Data Flow Diagrams

• Data flow diagram: is a graphical modeling tool to

depict the flow of data through a system and the
work or processing performed by that system.
– What’s the system doing?
• Use a limited number of symbols.
• Do not depict management or operational elements
of a system.
 Data Flow Diagram (DFD)
• Key points for modeling
– How data moves through the organization
– Relationships between various data flows
– Storage of data

• There are no FIXED rules about how a DFD should be

developed…

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 Notations of DFD
DE MARCO & YOURDON NOTATIONS

External Entity

Data Flow

Process

Data Store

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 Notations of DFD
GANE & SARSON NOTATIONS (more universal)

External Entity

Data Flow

Process

Data Store

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 Process Logic
• DFDs are effective tools for identifying
processes, but are not good at showing all the
detail logic inside those processes.
– Not always easy to know what the lowest logical
level is (see next slide)
• However, it is better than:
– Flowcharts and Pseudocode (difficult for users to
understand).

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 External Entities
SUPPLIER

• An External Entity is a provider (source) or

receiver (sink) of data and information of the
system

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 External Entities …
• As scope changes, external agents can become
processes, and vice versa.
• Almost always one of the following:
– Office, department, division inside the business but
outside the system scope.
– An external organization or agency.
– Another business or another system.
– One of system’s end-users or managers

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 Data Stores
D1 Accounts Receivable

• A data store is an inventory of data.

– A data store means “data at rest.”
– A data flow means “data in motion.”

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 Data Stores …
– Almost always one of the following:
• Persons (or groups of persons): e.g., customer
• Places: e.g, cash register
• Objects: e.g., product
• Events (about which data is captured): e.g., sales

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 Data Flows
DELIVERY SLIP

• A Data Flow represents an input of data to a process, or the

output of data from a process.
• A Data Flow does not represent a document or a physical
good: it represents the exchange of information in the
document or about the good

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 Processes
1

Pay Bill

• A Process is a work or action performed on input data

flow to produce an output data flow
• Use a verb/verb phrase to label the action performed by
the process
• A Process must have at least one input data flow and at
least one output data flow.

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 How to find each one…
• External Entities (EE): noun
– people/organizations/things that supply information to or use
information from the system
• Processes (P): verb/verb phrase
– actions/doing words
• Data Flows (DF): name of data
– movement/exchange of information/data between external entities to
processes, and processes to processes
• Data Stores (DS): noun
– store/record information/data

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 Example for finding each one…

• A student (EE/DS) sends in an application form (DF) containing

their personal details, and their desired course
• The university (EE) checks (P) that the course (EE/DS) is
available.
• If the course is available and the student is enrolled (P) in the
course, the university confirms (P) the enrolment by sending a
confirmation letter (DF) that they are registered (P) for the
course to the student.
• Or if the course is unavailable the student is sent a rejection
letter (DF).
• What system is being modeled?

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 Guidelines for Developing DFD
1. Develop a list of business activities
– Similar to business rules of ERD
2. Create the Context Diagram (first task)
– shows external entities and data flows to and from the
system: conceptual DFD
3. Create level 0 DFD (or Diagram 0)
– shows general processes at the highest level
4. Create level 1 DFD (or Child Diagram)
― shows more detailed processes
5. Create level n-1 DFD…..

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Context Diagram Building Procedure
• Identify the system and its boundaries (the context)
• Identify external entities (providers, receivers of
system info)
• Identify external data flows (input, output)
– However, NO DATA STORE !!!
• Note: the whole system itself is a process (it receives
input and transforms into output)
• Go back to the class website for the Context
Diagram!

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Decomposition of Context Diagram
M
0
P Context Diagram

M D1 Level-0 Diagram
1 2
P

3
Level-1 Diagram
N

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 Description of Each Level
• Context Diagram: This is the highest level and
represents the overall system and its interaction with
its environment
• Level 0 Diagram: This shows the major subsystems
and their interactions
• Level x Diagram: Shows the processes that make up
each of the major subsystems
 Level 0 DFD Building Procedure
• Level-0 DFD
– Identify what is being done between each input and its
corresponding output
– Identify the processes
– Identify external data flows between external entities and
processes
– Identify internal data flows between processes and data
stores
 Level 0 Tips
• Generally move from top to bottom, left to
right
• Minimize crossed lines
• Iterate as needed
– The DFD is often drawn many times before it is
finished, even with very experienced systems
analysts

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 Tips for Level 1 and Below
• Sources for inputs and outputs listed at higher level
• List source and destination of data flows to processes
and stores within each DFD
• Depth of DFD depends on overall system complexity
– Two processes generally don’t need lower level
– More than seven processes become overly complex and
difficult to read

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 Tips for Level 1 and Below
• Level-1 DFD’s
– Sub-processes (primitive processes) of Level-0 processes
• Sources for inputs and outputs listed at higher level
• List source and destination of data flows to processes and
stores within each DFD
• Depth of DFD depends on overall system complexity
– Two processes generally don’t need lower level
– More than seven processes become overly complex and difficult to
read

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Context diagram of Student Administration
System

External entity: Student

Process: Student Administration
process application
Data Flows: Application Form,
Confirmation/Rejection Letter
 Apply logical sequence of the system..

• A student (EE / DS) sends in an application form (DF)

containing their personal details, and their desired course
• The university checks (P) that the course is available.
• If the course (DS) is available the student is enrolled (P) in the
course, and the university confirms (P) the enrolment by
sending a confirmation letter (DF) that they are registered (P)
for the course to the student.
• Or if the course is unavailable the student is sent a rejection
letter (DF).

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 How to find each one…
• External Entities (EE): noun
– people/organizations/things that supply information to or use
information from the system
• Processes (P): verb/verb phrase
– actions/doing words
• Data Flows (DF): name of data
– movement/exchange of information/data between external entities to
processes, and processes to processes
• Data Stores (DS): noun
– store/record information/data

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 Level-0 DFD
• External entity: Student
• Processes: Check course available, Enroll student, Confirm
Registration
• Data Flows: Application Form, Course Details, Course
Enrolment Details, Student Details, Confirmation/Rejection
Letter
• Data Stores: Courses, Students.
• Also see the “Lemonade Stand” example from the class
website

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35
Common Process Errors on DFDs

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
M

P Context Diagram

M
1 2 P

N 3
Level-0 Diagram

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 Rules in DFD Building
• Rule 1 : Use only DFD notations to avoid
confusion

• Rule 2 : Use an action VERB to label a process

(because a process is an action !!!)

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 3 : Must be one process associated with
each data flow …

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 3 : Must be one process associated with
each data flow …

M N

M N

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 3 : Must be one process associated with
each data flow.

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 4 : Shaded corner must appear in ALL
occurrences of a duplicated symbol in a same
diagram

CUSTOMER D3 Accounts Receivable

CUSTOMER
D3 Accounts Receivable

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 5 : No process without output data flow
(black hole !!!)

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 6 : No process without input data flow
(miracle !!!)

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 7 : No need for routing (without
transforming) a data flow with a process (non
value-added activities !!!)
Info A Info A

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 8 : Identical input, output data flows for
parent and child processes (but the child
processes can have their own throughputs)
– See the picture in next slide

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Detail Rules in DFD Building ...
M

P Context Diagram

M
1 2 P

N 3
Level-0 Diagram

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 9 : Data flows cannot split by themselves

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 9 : Data flows cannot split …

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 10 : A data packet can combine many data
elements being transmitted at the same time to
the same destination

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 Rules in DFD Building ...
• Rule 11 : Double-headed arrows are forbidden
[in- flow (update) and out-flow (extract info)
of a data store are different]

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 Decomposition: Use-Case Diagram
Mgmt Subsystem
Service Subsystem Make Service
Statistic Inquiry
Modify Work Type
Enter Service
Request
Establish New
Client
Check Unresolved Establish New Work
Client Requests Type
Management
Generate Monthly
«uses» Invoices

Resolve Service
Request
«uses» Equipment Subsystem
Time
Enter Component
Enter Work Record Information

Establish
Component Type

Enter Misc Charge

Technician

Establish Equip
Type
Establish New Equip

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