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Dbms Paper 1 CH 3

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46 views6 pages

Dbms Paper 1 CH 3

Uploaded by

yasha.bharambe25
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Unit III

Data Models-II

DFD is the abbreviation for Data Flow Diagram. The flow of data of a system or a process is represented
by DFD. It also gives insight into the inputs and outputs of each entity and the process itself. DFD does not
have control flow and no loops or decision rules are present. Specific operations depending on the type of
data can be explained by a flowchart.
It is a graphical tool, useful for communicating with users ,managers and other personnel. it is useful for
analysing existing as well as proposed system.
It provides an overview of
 What data is system processes.
 What transformation are performed.
 What data are stored.
 What results are produced , etc.
Data Flow Diagram can be represented in several ways. The DFD belongs to structured-analysis modeling
tools. Data Flow diagrams are very popular because they help us to visualize the major steps and data
involved in software-system processes.

History of the DFD


Data flow diagrams were popularized in the late 1970s, arising from the book Structured
Design, by computing pioneers Ed Yourdon and Larry Constantine. They based it on the
“data flow graph” computation models by David Martin and Gerald Estrin. The structured
design concept took off in the software engineering field, and the DFD method took off with
it. It became more popular in business circles, as it was applied to business analysis, than in
academic circles.
Also contributing were two related concepts:
 Object Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD), put forth by Yourdon and Peter Coad to
analyze and design an application or system.
 Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM), a waterfall method to analyze
and design information systems. This rigorous documentation approach contrasts with
modern agile approaches such as Scrum and Dynamic Systems Development Method
(DSDM.)
Three other experts contributing to this rise in DFD methodology were Tom DeMarco, Chris
Gane and Trish Sarson. They teamed up in different combinations to be the main definers of
the symbols and notations used for a data flow diagram.

Components of DFD
The Data Flow Diagram has 4 components:
 Process Input to output transformation in a system takes place because of process function. The symbols
of a process are rectangular with rounded corners, oval, rectangle or a circle. The process is named a
short sentence, in one word or a phrase to express its essence
 Data Flow Data flow describes the information transferring between different parts of the systems. The
arrow symbol is the symbol of data flow. A relatable name should be given to the flow to determine the
information which is being moved. Data flow also represents material along with information that is
being moved. Material shifts are modeled in systems that are not merely informative. A given flow
should only transfer a single type of information. The direction of flow is represented by the arrow
which can also be bi-directional.
 Warehouse The data is stored in the warehouse for later use. Two horizontal lines represent the symbol
of the store. The warehouse is simply not restricted to being a data file rather it can be anything like a
folder with documents, an optical disc, a filing cabinet. The data warehouse can be viewed independent
of its implementation. When the data flow from the warehouse it is considered as data reading and when
data flows to the warehouse it is called data entry or data updation.
 Terminator The Terminator is an external entity that stands outside of the system and communicates
with the system. It can be, for example, organizations like banks, groups of people like customers or
different departments of the same organization, which is not a part of the model system and is an
external entity. Modeled systems also communicate with terminator.

Rules for creating DFD


 The name of the entity should be easy and understandable without any extra assistance(like comments).
 The processes should be numbered or put in ordered list to be referred easily.
 The DFD should maintain consistency across all the DFD levels.
 A single DFD can have maximum processes upto 9 and minimum 3 processes.
Symbols Used in DFD
 Square Box: A square box defines source or destination of the system. It is also called entity. It is
represented by rectangle.
 Arrow or Line: An arrow identifies the data flow i.e. it gives information to the data that is in motion.
 Circle or bubble chart: It represents as a process that gives us information. It is also called processing
box.
 Open Rectangle: An open rectangle is a data store. In this data is store either temporary or
permanently.
Levels of DFD
DFD uses hierarchy to maintain transparency thus multilevel DFD’s can be created. Levels of DFD are as
follows:
 0-level DFD
 1-level DFD:
 2-level DFD:
Advantages of DFD
 It helps us to understand the functioning and the limits of a system.
 It is a graphical representation which is very easy to understand as it helps visualize contents.
 Data Flow Diagram represent detailed and well explained diagram of system components.
 It is used as the part of system documentation file.
 Data Flow Diagrams can be understood by both technical or nontechnical person because they are very
easy to understand.
Disadvantages of DFD
 At times DFD can confuse the programmers regarding the system.
 Data Flow Diagram takes long time to be generated, and many times due to this reasons analysts are
denied permission to work on it.

Levels in Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)


In Software engineering DFD(data flow diagram) can be drawn to represent the system of different levels of
abstraction. Higher-level DFDs are partitioned into low levels-hacking more information and functional
elements. Levels in DFD are numbered 0, 1, 2 or beyond. Here, we will see mainly 3 levels in the data flow
diagram, which are: 0-level DFD, 1-level DFD, and 2-level DFD.
0-level DFD:
It is also known as a context diagram. It’s designed to be an abstraction view, showing the system as a single
process with its relationship to external entities. It represents the entire system as a single bubble with input
and output data indicated by incoming/outgoing arrows.

1-level DFD:
In 1-level DFD, the context diagram is decomposed into multiple bubbles/processes. In this level, we
highlight the main functions of the system and breakdown the high-level process of 0-level DFD into
subprocesses.
2-level DFD:
2-level DFD goes one step deeper into parts of 1-level DFD. It can be used to plan or record the
specific/necessary detail about the system’s functioning.

DFD for Library Management System


Data Flow Diagram (DFD) depicts the flow of information and the transformation applied when a data
moves in and out from a system. The overall system is represented and described using input, processing
and output in the DFD. The inputs can be:
 Book request when a student requests for a book.
 Library card when the student has to show or submit his/her identity as a proof.
The overall processing unit will contain the following output that a system will produce or generate:
 Book will be the output as the book demanded by the student will be given to them.
 Information of demanded book should be displayed by the library information system that can be used
by the student while selecting the book which makes it easier for the student.
Level 1 DFD –
At this level, the system has to show or exposed with more details of processing.
The processes that are important to be carried out are:

 Book delivery
 Search by topic
List of authors, List of Titles, List of Topics, the bookshelves from which books can be located are some
information that is required for these processes. Data store is used to represent this type of information.

Level 2 DFD
Out of scope:
Other activities like purchasing of new books, replacement of old books or charging a fine are not
considered in the above system.

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