Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)

DFD…
• A way of representing flow of data within a system, its
processes, and entities
• Part of structured analysis in procedural programming models
– Not part of OOP
• Provides information about
– Inputs
– outputs
• It does not give information about
– Control flow
– Decision rules
– Loops
– Implementation
2
 DFD Elements/Components
• Process (function/transformation)
– Transforms input into an output
– Named in one word, short sentence, or a phrase
– Treated as ‘black box’
• Data flow (flow)
– Transfers information from one part of the system to another
– Flow should have a name that shows what information is being moved (ex. Student
ID)
– One flow should transmit only one type of information
– Flow is always directional
• Warehouse (data store/file/database)
– Stores data for later use
– Name is a plural noun (e.g. orders)
• Terminator (External entity)
– Communicates with the system
– Stands outside the system
– Ex: various organizations, people, authorities, department , another system that does
3
 General Rules
• Entity names should be comprehensible nouns
• Entity names should be general (independent of implementation)
• Processes are verb phrases (apply discount, calculate
commission, fill order) and should be numbered
• Processes do not show processing logic (e.g. how commission is
calculated)
• Numbering is random, but must be consistent across all DFD
levels
• Maximum number of processes in one DFD is recommended to
be from 6 to 9; minimum is 3; exception: context diagram
• Each process must have a name, inputs, and outputs
• Each flow should have a name
• Each data store must have input and output flows 4
 DFD Levels/Hierarchy
• Number of levels depends on the size of the system
• DFDs at higher levels are less detailed
• Context diagram is the highest in hierarchy (Level 0 or DFD 0)
• Level 1 or DFD 1: process numbering as process 1, process 2, …
• Level 2 or DFD 2: process numbering continues
– E.g. process 1 is divided into 1.1, 1.2, 1.3,… (DFD 2 of process
1, Zooming in Process 1)
– Same for all processes of DFD 1
• Level 3 or DFD 3: process number continues from previous level
– E.g. process 1.1 is divided into 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, … (DFD 2 of
process 1.1)
5
6
 Main steps of creating DFDs
• Create a list of activities
• Construct context diagram
– Identifies external entities
– Identifies main processes
• Construct level 0 DFD
– Identifies manageable processes
• Construct level 1-n DFDs
– Identifies actual data flows and data stores

7
Notation

8
 You can refer to …
• http://faculty.babson.edu/dewire/Readings/df
dmistk.htm

• https://www.cs.uct.ac.za/mit_notes/software/
pdfs/Chp06.pdf

9
 Context Diagram

Request forecast
Order Sales Forecast
Lemonade Production Schedule
CUSTOMER Order Decisions EMPLOYEE
System
Product Served
Pay
Payment Time Worked

Goods
Payment
Purchase Order

VENDOR

10
 Sales Forecast
Order Production Schedule
Lemonade
CUSTOMER Order Decisions EMPLOYEE
Product Served System
Pay
Payment Time Worked
Goods
Payment
Purchase Order

VENDOR 1.0
Sale
Customer Order Sales Forecast
Request
Product Ordered Forecast
Payment

CUSTOMER
2.0 Production EMPLOYEE
Production Schedule
Product Served

Goods Inventory

3.0
VENDOR Procure- Order
Purchase Order ment Decisions
Payment
Pay Time Worked

Level – 1 DFD
4.0
Payroll
11
 fo CUSTOMER
er in
m
Customer Order us to
C
Request for Forecast
o ORDER
r inf
O rde
1.1
Record
Order

1.3
Produce
Severed Order Sales
Forecast
Payment Sales Forecast

Payment
1.2 info
Receive PAYMENT
Payment

Level – 2 DFD (Sales) 12

 Product Order

ORDER

2.1
Serve
Quantity Severed
Product

Production RAW MATERIALS

Schedule

2.2
Produce Quantity Used
Product

INVENTORTY
Production Data

2.3 Quantity Produced & Location

Store Stored
Product

Level – 2 DFD (Production) 13

Examples of correct combinations of
data flow and process symbols.

•Because a process changes

the data’s content or form,
at
least one data flow must
enter and one data flow
must exit each process
symbol.

14
 Examples of incorrect combinations of
data flow and process symbols.

Spontaneous
generation

Black
hole

Gray
hole

15
 Examples of correct uses of data store
symbols in a data flow diagram.

• A data store must be connected to a process with a data flow.

• In each case, the data store has at least one incoming and one
outgoing data
flow
16 and is connected to a process symbol with a data flow.
Examples of incorrect uses of data store
symbols

• Two data stores cannot be connected by a data flow without an

intervening
process,
• Each data store should have an outgoing and incoming data flow.

17
Examples of correct uses of external
entities in a data flow diagram

18
Examples of incorrect uses of external
entities

• An external entity must be connected by a data flow to a process,

and not
directly to a data store or to another external entity.

19