Software Engineering

Dr. Saba Bashir

 Data Flow Diagram

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Todays’ Lecture
• Data Flow Diagram
• Why DFD?
• Symbols
• Process, Data Flow, Data Store, External Entity
• Top-Down Decomposition Techniques
• Logical vs Physical DFDs
• Benefits of Logical DFDs
• Benefits of Physical DFDs
• Example DFDs – Grocery Store
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Data Flow Diagram

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Data Flow Diagram
• Also known as DFD.
• Data flow diagrams are used to graphically
represent the flow of data in a business
information system.
• DFD describes the processes that are involved in
a system to transfer data from the input to the file
storage and reports generation.

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Why DFD?
• DFD graphically representing the functions, or processes,
which capture, manipulate, store, and distribute data
• between a system and its environment and
• between components of a system.
• The visual representation makes it a good communication
tool between User and System designer.
• Structure of DFD allows starting from a broad overview
and expand it to a hierarchy of detailed diagrams.

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Why DFD?
• DFD has often been used due to the following
reasons:
• Logical information flow of the system
• Determination of physical system construction
requirements
• Simplicity of notation
• Establishment of manual and automated systems
requirements

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DFD Symbols
• There are four basic symbols that are used to
represent a data-flow diagram
• Process
• Data Flow
• Data Store
• External Entity

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 DFD Symbols – Process
• A process receives input data and produces output with a
different content or form.
• Processes can be as simple as collecting input data and saving in
the database, or
• It can be complex as producing a report containing monthly sales
of all retail stores in the northwest region.
• Every process has a name that identifies the function it performs.
• The name consists of a verb, followed by a singular noun.
• Example:
• Apply Payment
• Calculate Commission
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• Verify Order
Process – Notation
• A rounded rectangle represents a process
• Processes are given IDs for easy referencing

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Process – Example

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DFD Symbols – Data Flow
• A data-flow is a path for data to move from one part
of the information system to another.
• A data-flow may represent a single data element such
the Customer ID or it can represent a set of data
element (or a data structure).
• Example:
• Customer_info (LastName, FirstName, SS#, Tel #, etc.)
• Order_info (OrderId, Item#, OrderDate, CustomerID, etc.).

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Data Flow – Notation
• Straight lines with incoming arrows are input
data flow
• Straight lines with outgoing arrows are output
data flows

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Rules of Data Flow
• One of the rule for developing DFD is that all flow must
begin with and end at a processing step.
• This is quite logical, because data can't transform on its
own with being process.
• By using the rule of thumb, it is quite easily to identify
the illegal data flows and correct them in a DFD.

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Rule of Data Flow
• Wrong

• Right

• Reason:
• An entity cannot provide data to another entity without
some processing occurred. 14
Rule of Data Flow
• Wrong

• Right

• Reason:
• Data cannot move directly from an entity to a data
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story without being processed.
Rule of Data Flow
• Wrong

• Right

• Reason
• Data cannot move directly from a data store
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without being processed.
Rule of Data Flow
• Wrong

• Right

• Reason:
• Data cannot move directly from one data store to
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another without being processed.
DFD Symbols – Data Store
• A data store or data repository is used in a data-
flow diagram to represent a situation when the
system must retain data because one or more
processes need to use the stored data in a later
time.

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Data Store – Notation
• Data can be written into the data store, which is
depicted by an outgoing arrow
• Data can be read from a data store, which is
depicted by an incoming arrow.
• Examples are: inventory, Accounts receivables,
Orders, and Daily Payments.

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Data Store – Example

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DFD Symbols – External Entity
• An external entity is a person, department, outside
organization, or other information system that provides data to
the system or receives outputs from the system.
• External entities are components outside of the boundaries of
the information systems.
• They represent how the information system interacts with the
outside world.

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External Entity – Notation
• A rectangle represents an external entity
• They either supply data or receive data
• They do not process data

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External Entity – Example

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Top-Down Decomposition Techniques

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Top-Down Decomposition Techniques
• Top-down decomposition, also called leveling, is
a technique used to show more detail in lower-
level DFDs.
• Leveling is done by drawing a series of
increasingly detailed diagrams until the desired
degree of detail is reached.
• As shown in the Figure, DFD Leveling is first
displaying the targeted system as a single
process, and then showing more detail until all
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processes are functional primitives
DFD Symbols – Process

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DFD Level 0 – Context Diagram

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 Context-Level Diagram
• A context diagram gives an overview and it is the highest level
in a data flow diagram, containing only one process
representing the entire system.
• It should be split into major processes which give greater detail
and each major process may further split to give more detail.
• All external entities are shown on the context diagram as well as
major data flow to and from them.
• The diagram does not contain any data storage.
• The single process in the context-level diagram, representing the
entire system, can be exploded to include the major processes of
the system in the next level diagram
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DFD Level 1

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End of Lecture

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