Process

Modeling
✓ A process model can be used to further clarify the
requirements definition and use cases.

✓ A process model is a graphical way of representing how

a business system should operate.

✓ A process model can be used to document the as-is

system or the to-be system, whether computerized or
not.
✓Data flow diagramming is a technique that diagrams the business processes
and the data that pass among them.

✓Logical process models describe processes without suggesting how they are
conducted.

✓Physical process models provide information that is needed to build the

system.
Context Diagram
❑There is no simple answer to the “ideal” level of decomposition, because it depends on
the complexity of the system or business process being modeled.
❑In general, you decompose a process into a lower-level DFD whenever the process is
sufficiently complex that additional decomposition can help explain the process.
❑Rules of thumb:
- There should be at least 3, and no more than 7-9, processes on every DFD.
- Decompose until you can provide a detailed description of the process in no
more than 1 page of process descriptions.
• There two fundamental types of errors in DFDs:
• 1. Syntax errors – can be thought of as grammatical errors that violate the rules of
the DFD language.
• 2. Semantics errors – can be thought of as misunderstandings by the analyst in
collecting, analyzing, and reporting information about the system.

• Syntax errors are easier to find and fix than are semantics errors because there are
clear rules that can be used to identify them.
• Most CASE tools have syntax checkers that will detect syntax errors.
DATA
MODELING
A data model is a formal way of representing the data that are
used and created by a business system.

During analysis (this Chapter), analysts draw a Logical data

model which shows the logical organization of data without
indicating how it is stored, created, or manipulated.

During design (Chapter 11), analysts draw a physical data

model to reflect how the data will physically be stored in
databases or files.
 Elements of an
Entity Relationship
Diagram
Reading an Entity Relationship Diagram
The Data
Dictionary and
Metadata

• A data dictionary contains the

information about the entities,
attributes, and relationships on
the ERD, or metadata.

• Metadata is data about data.

• Metadata is stored in the data
dictionary so it can be shared
by developers and users
throughout the SDLC.
CREATING AN ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM (ERD)

▪ Drawing the ERD is an iterative process of trial and

revision.
▪ The basic steps in building an ERD:
1. Identify the entities;
2. add the appropriate attributes to each entity; and
3. draw relationships among entities.
Design Guidelines
▪Validating an ERD
- Normalization
- CRUD matrix

▪Normalization is a technique that can help analysts validate the

data models. It is a process whereby a series of rules are applied to a
logical data model to determine how well formed it is.

▪ CRUD matrix
A useful tools to clearly depict the interrelationship between process
and data models is the CRUD matrix (create, read, update, delete
matrix).