‘The importance of Data Flow Diagram Senior Investigative Paper Presented n Partial Fulfilment of Requirements fr the Bachelor of Science ‘Degree in Computer Science/Information System in the Department of ‘Compute Science and Engineering Johnson ¢. Smith University Presented By Jamaal A. Brown Spring Semester 2009 Committe: Approved By: ate: Dr. Amin, Committee Paper Advisor ey én behaif of A Aron ow fot/og Dr. Bhala, Second Reader eg LgTable of Contents Introduction of DFD. Four Sasi Structure History Diagram 2 Description OF DFO, Concusion Diagram 2a Worked Cited 28 saa 2 1347 18 a9The Importance of Data Flow Diagram The goal of data flow diagramming is to have a commonly understood model of a system. The diagrams are the basis of structured systems analysis. Data flow diagrams are supported by other techniques of structured systems analysis such as data structure diagrams, data dictionaries, and procedure- representing techniques such as decision tables, decision trees, and structured English. The data flow diagram has four basic structures. [| eternal Entity > data Few (TJ tata stove ‘The External Entity symbol represents sources of data to the system or destinations of date from the system. The Data Flow symbol represents ‘movement of data. The Data Store symbol represents data that is not moving (delayed data at rest).The Process symbol represents an activity that transforms or manipulates the data (combines, reorders, converts, etc.). (n.d.). Kozar, K. A. (1997). The Technique of Data Flow Diagramming.The Importance of Data Flow Diagram any system can berepresented at any level of detail by these four symbols. Let's explain each structure one more time for the record. External Entities are named with appropriate name. They also can be duplicated, one or more times, on the diagram to avoid line crossing. External entities determine the system boundary. They are external to the system being studied. They are often beyond the area of influence of the developer. They also can represent another system or subsystem. External entities are located on margins/edges of data flow diagram. Data Flows are represented with a line with an arrowhead on one end. A fork in a data flow means that the same data goes to two separate destinations. The same data coming from several locations can also be joined. They also should only represent data, not control. Data flows are ALWAYS namec. The name is not to include the word "data". They also are referenced by a combination of the identifiers of the constructs that the data flow connects. Data Stores are generic for physical files (index cards, desk drawers, magnetic disk, magnetic tape, shirt pocket, human memory, etc.) They also are named with an appropriate name, not to include the word "file", and numbered with a number preceded with a capital letter D. Data stores can‘The Importance of Data Flow Diagram (Kozar, 1997) be duplicated, one or more times, to avoid line crossing, and can show two or more systems that share a data store. This is done by adding a solid stripe on the left boundary. This can occur in the case of one system updating the data the other system only accesses the data. For example, the data store, wl store could be a freight rate book that one system builds and maintains, but is used by the represented system. Data stores are detailed in the data dictionary or with data description diagrams. The most important part of all of the structures is the procedure. The procedure to produce a data flow diagram is first to identify and list external entities providing inputs/receiving outputs from system; than dentify and list inputs from/outputs to external entities. ‘After doing that create a context diagram with system at center and external entities sending and receiving data flows. Next identify the business functions included within the system boundary. After identifying the business functions identify the data connections between business functions. Next confirm received and vice-versa. Then trace and through personal contact sent dati record what happens to each of the data flows entering the system (data movement, data storage, data transformation/processing). Try to or attempt toThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram (Kozar, 1997) connect any diagram segments into a rough draft. After that verify all data flows have a sourc2 and destination, and verify data coming out of a data store goes in. Next redraw to simplify-ponder and question result. Next review with "informed" and lastly explode and repeat above steps as needed. A chart that traces the movement of data in a computer system, and shows how the data is to be processed, using circles to represent data is also known as a data flow diagram. Also known as bubble chart; system flowchart. ‘A data flow diagram (DFD) is a significant modeling technique for analyzing and constructing information processes. DFD literally means an illustration that explains the course or movement of information in a process DED illustrates this flow of information in a process based on the inputs and outputs. A DED can be referred to as a Process Model. Additionally, a DFD can be utilized to visualze data processing or a structured design. A DFO illustrates technical or business processes with the help of the external data stored, the data flowing from a process to another, and the results. A designer usually draws a context-level DFD showing the relationship between the entities inside and outside of a system as one single step. This basic DFD can be thenThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram disintegrated to a lower level diagram demonstrating smaller steps exhibiting. details of the system that is being modeled. Numerous levels may be required to explain a complicated system. Data flow diagrams present the logical flow of information through a system in graphical or pictorial form. Data flow diagrams have only four symbols, which makes useful for communication between analysts and users. Data flow diagrams (DFDs) show the data used and provided by processes within a system. DFDs make use of four basic symbols. Create structured analysis, information flow, process-oriented, data- oriented, and data process diagrams as well as data flowcharts. In the late 1970s data-flow diagrams (DFDs) were introduced and popularized for structured analysis and design. Data flow diagrams 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. The dataflow diagram is one of the most commonly used systems-modeling tools, particularly for operational systems in which the functions of the system are of paramount importance and more complex than the data that the system ‘manipulates. The dataflow diagram was first used in the software engineering field as a notation for studying systems design issues and articles. Whereas theThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram notation has been borrowed from papers in times before on graph theory, and row it continues to be used as a convenient notation by software engineers concerned with direct implementation of models of user requirements. A dataflow diagram is used for many companies and aspects of companies. Dataflow diagrams are graphical representations of systems and system components for certain companies. They show the functional relationships of the value computed by a system, including the input values, output values, and internal data stores. It’s @ flow graph showing the data values flowing in an object from their sources through processes and functions that transform them to their destinations in other objects. The data flow diagram has a lot of terms that are involved in it. The word transformation in the sense of the diagram is task preformed such as updating, summarizing, cleaning, merging, and distributing data. The inputs and outputs of a transformation define the columns of incoming and outgoing data ‘Transformations can also include error outputs, which provide information about the error that occurred, together with the data that failed. The Destination in terms of the data flow diagram is the component that writes the ‘memory dataset. data from a data flow to a specific data store, or creates aiThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram The destinations use inputs but there are outputs. Sources have outputs, destinations have inputs, and transformations have both inputs and outputs. Additionally, many data flow components can be configured to use an error output. An input contains one or more input columns, which can refer to external columns if the data flow component has been configured to use them. Inputs can be configured to monitor and control the flow of data. Whereas an ‘output contains one or more output columns, which can refer to external columns if the data flow component has been configured to use them, Outputs ‘can be configured to provide information useful to downstream processing of the data. Both inputs and outputs use columns. Each column is configurable and depending on the column type of input, output, or external integration Services provides different properties for the column. The last part of a data ies with flow diagram is the terminator. Terminators represent external ent which the system communicates. Typically, a terminator is a person or a group of people, for example, an outside organization or government agency, or a group or department that is within the same company or organization, but outside the control of the system being modeled. In some cases, a terminatorThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram www.agilemodeling.com/artifacts/dataFlowDiagram.htm may be another system, for example, some other computer system with which your system will communicate. There are several steps in completing 2 dataflow diagram. The first step is the results of the research. It’s when the determination of the requirements is established. This phase is actually never really complete until the whole diagram is complete, After establishing what is needed than itis time to divide the activities of the flow chart. The activities than have to divided under specific titles which bring it to step three, separate the titles and activities together. This phrese should give a preliminary view of what data is wanted from and given to whom. Next it’s time to construct the preliminary diagram of the flow chart. This gives a steady basis in entity distinction and name giving for the rest of the construction. It’s the process of organizing the diagrams into a hierarchy of increasing detailed views of processes. The next step is to get deeper involved in the step before. The ones that cannot be subdivided any further are called functional primitives. The process specifications are written /es in a process. Now it’s time to put for each of the functional primThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram everything together and combine it into the complete dataflow diagram. The input and output should be consisting in all levels. ‘There are different steps in the flow chart as was mentioned before. To start explaining this let's start with the process. The process is the first step to the data flow diagram. Common synonyms are a bubble, a function, or a transformation. The process shows a part of the system that transforms inputs into outputs mearing it shows how one or more inputs are changed into outputs. The process is usually represented graphically as a circle on the diagram. The process is commonly named or described with a single word, phrase, or simple sentence. In some cases, the process will contain the name of a person or a group of people (e.g., 2 department or a division of an organization), or a computer, or a mechanical device. That is, the process sometimes describes who or what is carrying out the process, rather than describing what the process is. The thing there is in the data flow diagram is the data flow. The data flow is often represented by arrows going into or out of the process. The data flow is used to describe the movement of chunks, or packets of information from one part of the system to another part. Thus, the flows represent data in a moving motion, whereas the stores represent theThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram data at rest. The data flow will most likely represent data, that is, bits, characters, messages, floating point numbers, and the various other kinds of information that computers can deal with. But data flow diagrams can also be used to model systems other than automated, computerized systems; we may choose, for example, to use a data flow diagram to model an assembly line in which there are no computerized components. in such a case, the packets or chunks carried by the flows will typically be physical materials. Data flows can diverge and converge in a data flow diagram, conceptually; this is somewhat like a major river splitting into smaller tributaries, or tributaries joining together. However, this has a special meaning in a typical data flow diagram in ‘which packets of cata are moving through the system: in the case of a diverging flow, it means that duplicate copies of a packet of data are being sent to different parts of the system, or that a more complex packet of data is being split into several different elementary data packets, each of which is being sent to.a whole other parts of the system, or that the dataflow lines carries items not the same values, changing values, that are being separated. Conversely, in the case of a flow that is converging, it means that several elementary packets of data are joining together to form more difficult, 10The Importance of Data Flow aggregate packets of data. The next thing that is in the data flow diagram is the external agents. Tne external agents can be thought of as those people or parties interacting with the information system. The interaction of these agents with the system is handled by various processes or functions. Frequently these process and/or function symbols will cross-reference toa decomposition diagram. These processes rely on inputs from either the syster’s external agents or data stores. The processes produce outputs that are either added to data stores or presented to external agents. Both inputs ‘and outputs are symbolized with the arrowed lines. With smaller information systems projects, 2 detailed diagram of this sort may not be required. However, this does not mean that a clear understanding of the processes can be avoided by key stakeholders during the analysis phases of the project. As with both the context data flow diagram and the decomposition diagram the ‘System Data Flow Diagram is meant to show what the system will achieve. The technical considerction for how the system will achieve these functions is reserved for the physical design phase. www.wikpedia.com/dataflowdiagram aThe Importance of Data Flow Dia; Alcan) Eek Student — ‘Detals Available Course jt —Course Cetals——— Acceated! Courses Rejected Selections 20 Course Detai Enol " Student Confirmation/Rejection Details——twx| 30 Confirm Registrec / (Course Enrolment Detail Regisvaton Studerts Details ———Student DetailThe Importance of Data Flow Diagram Data flows can diverge and converge in a data flow diagram, conceptually; this is somewhat like a major river splitting into smaller tributaries, or tributaries joining together. However, this has a special meaning in a typical DFO in which packets of data are moving through the system: in the case of a diverging flow, it means that duplicate copies of a packet of data are being sent to different parts of the system, or that a complex packet of data is being split into several more elementary data packets, each of which is being sent to different parts of the system, or that the dataflow pipeline carries items with different values (e.g., vegetables whose values may be “potato,” “Brussels sprout,” or “lima bean”) that are being separated. The purpose of a data flow diagram is to accurately model the functions that a system has to carry out and the interactions between those functions. But another purpose of the data flow diagram is to be read and understood, not only by the systems analyst who constructed the model, but by the users and customers who are the experts in the subject matter. This means that the data flow diagram should be readily understood, easily absorbed, and pleasing to the eye for all sorts of people. For example say if there was a data flow diagram on the company formation yet in still it Ajax. The data flow wants to cover all of the basi 2The Importance of Data Flow Diagram ‘wants to be easy cn the eyes as to where a person who is skilled in the subject can comprehend the diagram. There are different types of data flow diagrams. The first type is a context diagram. Context Diagram is a data flow diagram showing data flows between a generalized application within the domain and the other entities and abstractions with which it communicates. One thing that differentiates the use of data flow diagrams in domain analysis from other typical uses is that the variability of the data flows across the domain boundary ‘must be accounted for with either a set of diagrams or text describing the differences. There are different levels of a context diagram, the enterprise level and the project level. The context diagram at an enterprise level situates an enterprise in its operating and regulatory environment, and also defines the mission of an enterprise or its subcomponents. The context diagram at a project level, however, helps define the scope of a project, and assess potential project benefits and risk factors. The next is the subsystem is one process per major subsystem. Than the data flow is represented by another diagram called diagram zero for that specific subsystem. Another important part of the data flow diagram is the level of abstraction. Data flow diagrams can be modeled at different levels of 4The Importance of Data Flow Diagram abstraction, where the lowest level is at program function level and the highest level is at library component level. With new development work, lower level functionality is sometimes unknown, and needs to be determined! Not every single project is modeled but it does help to define customer requirements, scope of project, and the executive view of the embedded software system, tion at different architectural design. Different levels of DFD show the apy levels of detail. The highest level DFD (Level 0) shows the entire application as a single process surrounded by its data stores and is sometimes known as Context Diagram. The next level down (Level 1) shows the whole application again but with the main processes, the data flows between them and their individual links to the data stores. Each process from Level 1 is expanded into its own Level 2 diagram and then into lower level diagrams to show further details. Process number 1 at level 1 would be expanded intro processes 1.1, 1.2, 13, eteat level. Data Stores remain the same at all levels of abstraction but new stores may be introduced at any level. These are usually temporary stores such as views and cursors which are required in lower level processes. 18The Importance of Data Flow Diagram ‘The analyst determined whether a person or organization should be represented on a data flow diagram as an external agent or one or more processes but yet it did not always go well. Unfortunately, the use of data flow diagrams in information analysis has fallen into disfavor due to lack of education in their use. Most analysts and information users mistakenly look for process sequence and event control in data flow diagrams. In fact, sequence and branch logic have no place or meaning in a data flow diagram and so their disappointed viewers abandon them. One solution would be to evolve a method of data discovery which augments the proven value of data flow diagrams with appropriate notation for sequence and control. Many newer techniques of data discovery have been offered, none so far seems to have gained the broad acceptance and usage which data flow diagrams once enjoyed. Another cirection would be to offer a modern case tool for the preparation of data flow diagrams, a tool which would coach and guide in its appropriate use. In fact several vendors of data modeling products now offer data flow diagram tools as well and we will try to provide coverage for these n. Data ‘soon. Identify the external events that have a data event classifi events cause data to be transformed. A data flow diagram is used to describe 6The Importance of Data Flow Diagram this type of behavior. An external event may have multiple classifications. If one of the external event's classifications is "D" (ie., data event) then a data flow diagram is used to model the data transformation component of the system response. The event response can be used to determine the required behavior and name of a process. Responses and processes are not necessarily at the same level of abstraction. Responses that represent low-level activities must be grouped into related processes. Responses that represent high-level functions must be decomposed into low-level processes. Group related responses together. Responses can be related by the activities that they perform. Responses can also be related by the data that they use. lf there are multiple responses to an event, multiple processes may be required. If an event has multiple responses and each response processes different data, then a different process should be created for each response since each process will use different data flows and data stores. Separating the processes will simpli their interfaces. Different processes should also be created when different external events have similar responses but process different data. The same process may be used by different responses as long as the process's behavior and data requirements are the same for each event. Identify control events ”The Importance of Data Flow Diagram (ie,, the events that use a state transition diagram to describe the system's response]. State transition diagrams describe processing sequence, therefore the processes controlled by a state transition diagram should be grouped together with the control process that prompts (i.e., controls) them. Identify the data processes controlled by a control process. Group the data processes and the control process together under the same parent process. In conclusion, the data flow diagram is a commonly used system- ‘modeling tool. Data flow diagram shows the functionally relationships between values computed by the system. Those values included input values, ficant technique for output values, and internal data store. This is a analyzing and constructing information process. 18The Importance of Data Flow Diagram VENDOR cusTover® ADASENGY cusTovess 19The Importance of Data Flow Diagram Work Citied ‘© http://spot.colorado.edu/~kozar/DFDtechnique.htm! ‘© http://www.answers.com/topic/data-flow-diagram ‘© www sei.cmu.edu/intro/process/technas/a_dfd.htm © http://www.conceptdraw.com/en/products/edS/ap data flow di agram.php © http://www.uwm.edu/~derek/course/Tools/OldCASE/adwafd.htm http://www. fi.uio.no/in219/verktoy/doc/html/doc/user/mg/dgms ‘omt3.htm! ‘© http://www.visualcase.com/kbase/data flow diagram.htm © http://www.getahead-direct.com/gwbadfd.html © www.wikpedia.com ‘© www.agilemodeling.com/artfacts/ Dit htm 20