DFD Examples

Yong Choi
BPA
CSUB

Creating Data Flow Diagrams

Steps:
1. Create a list of activities
2. Construct Context Level DFD
(identifies external entities and processes)
3. Construct Level 0 DFD
(identifies manageable sub process )
4. Construct Level 1- n DFD
(identifies actual data flows and data stores )
5. Check against rules of DFD

DFD Naming Guidelines

External Entity Noun
Data Flow Names of data
Process verb phrase
a system name
a subsystem name

Data Store Noun

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

Old way: no Use-Case Diagram

New way: use Use-Case Diagram

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

Product Served
Payment

Sales Forecast
0.0
Lemonade Production Schedule EMPLOYEE
Pay
System

Time Worked

Received Goods
Payment

VENDOR

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

Quantity On-Hand
Quantity
Received

Received
Goods
3.2
Receive
Items

Produce Product
Store Product
Order Raw Materials
Pay for Raw Materials

PURCHASE
ORDER

Payment Approval
3.3
Pay
Vendor

Pay for Labor

Payment

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

DFD Example: Bus Garage Repairs

Buses come to a garage for repairs.
A mechanic and helper perform the repair,
record the reason for the repair and record the
total cost of all parts used on a Shop Repair
Order.
Information on labor, parts and repair outcome
is used for billing by the Accounting Department,
parts monitoring by the inventory management
computer system and a performance review by
the supervisor.

DFD Example: Bus Garage Repairs

(contd)
External Entities: Bus, Mechanic, Helper,
Supervisor, Inventory Management System,
Accounting Department, etc.
Key process (the system): performing repairs
and storing information related to repairs
Processes:

Record Bus ID and reason for repair

Determine parts needed
Perform repair
Calculate parts extended and total cost
Record labor hours, cost

DFD Example: Bus Garage Repairs

(contd)
Data stores:

Personnel file
Repairs file
Bus master list
Parts list

Data flows:

Repair order
Bus record
Parts record
Employee timecard
Invoices

Bus Garage Context Diagram

Bus
Fixed
mechanical
problems

Mechanical
problem
to be repaired

Helper

Labor

Bus
Repair
Process
System

Labor

Mechanic

Labor,
parts cost
details

Repair
summary
List of
parts used

Supervisor

Inventory
Management
System

Accounting

CSUB Burgers Order Processing System

Draw the CSUB Burgers context diagram
System
Order processing system

External entities
Kitchen
Restaurant
Customer

Processes

Customer order
Receipt
Food order
Management report