Data Flow

Diagrams

Data Flow Diagram

Data flow
diagram (DFD) is
a picture of the
movement of
data between
external entities
and the
processes and
data stores
within a system

Symbols Used
Proces
s

Data
Flow

Data
Store
Extern
al
Entity

DFD Elements
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

Data Store:

A collection of data that is stored in some way

Data flowing out is retrieved from the data store
Data flowing in updates or is added to the data store

External Entity:

A person, organization, or system that is external to the system but

interacts with it.

Context Diagram
First DFD in every business process
Shows the context into which the business
process fits
Shows the overall business process as just
one process (process 0)
Shows all the external entities that receive
information from or contribute information
to the system
Example: Order system that a company
uses to enter orders and apply payments
against a customers balance

Context Diagram

Level 0 Diagram
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

Level 0 Diagram

Level 0
DFD for
Order
System

Level 1 Diagram
Generally, one level 1 diagram is created for
every major process on the level 0 diagram
Shows all the internal processes that
comprise a single process on the level 0
diagram
Shows how information moves from and to
each of these processes
If a parent process is decomposed into, for
example, three child processes, these three
child processes wholly and completely make
up the parent process

Level 2 Diagram
Shows all processes that comprise a
single process on the level 1 diagram
Shows how information moves from
and to each of these 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

ERD vs DFD
ERD shows how a system
will look like without
saying how to run it.
Since it is based entity,
ERD shows the
relationship between
entities in a system or
process
ERD uses only rectangles
boxes. Diamonds are
used to represent
relationships between
entities.
.

The DFDs is the

systematic
representation of how
the data flow in an
organization, how and
from where it enters the
system, how it moves
from one process to
another and how it is
kept in the organization.
Common to use circles,
ovals, rectangles and
arrows.

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Lemonade Stand Example

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
The operations of a simple
lemonade stand will be used
to demonstrate the creation
of dataflow diagrams.

Steps:
1. Create a list of activities
2. Construct Context Level DFD
(identifies sources and sink)
3. Construct Level 0 DFD
(identifies manageable sub processes )
4. Construct Level 1- n DFD
(identifies actual data flows and data stores )

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example

1. Create a list of activities

Think through the activities

that take place at a
lemonade stand.
Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment
Produce Product
Store Product

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example

1. Create a list of activities

Also think of the additional

activities needed to support
the basic activities.
Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment
Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials
Pay for Labor

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example

1. Create a list of activities

Group these activities in

some logical fashion,
possibly functional areas.
Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment
Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials
Pay for Labor

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
Create a context level
diagram identifying the
sources and sinks (users).

2. Construct Context Level DFD

(identifies sources and sink)

Context Level DFD

Order

Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment
Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials
Pay for Labor

CUSTOMER

Sales Forecast
0.0
Lemonade Production Schedule EMPLOYEE
System
Pay

Product Served
Payment
Received Goods
Payment

VENDOR

Time Worked
Purchase Order

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
Create a level 0 diagram
identifying the logical
subsystems that may exist.

3. Construct Level 0 DFD

(identifies manageable sub processes )

Level 0 DFD
1.0
Sale

Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment

Product Ordered
Payment
CUSTOMER

Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials
Pay for Labor

Sales Forecast

Customer Order

Product Served
Received Goods

VENDOR

Purchase Order

Production
Schedule

2.0
Production

EMPLOYEE

Inventory
3.0
Procurement

Payment

Order
Decisions
Pay

4.0
Payroll

Time Worked

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
Create a level 1
decomposing the processes
in level 0 and identifying
data stores.

4. Construct Level 1- n DFD

(identifies actual data flows and data stores )

Level 1 DFD
CUSTOMER

Customer Order

Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment
Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials
Pay for Labor

ORDER
1.1
Record
Order

Severed Order
Payment
1.2
Receive
Payment

PAYMENT

Request for Forecast

1.3
Produce
Sales
Forecast

Sales Forecast

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
Create a level 1
decomposing the processes
in level 0 and identifying
data stores.

4. Construct Level 1 (continued)

Level 1 DFD
Product Order
ORDER

Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment
Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials
Pay for Labor

2.1
Serve
Product

Quantity Severed
RAW
MATERIALS

Production
Schedule
2.2
Produce
Product

Production Data
2.3
Store
Product

Quantity Used
INVENTORTY

Quantity Produced &

Location Stored

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
Create a level 1
decomposing the processes
in level 0 and identifying
data stores.
Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment

4. Construct Level 1 (continued)

Level 1 DFD
Order Decision
3.1
Produce
Purchase
Order

Received
Goods
3.2
Receive
Items

Payment Approval
3.3
Pay
Vendor

Payment

Pay for Labor

Quantity On-Hand
Quantity
Received

Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw
Materials
Pay for Raw
Materials

PURCHASE
ORDER

RAW
MATERIALS

RECEIVED
ITEMS

VENDOR

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Example
Create a level 1
decomposing the processes
in level 0 and identifying
data stores.
Customer Order
Serve Product
Collect Payment

4. Construct Level 1 (continued)

Level 1 DFD

Time Worked
4.1
Record
Time
Worked

TIME CARDS

Employee ID
EMPLOYEE

Payroll Request
4.2
Calculate
Payroll

Produce Product
Store Product

Unpaid time cards

PAYROLL

Payment Approval

Order Raw Materials

Pay for Raw Materials

4.3
Pay
Employe
e

Pay for Labor

Payment

PAYMENTS

Process Decomposition

0.0
Lemonade
System

Context Level

1.0
Sale

1.1
Record
Order

1.2
Receive
Payment

2.0
Production

2.1
Serve
Product

2.2
Produce
Product

2.3
Store
Product

3.0
Procurement

3.1
Produce
Purchase
Order

3.2
Receive
Items

3.3
Pay
Vendor

4.0
Payroll

4.1
Record
Time
Worked

4.2
Calculate
Payroll

4.3
Pay
Employe
e

Level 0

Level 1