TOOLS OF STRUCTURE

ANALYSIS

P R E S E N T E D B Y:

EFREN SECILLANO
J OE L R O NQU I L LO
GEROLD MORALES
 What is Structured Analysis?

Structured Analysis:

The term structured analysis, within the domain of software

development, describes the set of techniques used in the design
of computer applications. These techniques help explain the
required steps within a computer application in a more
humanistic manner. The results of a thorough structured
analysis and design approach typically describe both the
physical and logical layers of the computer application.
Structured analysis is the process that is used for documenting
this complexity.

Back to FAQ
 Modeling System Function

THE DATAFLOW DIAGRAM:

An old adage in the systems development profession

emphasizes that a data processing system involves both
data and processing, and that one cannot build a successful
system without considering both components. The
processing aspect of a system is certainly an important
aspect to model and to verify with the user.
 Modeling System Function

THE DATAFLOW DIAGRAM:

Dataflow diagrams consist of Processes, Data Stores, Flows, and Terminators;

 Processes - They represent the various individual functions that the system carries out. Functions
transform inputs into outputs.

 Flows - They are the connections between the processes (system functions), and they represent the
information that the processes require as input and/or the information they generate as output.

 Data stores - They show collections (aggregates) of data that the system must remember for a
period of time. When the systems designers and programmers finish building the system, the stores
will typically exist as files or databases.

 Terminators - Show the external entities with which the system communicates. Terminators are
typically individuals, groups of people (e.g., another department or division within the
organization), external computer systems, and external organizations.
 Modeling System Function

THE DATAFLOW DIAGRAM:

Processes :
shown by the circles, or “bubbles.”

Flows :
shown by curved, directed arrows.

Data stores: 
shown by two parallel lines, or by an
ellipse.

Terminators:
it is graphically represented as a
rectangle
 Modeling Stored Data

THE ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM:

While the dataflow diagram is indeed a useful tool for modeling

systems, it only emphasizes one major aspect of a system: its
functions. The data store notation in the DFD show us the
existence of one or more groups of stored data, but deliberately
says very little about the details of the data.

All systems store and use information about the environment

with which they interact; sometimes the information is minimal,
but in most systems today it is quite complex.
 Modeling Stored Data

THE ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM:

The entity-relationship diagram consists of two major components:

 Object Types - An object type represents a collection, or set, or objects

(things) in the real world whose members play a role in the system being
developed, can be identified uniquely, and can be described by one or more
facts (attributes).

 Relationships - A relationship represents a set of connections, or

associations, between the object types connected by arrows to the
relationship.
 Modeling Stored Data

THE ENTITY-RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM:

Object Types: 
are shown by a rectangular box on
the entity-relationship diagram .

Relationships :
are shown by the diamond-shaped
boxes on the diagram.
 Modeling Time-Dependent Behavior

THE STATE-TRANSITION DIAGRAM:

A third aspect of many complex systems is their time-dependent behavior, that is, the sequence
in which data will be accessed and functions will be performed. For some business computer
systems, this is not an important aspect to highlight, since the sequence is essentially trivial.
Thus, in many batch computer systems (those which are neither on-line nor real-time), function
N cannot carry out its work until it receives its required input; and its input is produced as an
output of function N - 1; and so on.

However, many on-line systems and real-time systems, both in the business area and in the
scientific/engineering area, have complex timing relationships that must be modeled just as
carefully as the modeling of functions and data relationships. Many real-time systems, for
example, must respond within a very brief period of time, perhaps only a few microseconds, to
certain inputs that arrive from the external environment. And they must be prepared for various
combinations and sequences of inputs to which appropriate responses must be made.

The modeling tool that use to describe this aspect of a system’s behavior is the state-transition
diagram, sometimes abbreviated as STD.
 Modeling Time-Dependent Behavior

THE STATE-TRANSITION DIAGRAM:

As shown in the typical diagram it models the
behavior of a computer-controlled washing
machine. The rectangular boxes represent states
that the system can be in (i.e., recognizable
“scenarios” or “situations”). Each state thus
represents a period of time during which the
system exhibits some observable behavior; the
arrows connecting each rectangular box show
the state-change, or transitions from one state to
another. Associated with each state-change is
one or more conditions (the events or
circumstances that caused the change of state)
and zero or more actions(the response, output,
or activity that takes place as part of the change
of state).
 Modeling Program Structure

THE STRUCTURE CHART:

Though you will not use it much as a systems analyst, you should be aware
that many additional modeling tools are used during the development of a
complex system. For example, the system designers will usually take the
dataflow diagram, data dictionary, process specifications, entity-relationship
diagrams, and state transition diagrams created by the systems analyst and
use them to create a software architecture, that is, a hierarchy of modules
(sometimes referred to as subroutines or procedures) to implement the
system requirements. One common graphical modeling tool used to
represent such a software hierarchy is a structure chart.

The structure chart is an excellent tool for system designers, it is not the sort
of model one would normally show to the user, because it models an aspect
of the implementation of the system, rather than the underlying
requirements.
 Modeling Program Structure

THE STRUCTURE CHART:

 In this diagram, each rectangular
box represents a module (e.g., a C
or Pascal procedure, a COBOL
paragraph or subprogram). The
arrows connecting the boxes
represent module invocations
(e.g., subroutine calls or procedure
calls). The diagram also shows the
input parameters passed to each
module that is invoked, and the
output parameters returned by the
module when it finishes its job and
returns control to its caller.
 FAQ
1. What is Structured Analysis?

 As defined in the 1st slide of the presentation.

2. Why should we build models? Why not just build the system itself?

 We can construct models in such a way as to highlight, or emphasize, certain critical features of a system, while simultaneously de-
emphasizing other aspects of the system. This allows us to communicate with the user in a focused way, without being distracted by
issues and system features that are irrelevant to us.

3. What a systems analyst uses modeling tools for; 

 The systems analyst uses modeling tools to:

 Focus on important system features while downplaying less important features.

 Discuss changes and corrections to the user’s requirements with low cost and minimal risk.
 Verify that the systems analyst correctly understands the user’s environment and has documented it in such a way that the systems
designers and programmers can build the system.
 Serve as documentation for new users, systems analysts, system developers etc to understand the system
 Serve as documentation for future enhancements
 Serve as documentation for system support after the system has been implemented
 FAQ
4. What are the three important modeling tools?

 They are the dataflow diagram, the entity-relationship diagram, and the state-transition diagram. The
dataflow diagram illustrates the functions that the system must perform; the entity-relationship
diagrams emphasize the data relationships, and the state-transition diagram focuses on the time-
dependent behavior of the system.

5. It is one of the most commonly used systems-modeling tools, particularly for operational systems?

 The Dataflow Diagram

 DFDs were first used in the software engineering field as a notation for studying systems design
issues (e.g., in early structured design books and articles such as (Stevens, Myers, and Constantine.
1974), (Yourdon and Constantine, 1975), (Myers, 1975), et al.). In turn, the notation had been borrowed
from earlier papers on graph theory, and it continues to be used as a convenient notation by software
engineers concerned with direct implementation of models of user requirements.
 FAQ
6. Most of the models uses graphical tools (i.e., pictures). What do you think are the advantages of using
pictures as modeling tools?

 It’s because the graphics provide a vivid and easy-to-read way for the systems analyst to show the
users the major components of the model, as well as the connections (or interfaces) between the
components. The supporting textual modeling tools provide precise definitions of the meaning of the
components and connections.

7. What are the four main components of a dataflow diagram?

 The Process
 The Flow
 The Store
 The Terminator
 FAQ
8. Why should we be interested in a data model of a system?

 Primarily because the data structures and relationships may be so complex that we want to highlight
them and examine them independently of the processing that will take place. Indeed, this is
particularly true when we show our system model to higher-level executive users in an organization
(e.g., vice-presidents or department managers who may not be interested in the day-to-day
operational details of the system). Such users are often more concerned with the data: What data do
we need to run our business? How are the data related to other data? Who owns the data? Who is
allowed to access the data?

 Some of these questions, access to data, and ownership of data, for example, may be the
responsibility of a dedicated group within the organization. The data administration group (or DA
group) is often responsible for managing and controlling the essential information of the business;
whenever you begin building a new information system, you will need to talk with these people so that
you can coordinate your system’s information with their global, corporate-wide information
model. The entity-relationship diagram is a useful modeling tool for carrying out this conversation.
 FAQ
9. What are the two major components of Entity-Relationship Diagram?

 Object Types
 Relationships

10. What are the two major components of Entity-Relationship Diagram?