Module II

Structured Analysis
and DFD

Dr. Ajanta Das

Professor,
AIITK
Amity University, Kolkata
 Structured Analysis

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 When DFD is Used

 Life Cycle Phases  Analysis (What do we do?)

 Planning  Fact finding
 investigate business process
 Feasibility Study and the current system
 Analysis  modelling the current
and required systems
 Design  deliverables -
 Code and Unit  requirements specification
test  logical models of the
required system

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 Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
 DFDs describe the flow of data or
information into and out of a
system
 what does the system do to the
data?
 A DFD is a graphic representation of
the flow of data or information
through a system

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 Elements of DFD
 external entity - people or organisations that
send data into the system or receive data from
the system
 process - models what happens to the data
i.e. transforms incoming data into outgoing
data
 data store - represents permanent data that
is used by the system
 data flow - models the actual flow of the data
between the other elements

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 Notations Used

Data Flow
• Data Flow

• Process
External Entity
• External Entity

• Data Store D Data Store

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 Levelled DFDs

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 Level 0 - Context Diagram
 models system as one process box
which represents scope of the
system

 identifies external entities and

related inputs and outputs

 Additional notation - system box

External Data flow out System box

entity
Data flow in
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 Level 1 - overview diagram
 gives overview of full system

 identifies major processes and data flows

between them

 identifies data stores that are used by the

major processes

 boundary of level 1 is the context

diagram

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 Level 2 - detailed diagram
 level 1 process is expanded into
more detail

 each process in level 1 is

decomposed to show its constituent
processes

 boundary of level 2 is the level 1

process

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 Rules for DFDs
 Numbering
 Labelling
 Balancing

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 SYMBOLS USED IN DFD

DATA STORES

Inventory Writing Reading

 A Data Store is a repository of data
 Data can be written into the data store
This is depicted by an incoming arrow
 Data can be read from a data store
This is depicted by an outgoing arrow
 External entity cannot read or write to the data store
 Two data stores cannot be connected by a data flow

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 RULES OF DATA FLOW

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 DATA FLOW DIAGRAMS

An alternate notation is often used

3 Label
A Process
Store
Issue Name

A Data store DS1 Inventory Name

Label

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 GOOD STYLE IN DRAWING DFD

 Use meaningful names for data flows, processes

and data stores.
 Use top down development starting from context
diagram and successively levelling DFD
 Only previously stored data can be read
A process can only transfer input to output.It
cannot create new data
 Data stores cannot create new data

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 DESCRIBING A SYSTEM WITH A DFD

 An entire system is represented by one DFD which

gives the system’s overview
 It is called a context diagram
It gives little detail & is also known as the top level
DFD
Context diagram of mess management is shown in
the next transparency

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 Numbering
 On level 1 processes are numbered 1,2,3…
 On level 2 processes are numbered x.1, x.2,
x.3… where x is the number of the parent
level 1 process
 Number is used to uniquely identify process
not to represent any order of processing
 Data store numbers usually D1, D2, D3...

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 LEVELLING RULES

If process p is expanded, the process at the next

level are labeled as p.1,p.2 etc.

All data flow entering or leaving p must also enter or

leave its expanded version

 Expanded DFD may have data stores

 No external entity can appear in expanded DFD

Keep the number of processes at each level

less than 7
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 ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTS IN DFD

 No loops are allowed in DFD

 A process cannot be a pure decision

Actual rate > Standard ra

Actual daily rate
Compare

Standard daily rate Actual rate <= Standard ra

 A single data flow should not be split into many

flows with different labels

 No data flow allowed between data stores

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 ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTS IN DFD

Record
Get students Calculate
extra/rebates Bill
record Ask for next record

Extra/rebate store
• Not correct as loop is formed

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 Labelling
 Process label - short description of
what the process does, e.G. Price order
 Data flow label - noun representing the
data flowing through it e.G. Customer
payment
 Data store label - describes the type of
data stored
 Make labels as meaningful as possible

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 Balancing and data stores
 Balancing
 any data flows entering or leaving a
parent level must by equivalent to
those on the child level
 Data stores
 data stores that are local to a process
need not be included until the process
is expanded

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 Data Flows
 Allowed to combine several data
flows from lower level diagrams at a
higher level under one data flow to
reduce clutter
 Flows should be labelled except
when data to or from a data store
consists of all items in the data
store

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 CONTEXT DIAGRAM OF MESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Extras Note
Students Vendors
Requisitions
Payments
Payments Supplies
Mess
Bills Management Mess secretary
Daily rate
System
Menu
Perishable
Items Item needed
Each day Overdue Bills
Mess manager Overdue Chief warden
Payments

• Observe this diagram gives very little detail

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 EXPANDED DFD FOR HOSTEL MESS MANAGEMENT

Mess
Students Secretary Chief Warden

Payments Update daily

rate Unpaid bills

Itemized bills at end 1 Items used each

of month Billing day
system
Extras/Rebates
Student billing
Expenses Information + bills
No of meals Mess manager
(today +3)
• Going to next process (Continued in next slide)

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EXPANDED DFD FOR HOSTEL MESS MANAGEMENT

•Continued Low stock (today+2)

Items to be issued
2 (today +2)
Vendor suppliesStores issue Mess
Vendors
Order non-
and Items used Manager
Control today
perishable system
Menu
(today +2)
Vendor data
Stores
inventory
Order data Mess
Secretary
Perishable order 3 Vegetables and perishable
Perishable requisition
Orders ordering
Vendor data
(perishable)
(perishable)

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 EXPANDED DFD-BILLING SYSTEM

Payments
Itemized 1.2
bills Calculate Unpaid
Bills 1.3 bills Chief
Mess Student’s
bills Reconcile warden
Secretary
payments
Students data
Extras/Rebates Students data
Daily rate average
1.4 (upto date)
Find no 1.1
Of meals Calculate
No of meals to cook Daily rate
(today + 2)
Expenses data
Mess
Students data Manager Items rate data
• Observe numbering of processes

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 LEVELLING EXAMPLES
Low stock
item No of meals
(today to be cooked
Mess manager (today +2)
+2)Items to be
used on
(today +2)
Items issued

Low message stock

2
Stores issue
Order for Mess secretary
and
items Menu for
control system
(Today +2)
Vendor supplies

Order

Stores inventory Vendor

Vendor

Stores issue control system process

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 LEVELLING EXAMPLES

2.1
2.2
Inventory update
Mess manager Create order
And
Items usedlow stock warning Low stock for vendor

today item
Items
needed
From 2.2

Vendor Stores inventory Order Vendor data

supplies
Vendor
Order to
vendor
2.3 2.4
Calculate Items Check Item
needed availability
Mess secretary Items Low stock
Menu
(today +2) needed items
No of meals Stores (today+2)
to (today inventory
+2)

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 LEVELLING EXAMPLES
Top
Ext A Ext B
Level process

Ext A 1 2 4 Ext B

F1 F4

Process Process
1 2
Ext A 1.1 1.2 1.4 2.1 2.2 2.3

F1

1.3

3.1 3.2 3.4 Ext B 4.3 4.1 4.2

F4

3.3

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 LOGICAL AND PHYSICAL DFD

 DFD’S considered so far are called logical DFDs

A physical DFD is similar to a document flow
diagram

It specifies who does the operations specified

by the logical DFD

Physical DFD may depict physical movements of

the goods
Physical DFDs can be drawn during fact gathering
phase of a life cycle
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 PHYSICAL DFD FOR ENCASHING CHEQUE

Cash

Toke
n Clerk
Verify A/C Cashier
Signature Verify Token
Customer Cheque Update Cheque withTake Signature
Token Balance Token number

Store cheques Entry in

Day Book
Bad Cheque

Customer
Accounts

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 LOGICAL DFD FOR CHEQUE ENCASHMENT

Check Cheque with

Retrieve Store
Balance, Token
Customer Cheque Token no
Issue
Record & cheques
token

Token Slip Cheque store

Or cheque With token no.
Cheque Customer
accounts
Search Update
Customer & match Daily
token Cheque with
cash book
token
Token Slip Day book
Cash

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