Design Tools

Picture is worth a thousand Words

1
 To be covered…

DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

z Context Diagram
z Diagram 0
z Detailed DFD

2
 What are Data Flow Diagrams?

Data flow diagrams illustrate

how data is processed by a
system in terms of inputs and
outputs.
i.e. They show flow of data
through the organization

3
 Purpose/Objective
The purpose of data flow diagrams is to provide a
bridge between users and systems developers.

The diagram Features are:

| Graphical: Eliminating need of thousands of words.

| Logical Representations: Modeling WHAT a system

does, rather than physical model showing HOW it does
it.

| Hierarchical: Showing systems at any level of detail.

4
 Data flow diagrams have the
objective of avoiding the cost of

User/developer
misunderstanding
a system.

5
 Description

Data Flow Diagrams

are composed of the
four basic symbols.

6
 Description

The External Entity

symbol represents
sources of data to the
system, or destinations
of data from the
system.
i.e. A Person, A System, or
an organization that sends
or receives data
7
 Description contd..

The Data Flow

symbol represents
movement of data.

8
 Description contd..

The Data Store

symbol represents
data that is saved on
some file or in a
table.
Student File,
Faculty File,
Result File.

9
 Description contd..

The Process symbol

represents an activity
that transforms or
manipulates the data
(A process transforms
incoming data flow
into outgoing data
flow).

10
 Constructing a DFD
| Start with Context diagram which shows only a single
process (represents the entire system), and external
entities
| Identify the functions to be performed
| Show the information flow between functions and
identify data stores and external entities
| Repeatedly elaborate on the DFD ( bottom up and
top down )
z After each elaboration is complete validate the DFD:
• Identify missing functions
• Identify functions that need more detail
• Rearrange in higher order bubbles
• Identify features that do not meet with the user's approval

11
 Context Diagram

A context diagram provides the most

general view of an information system

12
 Context Diagram

| Emphasis is on the relationship

between the system and its
environment.

13
 Context Diagram

System as a whole
is represented as a
bubble, and the
external entities are
shown as squares
from which input
flows and to which
output is directed

14
 Guidelines for designing a Context
data flow diagram

| Start by placing a single process symbol

in the center of the page. The symbol
represents the entire information system,
and you identify it as process 0

| Then place the external entities around

the perimeter of the page and use data
flows to connect the entities to the central
process
15
 Guidelines for designing a Context
data flow diagram
| Do not show any data stores in a context
diagram because data stores are internal
to the system.

| Place the external agents around the

central process and label them.

| Create labeled input and output data flows

between the external entities and the
16
central system.
 Creation of a
Context diagram
Step By Step

Online
Examination
System
17
 Problem Statement

z Consider the following problem.

There is an online examination system

in which faculty enters the questions
that are stored in the system. This
system requires the student to logon to
website. The system then asks student
the questions. At the end of the
examination results are send to both
student and faculty. At the same time
the result is saved for future reference.
18
 Step - 1

| Start by placing a single process

symbol in the center of the page. The
symbol represents the entire
information system, and you identify
it as process 0

| In our case System is ONLINE

EXAMINATION SYSTEM
19
 Context Diagram

Online
Examination
System

20
 Step - 2

| Then place the external entities

around the perimeter of the page.

| There are two entities involved in

the whole process
1- STUDENT (Taking Exam)
2- FACULTY (Creating Exam)

21
 Context Diagram

Online
Student Examination Faculty
System

22
 Step - 3
| Create labeled input and output data flows between the entities
and the central system.

| In our case
(For Student)
1- Student Logins to the system
2- Student is asked questions
3- Student answers the questions
4- Student is displayed his/her result
(For Faculty)
1- Faculty enters number of questions in the system
2- Faculty is told about the result of particular students who
took the exam.
(For System)
1- Save the questions entered by faculty
2- Check and save the result.

23
 Context Diagram

Login
Question Online Question
Student Answers Examination Faculty
Result
Result System

24
 Diagram 0

| Diagram 0 is a diagram showing the

system itself
| It pictures all the major processes
along with the external entities, data
stores and data flow.
| Single top level diagram of the system
and does not describe each process
in detail.

25
 Building Diagram 0 for our
problem statement

Faculty Student

Enter login
Generate Process exam
and
questions Question
Validate Q

Quest results
Process Questions
Result for Process
Results Result for
Faculty
Student
26
 Some observations and hints

| All Bubbles should be connected

| At each Level there should be no
more than 5 - 7 sub bubbles
| Refine only one Process Bubble at a
time
| When refining the information flow:
information continuity must be
maintained
| Deciding when to stop may be difficult
27
 When to stop decomposing

| Reduced each process to a single decision or

calculation or single database operation
| Data store represents data about a single entity
| System user doesn’t want to see any more detail
| Every data flow doesn’t need to be split further to
show the differences in data handling
| Each business form or transaction, on-line
display, report is a single data flow

28
 How to get started building logical
DFDs

| Start with a physical DFD, then get rid of all physical

references
| Organize all the information in the problem by type
z data (data flows, data stores, data elements)
z people (sources/sink or physical)
z activities (processes)
z hardware/software (physical)
z places (physical)
| Build the decomposition diagram first to identify
activities (processes), then work on lower level
DFDs

29
 DFD Rule Review Checklist

| All data flows should be labeled. (These are the most common
labeling omissions.)
| If you can’t name a data flow, re-evaluate it’s existence -- is it really
a data flow?
| External entities (or agent) are outside the system: sources or sinks
of data.
| Individuals performing functions within the system are NOT entities
-- their functions are captured as processes.
| If you find yourself naming a data flow a verb -- take another look --
it may be a process! Data flows should be noun clauses.
| All external entities shown on sub-diagrams (Level 0+) should be
on the context level diagram.
| Make certain your labels are meaningful

30
 Functions of The DBA

| Planning the Database

z Preliminary database planning
z Identify user requirements
z Developing and maintaining the data
dictionary
z Designing the logical model
z Choosing the DBMS
z Developing the physical model

31
 Functions of The DBA

| Developing the Operating Database

z Creating and loading the database
z Developing user views
z Writing and maintaining documentation
z Developing and enforcing data standards
z Developing and enforcing application
programming standards
z Developing operating procedures
z Doing user training

32
 Functions of The DBA

| Ensuring best database performance

z Monitoring performance
z Tuning and reorganizing
| DBA Staff

33
 The End

34