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Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN - LAB 3
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Data Flow Diagram

Data flow diagram shows business processes and the

data that flows between them

A picture of the movement of data between external

entities and the processes and data stores within a
system.
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Elements
of DFD
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Elements of DFD Cont.

► Process:
- An activity or function performed for a specific
business reason
-Manual or Computerized

► Data Flow:
- A single piece of data or a logical collection of data
- Always starts or ends at a process
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Elements of DFD Cont.

► Data Store:
- A collection of data that is stored
- Data Flowing out is retrieved from data store
-Data Flowing in is updated or is added to the data store

► External Entity:
- A person, organization, or system that is external to the system but
interact with it.
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Context Diagram

► First DFD in every business process

► Shows the context into which the
business process fits.
► Shows overall business process as just
one process (process 0)
► Shows all the external entities that
receive information from or contribute
information to the system.
► no data stores shown
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Context Diagram

► External entity : Student , Admin

► Processes : Student administration system
► Data Flows: Application Details , Confirmation /Rejection
Details , Student Details Request , Course registration details
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Level 0

► Shows all the major processes that comprise the overall

system- the internal components of process 0
► Shows how the major processes are interrelated by data
flows
► Shows external entities and the major processes with which
they interact.
► Adds data stores
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Level 0
DFD
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Level 0

► External entity : Student

► Processes : Check available , Enroll student , Confirm
Registration
► Data Flows: Application form , Course Details , Course
Enrolment Details , Student details , Confirmation / ejection
letter
► Data Stores: Courses , Students
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Levels of DFD
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Levels of DFD
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Level 1

► Generally, one level 1 diagram is created for every major

process on the level 0 diagram
► Shows all the internal process that comprise a single process
on the level 0 diagram
► Shows how information moves from and to each process
► If a parent process is decomposed into , for example 3 child
processes, these 3 child processes wholly and completely
make up the parent processes
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Level 2

► Shows all processes that comprise a single process on the

level 1 diagram
► Shows how information moves from and to each processes
► Level 2 diagrams may not be needed for all level 1
processes
► Correctly numbering each process helps the user
understand where the process fits into the overall system
DFD Diagramming Rules - Process

No process can have only

outputs or only
inputs…processes must
have both outputs and
inputs.

Process labels should be verb

phrases.
DFD Diagramming Rules - Data Store

All flows to or from a data store must move through a

process. Data store labels should be noun phrases.
DFD Diagramming Rules - Source/Sink

No data moves directly between external entities without going through a

process.

Interactions between external entities without intervening processes are

outside the system and therefore not represented in the DFD.

Source and sink labels should be noun phrases.

DFD Diagramming Rules - Data Flow
Bidirectional flow
between process and
data store is
represented by two
separate arrows.

Forked data flow must

refer to exact same
data item (not different
data items) from a
common location to
multiple destinations.
DFD Diagramming Rules - Data Flow
(cont.)

Joined data flow

must refer to exact
same data item (not
different data items)
from multiple
sources to a
common location.

Data flow cannot

go directly from a
process to itself,
must go through
intervening
processes.
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Steps in Building DFDs

► Build the context diagram

► Create DFD fragments for each use case
► Organize DFD fragments into level 0 diagram
► Decompose level 0 processes into level 1 diagrams as
needed ; Decompose level 1 processes into level 2
diagrams as needed.
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Thank you.