Systems Documentation Techniques

Professor Merle Martin

Professor Yan Xiong
College of Business
CSU Sacramento
2/6/023

Agenda

Why Document System

Data Flow Diagrams
Flowcharts
Difference between DFDs and
Flowcharts

Why Document Systems?

User confidence that you understand

system
Successive refinement of detail down
to programming level
Ease of Program Maintenance,
System Modification, Reengineering,
and Replacement

Why Document Systems?

Problem Solving
Humans solve complex
problems by
breaking them into smaller and
smaller modules
until they fit into the human mind
solving the modular sub-problems
aggregating small solutions
into total solution

Agenda

Why Document Accounting

Information Systems
Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs)
Flowcharts
Difference between DFD

Data
Flow
Diagrams
Data flow diagram (DFD)
graphically describes flow

of

data within any system

Used to document existing systems and to plan and design new ones
No ideal way to develop a DFD
judgment within standard rules

Data Flow Diagrams

DFD composed of only four elements:

Data sources and destinations: External Entities
Another organization/organization unit which
exchanges data with the focal system
A person who interacts with the system (customer
of a banking system)
Another information system
Data Flows
Processes
Data Stores: Temporary or permanent repository of
data

DFD Symbols
INPUT

PROCESS

External
Entity
Source

Data
Data
Process
Flow
Flow
Data
Flow

OUTPUT

Data
Store

External
Entity
Sink

DFD Symbols
Customer

Source

1.1
Process
Payment

Payment

deposit

Remittance data
Customer
File

Bank

Sink

Data Flow Diagrams Explosion

Data flow diagrams
subdivided into
successively
lower levels in order to provide
increasing amounts of detail
This decomposition process is called explosion

Data Flow Diagram Explosion

Context Level
Ist Level Explosion
2nd Level Explosion
Succeeding levels as necessary
Until reach primitive level
Ready to code

Context Diagram

Includes only
External Entities
Data Flows
All elements included on Context
Diagram must be included
somewhere on lower level diagrams
Data stores rarely included!

Context Diagram

Why discourage Data Stores on

Context Diagram?
Author includes them
Context Diagram shows interaction of
your system with outside world
Data Stores are INSIDE your system,
not in outside world

Purchase
Inventory Requisition
System
Order
Entry
System

Special
Order

Purchase
Order

0
Purchasing

Purchase
Order
Notification

Context Diagram

Vendor

Receiving
System

1 Level Explosion
st

Also includes all data

flows and external entities
Now data stores are added
Excellent means of confirming
understanding of system between
analyst and client
Each process will be exploded into lower
level DFDs

Ist Level Explosion

Inventory
Order
Entry
Vendor
P.Order

Purchase
Requisition
al
i
c
e
Sp r
Orde

Info

1
Edit
Order

Status
Probl
em

Inventory
s

Approved
2 Order
Set Ship
Mode
se
a
h
Purc er
rd
O
Draft P.O

P.O. Copy

3
Prepare
P.O.

P.O.Notification

Problem
Orders

Vendor
Receiving

2 and Succeeding
Levels
nd

Must be consistent with

parent DFD
Same external entities
Same data stores
Same data flows

2nd Level Explosion

(Process 1)

Order
Entry
Log-in
#s

al
i
c
e
Sp r
Orde
Ne
xt
#

Inventory

Purchase
Requisition

1.1
Log-in
Order

Inventory
Logged-in
1.2 Order
us
t
a
t
S
Edit
Problem
Order
Orders
Problems
Edited
Order
1.3
Process
Approve Approved
2.1
Order
Order

DFD Rules -- Process

A. No process can have only outputs (a miracle)

B. No process can have only inputs (a black hole)
C. Verb phrase labels

DFD Rules -- Data Store

D. Data cannot move directly from one data store

to another data store -- it must be moved by a
process.
E. Data cannot move directly from an outside
source to a data store -- it must be moved by a
process.
F. Data cannot move directly to an outside sink
from a data store -- it must be moved by a
process.
G. Noun phrase label

DFD Rules -- Source / Sink

H.

I.

Data cannot move directly from a source

to a sink. It must be moved by a process.
Noun phrase label

DFD Rules -- Data Flow

J. A data flow has only one direction of flow between symbols;
a data flow may flow in both directions to and from a data
store (usually two symbols)
K. A fork in a data flow means that exactly the same data goes
to two different processes or data stores.

DFD
Rules
-Data
Flow
L. A data flow cannot go directly back to the same process it

leaves
M. A data flow to a data store means update (delete or change)
N. A data flow from a data store means retrieve or use
O.Noun phrase label

Other DFD Issues

Two additional guidelines

Inputs to a process are different from outputs of
that process
Every process in a DFD has a unique name

Exercise
Draw a Context Diagram and a 1st level explosion
Current System Description for the payroll system at No-Wear Products.

Time data are recorded in each department using time cards and
clocks.

The time data are sent to the payroll by different departments.

Payroll clerks review the time data for their completeness.

Human resources send the payroll data on personnel changes, such

as increases in pay rates and new employees.

Payroll clerks update the payroll file based on these changes.

At the end of the period, payroll clerks enter the time card data into
the payroll file for processing. The payroll supervisor reviews the file
and makes necessary corrections.

Payroll clerks send the direct payments to the bank and also the
direct deposit slips to the departments.

Agenda

Why Document Accounting

Information Systems
Data Flow Diagrams
Flowchart
Difference between DFD and
Flowchart

Flowcharts
A flowchart is an analytical technique used to describe some

aspect of an information system in a clear, concise, and

logical manner.
Flowcharts use a standard set of symbols to pictorially
describe transaction processing procedures.

Flowchart
Symbols
Flowcharting symbols can be divided into the following four categories:

1
2
3
4

Input/output symbols
Processing symbols
Storage symbols
Flow and miscellaneous symbols

Flowcharting Symbols:
Input Output Symbols
Symbol

Name

Document
Online keying
Display
Input/output;
Journal/ledger

Flowchart Symbols:
Symbol
Name
Processing symbols
Manual operations
Computer processing
Auxiliary operation

Flowchart Symbols:
Storage Symbols
Symbol

Name

Magnetic disk

Magnetic tape

Flowchart Symbols: Flow and

Name
Symbol
miscellaneous
Symbols
Document or processing flow
On-page connector
Off-page connector
Terminal
Decision

What are Document Flowcharts?

A document flowchart illustrates the flow of documents and information

between areas of responsibility within an organization.
A document flowchart is particularly useful in analyzing the adequacy of
control procedures.
Flowcharts that describe and evaluate internal controls are often referred
to as internal control flowcharts.

What are Computer

System
Flowcharts?
System flowcharts depict the relationship among the input,

processing, and output of an AIS.

A system flowchart begins by identifying both the inputs that
enter the system and their origins.
The input is followed by the processing portion of the flowchart.

What are Computer

System
Flowcharts?
The resulting new information is the output

component.
System flowcharts are an important tool of
system analysis, design, and evaluation.

What are Computer

System Flowcharts?
Input

Storage

Process

Output

What are Program Flowcharts?

A program flowchart describes the specific logic to perform a process
shown on a systems flowchart.
A flow line connects the symbols and indicates the sequence of
operations.
The processing symbol represents a data movement or arithmetic
calculation.

What are Program Flowcharts?

Input data

If a condition is met
Yes
Perform calculation
Update record

No

What are Program Flowcharts?

The input/output symbol represents either reading of input or writing of

output.
The decision symbol represents a comparison of one or more variables
and the transfer of flow to alternative logic paths.
All points where the flow begins or ends are represented by the terminal
symbol.

Flowchart for Processing

Credit Orders
Enter
Start

sales
order

Approved
for credit?

No

Reject
order

No

Backorder

Yes
Inventory
available?
Yes
Fill order

Stop

Example-Flowcharts

The Dewey Construction Company processes its

payroll transactions to update both its payroll master
file and its work-in-process master file in the same
computer run. Both the payroll master file and the workin-process master file are maintained on disk and
accessed directly.
Data to be input to this system are keyed onto a tape
using a key-to-tape encoder. This tape is then
processed to update the files. This processing run also
produces a payroll register on magnetic tape, employee
paychecks and earnings statements, and a printed
report listing error transactions and summary
information.
Prepare a system flowchart of the process described.

Job Time
Tickets

Key to
Tape
Encodings

Job Time
Records
Tape

Payroll
Master
File

Work in
Process
Master
File

Payroll
Processing
System

Earnings
Statement
Payroll
Register

Paycheck

Error
Transactions
and Summary

Agenda

Why Document Accounting

Information Systems
Data Flow Diagrams
Flowchart
Difference between DFD and
Flowchart

Differences Between DFDs and

Flowcharts
DFDs emphasize the flow of data and what is happening in a

system, whereas a flowchart emphasizes the flow of

documents or records containing data.
A DFD represents the logical flow of data, whereas a
flowchart represents the physical flow of data.

Differences Between DFDs and

Flowcharts
Flowcharts are used primarily to document existing systems.

DFDs, in contrast, are primarily used in the design of new

systems and do not concern themselves with the physical
devices used to process, store, and transform data.