Modern Systems Analysis

and Design

Chapter 7
Structuring System Process
Requirements
Learning Objectives
 Understand the logical modeling of processes by
studying examples of data flow diagrams
(DFDs).
 Draw data flow diagrams following specific rules
and guidelines that lead to accurate and well-
structured process models.
 Decompose data flow diagrams into lower-level
diagrams.
 Balance higher-level and lower-level data flow
diagrams.

Chapter 7 2
Learning Objectives (Cont.)
 Use data flow diagrams as a tool to
support the analysis of information
systems.
 Discuss process modeling for electronic
commerce applications.
 Use decision tables to represent the logic
of choice in conditional statements.

Chapter 7 3
Process Modeling
 Process modeling involves graphically
representing the functions, or processes, that
capture, manipulate, store, and distribute data
between a system and its environment and
between components within a system.

 A common form of a process model is a data

flow diagram (DFD).

Chapter 7 4
Process Modeling (Cont.)
 Data flow diagram (DFD)
• Data Flow Diagram (DFD) provides a visual
representation of the flow data within a system.
• A picture of the movement of data between external
entities and the processes and data stores within a
system.

Chapter 7 5
Process Modeling

FIGURE 7-1
Systems development life cycle with the analysis phase highlighted

Chapter 7 6
Deliverables and Outcomes

 Context data flow diagram (DFD)

 shows the scope of the system, indicating which
elements are inside and which are outside the system
 DFDs of the system
 specify which processes move and transform data,
accepting inputs and producing outputs

Chapter 7 7
Data Flow Diagramming
Mechanics
 only four symbols, you can use DFDs
to represent both physical and logical
information systems

Chapter 7 8
Definitions and Symbols

FIGURE 7-2
Comparison of DeMarco
and Yourdon
and Gane and Sarson
DFD symbol sets

Chapter 7 9
Definitions and Symbols (Cont.)
 Process:
 actions performed on data so that they are
transformed, stored, or distributed
 Data store:
 data at rest (inside the system)
 A data store may represent one of many
different physical locations for data

Chapter 7 10
Definitions and Symbols (Cont.)
 Source/sink:
 isthe origin and/or destination of the data.
 sometimes referred to as extra entities because they
are outside the system.
 Data flow:
 arrows depicting movement of data
 data in motion, moving from one place in a system to
another

Chapter 7 11
Developing DFDs
 Context diagram is an overview of an organizational
system that shows:
 the system boundaries.
 external entities that interact with the system.
 major information flows between the entities and the
system.
 There is only one visible process node that
represents the functions of a complete system
 Note: only one process symbol, and no data stores
shown
Chapter 7 12
Context Diagram
 To illustrate how DFDs are used to model the logic of data flows in
information systems, we will present and work through an example.

 Consider YUMMY restaurant at AUAF.

 Many people, especially AUAF University students and faculty,

frequently eat at YUMMY.

 The restaurant uses an information system that takes customer

orders, sends the orders to the kitchen, monitors goods sold and
inventory, and generates reports for management.

Chapter 7 13
Context Diagram

FIGURE 7-4
Context diagram of YUMMY’s food-ordering system

Chapter 7 14
Data Flow Diagramming Rules (Cont.)
TABLE 7-2 Rules Governing Data Flow Diagramming

Chapter 7 15
Data Flow Diagramming Rules (Cont.)
TABLE 7-2 Rules Governing Data Flow Diagramming (cont.)

Chapter 7 16
Developing DFDs (Cont.)
 Level-0 diagram is a data flow diagram
that represents a system’s major
processes, data flows, and data stores at
a high level of detail.
 Processes are labeled 1.0, 2.0, etc. These will
be decomposed into more primitive (lower-
level) DFDs.

Chapter 7 17
 Level-0 Diagram

FIGURE 7-5
Level-0 DFD of YUMMY’s food-
ordering system

Chapter 7 18
Problems and Exercises
 A system analyst developed the diagrams below while working on a
Cap & Gown Ordering System. Are there any errors in the
diagrams? If yes, please list them line by line
Context diagram:
-D1 inventory illegal – eliminate
-Place Order illegal name of DF1 – should be
Order
-Shipp Cap & Gown illegal name EE2 – should
be Shipping

Chapter 7 19
Problems and Exercises
 A system analyst developed the diagrams below while working on a
Cap & Gown Ordering System. Are there any errors in the
diagrams? If yes, please list them line by line

Level-0 diagram:
-Shipp Cap & Gown data flow wrongly goes to Student – should go to
Shipping
-Receipt data flow wrongly goes to Shipping – should go to Student
-Process 2 uses illegal name (noun) – should be Finalize Order
-Process 1 is black hole (no output)
-Process 2 creates outputs out of nothing (no input)

Chapter 7 20
Decomposition of DFDs
 Functional decomposition is an iterative
process of breaking a system description down
into finer and finer detail.
 Creates a set of charts in which one process on a
given chart is explained in greater detail on another
chart.
 Continues until no subprocess can logically be broken
down any further.

Chapter 7 21
Decomposition of DFDs (Cont.)
 Primitive DFD is the lowest level of a DFD.
 Level-1 diagram results from decomposition of
Level-0 diagram.
 Level-n diagram is a DFD diagram that is the
result of n nested decompositions from a
process on a level-0 diagram.

Chapter 7 22
 Level-1 DFD FIGURE 7-8
Level-1 diagram showing the decomposition
of Process 4.0 from the level-0 diagram for
AUAF’s food-ordering system

Level-1 DFD shows

the sub-processes
of one of the
processes in the
Level-0 DFD.
Processes are labeled 4.1, 4.2, etc.
These can be further decomposed This is a Level-1
in more primitive (lower-level) DFD for Process
DFDs if necessary. 4.0.

Chapter 7 23
Level-n DFD
FIGURE 7-9
Level-2 diagram showing the decomposition of
Level-n DFD shows
Process 4.3 from the level-1 diagram for Process
the sub-processes
4.0 for AUAF’s food-ordering system
of one of the
processes in the
Level n-1 DFD.

This is a Level-2
DFD for Process
4.3.

Processes are labeled 4.3.1, 4.3.2, etc. If this is the

lowest level of the hierarchy, it is called a primitive DFD.

Chapter 7 24
Balancing DFDs
 Conservation Principle: conserve inputs
and outputs to a process at the next level
of decomposition

 Balancing: conservation of inputs and

outputs to a data flow diagram process
when that process is decomposed to a
lower level

Chapter 7 25
Balancing DFDs (Cont.)
 Balanced means:
 Number of inputs to lower level DFD equals
number of inputs to associated process of
higher-level DFD
 Number of outputs to lower level DFD equals
number of outputs to associated process of
higher-level DFD

Chapter 7 26
 Balancing DFDs (Cont.)
FIGURE 7-10 An unbalanced set of data flow diagrams

(a) Context diagram

1 input
This is
1 output unbalanced
because the
(b) Level-0 diagram process of the
context diagram
has only one
input but the
2 inputs Level-0 diagram
1 output has two inputs.

Chapter 7 27
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
 Completeness
 DFD must include all components necessary for
system.
 If your DFD contains data flows that do not lead
anywhere or data stores, processes, or external
entities that are not connected to anything else, your
DFD is not complete.
 Each component must be fully described in the
project dictionary or CASE repository.

Chapter 7 28
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
 Consistency
 The extent to which information contained on one level of a set
of nested DFDs is also included on other levels.

 Timing
 Time is not represented well on DFDs.
 On a given DFD, there is no indication of whether a data flow
occurs constantly in real time, once per week, or once per year.
There is also no indication of when a system would run
 Best to draw DFDs as if the system has never started and will
never stop.

29
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
(Cont.)
 Iterative Development
 Analyst should expect to redraw diagram
several times before reaching the closest
approximation to the system being modeled.
 Primitive DFDs
 Lowest logical level of decomposition
 Decision has to be made when to stop
decomposition

Chapter 7 30
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
(Cont.)
 Rules for stopping decomposition
 When each process has been reduced to a
single decision, calculation or database
operation
 When each data store represents data about
a single entity

Chapter 7 31
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
(Cont.)
 Rules for stopping decomposition, cont.
 When the system user does not care to see
any more detail
 When every data flow does not need to be
split further to show that data are handled in
various ways

Chapter 7 32
Guidelines for Drawing DFDs
(Cont.)
 Rules for stopping decomposition, cont.
 When you believe that you have shown each
business form or transaction, online display
and report as a single data flow
 When you believe that there is a separate
process for each choice on all lowest-level
menu options

Chapter 7 33
Summary
 In this chapter you learned how to:
 Understand logical process modeling via
data flow diagrams (DFDs).
 Draw data flow diagrams of well structured
process models.
 Decompose data flow diagrams into lower-
level diagrams.

Chapter 7 34
Summary (Cont.)
 Balance high-level and low-level data flow
diagrams.
 Use data flow diagrams for analyzing
information systems.
 Use decision tables to represent the logic
of choice in conditional statements.

Chapter 7 35