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Lecture 6
Lecture 6
Accounting
Information Systems II
Lecture 6
Logical Model –
Process Modeling (DFD)
Lecture 6 Outline
■Systems analysis: process modeling
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Process modeling
■Process modeling is a technique for organizing and
documenting structure and flow of data through
system processes, and/or the logic, policies, and
procedures to be implemented by system processes.
What is a process?
■A "Process" can be defined as a “set of interrelated
or interacting activities, which transforms inputs into
outputs". These activities require allocation of
resources such as people and materials.
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■The performance of an organization can be
improved through the use of the process approach.
The processes are managed as a system, by creating
and understanding a network of the processes and
their interactions.
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Data flow diagram (DFD)
■A data flow diagram illustrates the movement of
data between external entities, processes and data
stores within a system.
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Components of a DFD
■External entities
■Processes
■Data flows
■Data stores
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Notations of DFDs
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External entities
■An external entity defines a person, organization
unit, or other organization that lies outside of the
scope of the system being studied, and yet it interacts
with the system.
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■External entity defines the “boundary” or scope of a
system being modeled, e.g.
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Processes
■The name given to a process must indicate what
happens to produce output.
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Relationship
among DFD
levels
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
◼ Draw the context diagram so that it fits on one page
◼ Use the name of the information system as the
process name in the context diagram
◼ Use unique names within each set of symbols
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
◼ Do not cross lines
◼ Provide a unique name and reference number for
each process
◼ Obtain as much user input and feedback as possible
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Step 1: Draw a Context Diagram
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Context diagram
■A data flow diagram (DFD) of an organizational
system that shows the system boundaries - external
entities that interact with the system and the major
information flows between the entities and the
system.
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A context diagram example
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Another context diagram example
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Step 2: Draw a Diagram 0 DFD
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Level-0 diagram
■A data flow diagram (DFD) that represents a system’s
major processes, data flows and data stores at a high
level of detail.
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Step 2: Draw a Diagram 0 DFD
◼ If same data flows in both directions, you can use a
double-headed arrow
◼ Diagram 0 is an exploded view of process 0
◼ Parent diagram
◼ Child diagram
◼ Functional primitive
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A level-0
DFD
example
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Another
level-0
DFD
example
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Step 3: Draw the Lower-
Level Diagrams
◼ Must use leveling and
balancing techniques
◼ Leveling examples
◼ Uses a series of
increasingly detailed DFDs
to describe an information
system
◼ Exploding, partitioning, or
decomposing
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Creating a Set of DFDs
◼ Step 3: Draw the Lower-
Level Diagrams
◼ Balancing
◼ Ensures that the input and
output data flows of the
parent DFD are
maintained on the child
DFD
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A level-1
DFD
example
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Steps to construct DFDs
(Example)
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A scenario
After purchase requests are received from other
departments to buy goods, the purchasing department
will send request for quotations to suppliers. For a fixed
period, suppliers will be sending in bids. When all bids
are received, a purchasing decision is then made. A
purchase order will be prepared, a copy of which is sent
to the supplier and a copy retained. When goods are
delivered by the suppliers, the items received are checked
against the purchase order. The delivery order is filed
after noting any discrepancies. When the invoice is
received from the supplier, it is checked against the
delivery order, payment is then made and the invoice is
filed.
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First, draw a context diagram
■To create a context diagram, start with a single process that
represents the entire system. In this case and only this case, the
process is named after the system, rather than the function
performed by the process. Draw a process with the number
zero.
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Then identify the external entities.
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Start with one of the external entities and draw the
data flows from that external entity to the system and
the data flows from the system to that external entity.
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Continue with the data flows for each remaining
external entity until the context diagram is
completed.
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Next, draw a level-0 DFD
From the context diagram, select an external entity and a
data flow from that external entity to process 0. Draw the
external entity and associate the data flow to the relevant
process. Start with process 1.
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The data flow into a process determines the data
coming out of that process, as a result of the
transformation that occurs within the process. Data
flows back to the external entity or into a data store or
into another process are drawn as appropriate.
Continue with process 2.
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Just like the LEGO building blocks you enjoyed so much
when you were a child, the trick here is to put the pieces
together logically, i.e. processes, data stores, data flows and
external entities. Continue with process 3.
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Continue with process 4.
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Continue with process 5.
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Rules to follow for drawing each component
■Process rules
■Processes must have both inputs and outputs and they must
differ, that is some transformation must occur to the inputs to
produce the outputs.
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■Processes should be named using strong, active
verbs and objects to stress the basic data
transformation.
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■Data store rules
■A data flow going into a data store must come from a process
and a data flow coming out of a data store must go into a
process.
■A data flow going into a data store must update data - not
simply be the key for obtaining data from the data store.
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■External entity rules
■A data flow going to an external entity must come from a
process and a data flow coming from an external entity
must go into a process.
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■Data flow rules
■A data flow has only one direction of flow between two
objects on a DFD.
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Additional examples
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Draw the DFD for a distance education university. The
enrolment process works as follows:
Students send in an application form containing their
personal details, and their desired course
The university checks that the course is available and that
the student has necessary academic qualifications.
If the course is available the student is enrolled in the
course, and the university confirms the enrolment by
sending a confirmation letter to the student.
If the course is unavailable the student is sent a rejection
letter.
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◼ A student (EE) sends in an application form (DF) containing
their personal details, and their desired course
◼ The university checks (P) that the course is available.
◼ If the course is available the student is enrolled (P) in the course,
and the university confirms (P) the enrolment by sending a
confirmation letter (DF) that they are registered for the course to
the student.
◼ Or if the course is unavailable the student is sent a rejection
letter (DF).
◼ Note: The university, or more specifically the administration
section, is the system being modelled, it is not an EE.
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Acknowledgements
This PowerPoint presentation contains
materials complied from various sources.
Credits are hereby given to their respective
owners. Please refer to the reading list for
details.
Reminder
The lecture slides serve only as a quick
learning guide. Students are required to refer
to the main textbook for detailed elaboration.
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