
– Source/Sink?
– Process?
– Data Store? ---- no required
– Data Flow?
Summary
• Data flow diagrams (DFDs) are useful for
representing the over all data flows of an IS –
concentrating on processes of the system
• DFDs rely on only FOUR symbols consisting of
data flows, data stores, processes, and
source/sinks
