Process

Modeling
using DFD
System Analysis and Design
For CS Dept CSIT by JBM
For today’s session

“Voice Reservation”
• Slides will be provided to you

• Jot down your questions

• You will be called one-by-one for

consultation
• Your previous activity will be

reviewed
• You can raise your questions during

the consultation
Press Play button on the Slide
for better viewing and
transitions of texts
Table of contents

01. Process Model

Knowing the business/ organization in a more
organized way.
02. DFD
Drating your first DFD

03. DFD Decomposition

Breakdown the levels

04. Activity
Making upto level 1
 01.
Process
Model
Knowing the business/
organization in a more
organized way.
SDLC Stage
REMEMBER!
Process
model:
represent
DFD is the
for business
Processin operations
g
Modeling
Process modeling
PROCESS MODEL

A process model is a formal way

of representing how a business
operates
● Data flow diagramming (DFD)
shows business processes
and the data that flows
between them
● Included: Logical process
and Physical Models
PROCESS MODEL

A process model is a formal way

of representing how a business
operates
A Process Model includes:
● Logical process models: describe
processes without suggesting how
they are conducted
● Physical models: include
information about how the
processes are implemented
 Logical DFD

Image src: Lucid Chart

 Physical DFD

Image src: Lucid Chart

 Which one to
• It’s use?
best to have both Logical and
Physical model
• For this subject, we will use the
Logical Model first then Physical
model later on
 02.
DFD
Developing Data Flow Diagram
 Jet’s DFD Sanity Roadmap
DFD ba kamo? This is how I do it:

Make a list of
business activities to Create Explode
know the ff: a Draw & Check
1. Entities Context Diagram create a for
2. Processes Diagra Level 0 child errors
3. Data Stores m diagram
4. Data Flows
How a DFD looks
Experience
Experience like
abroad

PowerPoint Presentation from Dennis & Haley

Wixom, Systems Analysis and Design
Copyright 2000 © John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All
rights reserved.
 Symbols used in DFD
DFD Gane and Sarson DeMarco and
Element Symbol Yourdon Symbol

Process

Data Flow

Data store/Data
storage

Entity

Img src: https://online.visual-paradigm.com/knowledge/software-design/dfd-using-yourdon-and-demarco

How do you name your element?
DFD Element What does it have?
(all required)

• Number (ex. 1, 1.1, 2, 2.1, 2.1.2,

etc)
Process • Descriptive name (verb phrase)
• Output data flow (at least one)
• Input data flow (at least one)

• Descriptive name (a noun)

Data Flow • Connection to a process (one of
more process)

• Number with letter (ex. D1, D2,

etc)
Data store/Data storage • A descriptive noun
• Output data flow (at least one)
• Input data flow (at least one)
“DFD helps you foresee disaster
before a disaster happens.”

—JBM 2023
Real life disaster
The Climate Orbiter was launched in
Dec 11, 1998. It plunged too steeply
into the Martian atmosphere Sep 23,
1999 and either burned up or crashed.
In an initial failure report released
Oct 15, 2000, the review board blamed
the navigation error on a
communications foul-up between NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory and prime
contractor Lockheed Martin.
Real life disaster
According to NASA, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory is a federally funded
research and development center in
California, United States.
Real life disaster
Lockheed Martin Corporation
identified themselves as an American
aerospace, arms, defense, information
security, and technology corporation
with worldwide interests.
Software
Possible
Experience skills
Logical Model of the Flight
Control Data Transfer

What could’ve
possibly gone
wrong?

PowerPoint Presentation from Dennis & Haley

Wixom, Systems Analysis and Design
Copyright 2000 © John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All
rights reserved.
Software
Possible
Experience skills
Logical Model of the Flight
Control Data Transfer

PowerPoint Presentation from Dennis & Haley

Wixom, Systems Analysis and Design
Copyright 2000 © John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All
rights reserved.
 DFD
helps you
think
ahead
 DFD
helps you
plan
 Preventing the chaos is
better, and cheaper, than
fixing chaos.
-JBM2023
 DFD
helps you
minimize
errors
These 2 are the key
Experience

Decomposition Balancing
Modeling the Insuring that
system in information
increasing presented at one
levels (ex. level is
level 1, level accurate in the
2, etc) next level
These 2 are the key
Experience

Decomposition Balancing
• DFD should be • DFD is
decomposed perfectly
properly balanced
• Level 1 will • Everything
be broken down should remain
until smallest balanced even
process when decomposed
How many levels?

Context Diagram
This is a must.

Level 0
Decomposed Context Diagram

Level 1
Decomposed Level 0

Level n
Goes on and on until there’s no need to decompose
anymore and each process has been simplified already
Common Error

Balancing Error
Example: Unbalanced Context Diagram and Level 0

The number of Entities in Context Diagram

is not equal to the number of entities in
Level 0. Example:
■ Context Diagram has 1 Entity: Student
■ Level 0 has 4 Entities: Student,
Instructor, Student Assistant, PE Teacher
Common Error

Decomposition Error
Example: Assuming there’s no need to decomposed

Example: Failing to break-down Request

Equipment. It can still be broken down
into:
-Get request form
-Fill-out request form
-Sending request form via email
Relationship among
DFD levels

Take note,
in Context Diagram,
the process number
started with zero
(0)

Look at the data

flow letters, they
should be balanced
 03.
DFD Decomposition
Breaking down levels
Context
Hobbies
Experience Diagram

● Shows into which context does

the business process fits
● Shows the overall business
process as just one process
● Shows all entities that receive
information from or contribute
information to the system
● Doesn’t have data storage yet
Level
Experience 0 DFD Diagram
Hobbies

● Shows all the processes that

comprise the overall system
● Shows how information moves
from and to each process
● Data stores are shown here for
the first time
● Process numbers are whole
numbers
Level
Experience 1 DFD Diagram
Hobbies
● Shows all the processes that
comprise a single process on
● the level
Shows how 0 diagram
information moves
from and to each of these
processes
● Shows in more detail the
content of higher level process
● Process numbers have one
decimal point (2.1, 1.1, etc)
Level
Experience 2 DFD Diagram
Hobbies
● Shows all processes that
comprise a single process on
● the level
Shows how 1 diagram
information moves
from and to each of these
● processes
Correctly numbering each
process helps the user
understand where the process
fits into the overall system
● Process numbers format is x.x.x
example: 2.1.1, 1.1.2, etc
Level 0 Tips

Generally move from top to bottom,

left to right

DO NOT intersect the lines

Iterate and break-it-down as needed,

no shortcut!
Level 0 Tips

• The DFD is often drawn many times

before it is finished, even with very
experienced systems analysts
• This means, even us who are drafting
DFDs for more than decades, take time
to draw and repeat for so many times
Level 1 and onward Tips

• Sources for inputs and outputs listed

at higher level
• List source and destination of data
flows to processes and stores within
each DFD
• Depth of DFD depends on overall system
complexity
It looks
endless and
useless but
it’s worth it
in the end.
Don’t commit these illegal
data flow

☑ All data
flow should
move through a
process
Validate your DFD

• Syntax errors - Assure correct DFD structure

• Semantics errors - Assure accuracy of DFD
relative to actual/desired business processes
• User walkthroughs – imagine you are the user
and you traverse each level and each process
Validate your DFD

• Role-play processes – assume and think

scenarios for each level’s process
• Examine lowest level DFDs – is it in its
simplest form following balancing and
decomposition rules?
• Examine names carefully – verbs should be
verbs and nouns should be nouns
 04.
Your Activity
DFD Drafting in relation to your
project
But before that…what is that one
thing in your life that seems
endless and useless but is
undoubtly worth it in the end?
 Activity Alert!
Create your project’s DFD
Level 1
 Thanks!
Do not share slides w/o my permission
Email: MarangaJolB@adzu.edu.ph
Jolicar B. Maranga
Asst. for School Systems CITS AdZU

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