DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

data-flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the "flow" of data through an system . A DFD provides no information about the timing of processes, or about whether processes will operate in sequence or in parallel. DFD is a graphic tool which define input, output and processes of the system It helps system analyst to explain his understanding of the system to user.

Physical Data flow diagrams Logical data flow diagrams.

Physical data flow diagrams are implementationdependent. They show the actual devices, department, people, etc., involved in the current system. Logical data flow diagrams, in contrast, describe the system independently of how it is actually implemented; that is, they show what takes place, rather than how an activity is accomplished. Both types of data flow diagrams support a top-down approach to systems analysis.

Data Flow Diagram Symbol

External Entity

An external entity is a source or destination of a data flow which is outside the area of study.

process
A process shows a transformation or manipulation of data flows within the system. The symbol used is a circle.

data flow
A data flow shows the flow of information from its source to its destination. A data flow is represented by a line, with arrowheads showing the direction of flow. Information always flows

data store
A data store is a holding place for information within the system: It is represented by an open ended narrow rectangle.

DFD Diagramming Rules Process

No process can have only outputs or only inputsprocesses must have both outputs and inputs.

Process labels should be verb phrases.

DFD Diagramming Rules Data Store

All flows to or from a data store must move through a process.

Data store labels should be noun phrases.

DFD Diagramming Rules Source/Sink (External entity)

No data moves directly between external entities without going through a process. Interactions between external entities without intervening processes are outside the system and therefore not represented in the DFD. Source and sink labels should be noun phrases.

DFD Diagramming Rules Data Flow

Bidirectional flow between process and data store is represented by two separate arrows. Forked data flow must refer to exact same data item (not different data items) from a common location to multiple destinations.

DFD Levels
Context DFD
Overview of the organizational system

Level-0 DFD
Representation of systems major processes at high level of abstraction

Level-1 DFD
Results from decomposition of Level 0 diagram

Level-n DFD
Results from decomposition of Level n-1 diagram

Context Diagram
Context diagram shows the system boundaries, external entities that interact with the system, and major information flows between entities and the system.

NOTE: only one process symbol, and no data stores shown.

Level-0 DFD

Level-0 DFD shows the systems major processes, data flows, and data stores at a high level of abstraction.

Processes are labeled 1.0, 2.0, etc. These will be decomposed into more primitive (lower-level) DFDs.

Level-0 DFD shows the systems major processes, data flows, and data stores at a high level of abstraction. Processes are labeled 1.0, 2.0, etc. These will be decomposed into more primitive (lower-level) DFDs

Level-1 DFD

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

Level-n DFD
Level-n DFD shows the sub-processes 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.

ENTITY RELEATIONSHIP DIAGRAM

Entity relationship diagramming is a technique that is widely used in the world of business and information technology to show how information is, or should be, stored and used within a business system . Entity-relationship model (ERM) is an abstract and conceptual representation of data.

. Diagrams created by this process are called entity-relationship diagrams, ER diagrams, or ERDs.

A detailed, logical representation of the entities, associations and data elements for an organization or business

Methods such as interviewing, questionnaires and JAD are used to collect information

Notation uses three main constructs Data entities Relationships Attributes

Entity
A person, place, object, event or concept in the user environment about which the organization maintains data It has its own identity that distinguishes it from other entity Examples Person: EMPLOYEE, STUDENT, PATIENT Represented by a rectangle in E-R diagrams

Attribute
A named property or characteristic of an entity that is of interest to an organization Examples of entities and their associated attributes STUDENT: Student_ID, Student_Name, Student_Address, Major AUTOMOBILE: Vehicle_ID, Color, Weight, Power, Wheels. Attributes are represented in E-R diagrams by an ellipse

Entity and Attribute Example

Simple attributes

Identifier attribute each employee has a unique ID.

Multivalued attribute an employee may have more than one skill.

Relationships
An association between the instances of one or more entity types that is of interest to the organization Association indicates that an event has occurred or that there is a natural link between entity types Relationships are always labeled with verb phrase

name
price

category

name

makes
Product

Company
stock price

buys

employs

Person

address

name

ssn

Entity Relationship Models

Mandatory Relationships Optional Relationships Many-to-Many Relationships One-to-Many Relationships One-to-One Relationships Recursive Relationships

Mandatory, Many-to-Many

INSTRUCTOR

STUDENT

INSTRUCTOR

STUDENT

Optional, Many-to-Many

DEPARTMENT

STUDENT

DEPARTMENT

STUDENT

Optional/Mandatory, One-to-Many

PRODUCT

VENDOR

PRODUCT

VENDOR

Mandatory, One-to-One

AUTOMOBILE

ENGINE

AUTOMOBILE

ENGINE

Degrees of a Relationship
One-to-one (1:1)

Man
One-to-many (1:n)

Woman

Customer
Many-to-many (n:m)

Order

Course

Subject

NOTE: Every many to many relationship consists of two one to many relationships working in opposite directions

A Sample ER Diagram
Student

Course

Subject

A Student Record Entity Diagram