CHAPTER 7

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS:
ANALYZING REQUIREMENTS
 DOCUMENTING SYSTEM
ANALYSIS
– DATA FLOW DIAGRAM (DFD)
 Data flow diagram is a graphic presentation
of external entities, data movement,
processing functions and data stores
necessary to support an IS
 Sometimes description of system problems
and solutions are written in narrative form
 Graphic presentations may be used to
enhance the problem description
 The purpose of diagramming is that any
person would be able to understand the
system by just looking at the diagram
SYMBOLS IN DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
 FOUR SYMBOLS USED IN DFD
(YOURDON SYMBOLS):

Circle
• Indicate a process
• Process shows the work or actions performed on data so
that they are transformed, stored or distributed
• Each process has both data input and output
• Whether a process is performed manually or by a
computer is not important
 Arrow
 Indicate flow of data
 It could represent data on customer order
form, results of a query to database,
contents of a printed report, data on
computer display
 The arrow must be labeled with a
meaningful name e.g. customer order
 Pair of parallel lines
• To indicate data store
 Arrow pointing to a data store indicates writing or

updating to data store

 Arrow coming out of data store shows reading process

Rectangle
•To indicate external entity
•The origin / destination of the data
•Outside the system and out of our interest
•Entity – person, department, system or org out of the
system
TYPES /LEVELS OF DFD
 CONTEXT DIAGRAM
 It depicts a data processing system and the
external entities that are:
 Sources of its input
 Destinations of its output
 Main steps when constructing a Context
Diagram :
 Identify where data is captured from
 Identify where data is distributed to Teng
ku
 Describe the overall process Fair
uz:
Facu
lty of
Acc
ount
CONTEXT DIAGRAM
Govt.
Govt.
Depart-
Depart- ent
ym Agencies
Agencies
ments
ments T im pa
ec
ard ort &
s repx
Ta
Payroll
Payroll Employee checks Employees
Employees
Processing
Processing
f or m System
System Pay
ee roll
loy or m che
p e f ck
e m g P
ew c han ay
N e ro Bank
Bank
Human
Human y e l l
m plo re
po
Resources
Resources E rt
• This is the context diagram Manage-
Manage-
for the payroll processing ment
ment
system
 LEVEL 0 / INTERMEDIATE DFD
Depart-
ments Employees
Employee
New employee Time paychecks
Human form cards
Resources
1.0
Update 2.0
Employee Pay Payroll
Empl.
change Employ- check
Payroll Bank
form ees
File

Payroll
disburse-
3.0 ment data 5.0
Prepare Employee/
Update
Reports Payroll File
Gen.
Ledger
This
This Payroll tax
disb. voucher
diagram
diagram Payroll
report
shows
shows the
the 4.0 General
Ledger
Pay
next
next level
level of
of Manage- Taxes Tax report
& payment
detail
detail for
for the
the ment Govt.
Agencies
context
context
diagram.
diagram.
 AN IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF
ALL DFD
• anything represented on the previous level must
also be represented on all levels that follow
• All entities in context DFD must also appear on
all levels that follow
RULES FOR DRAWING GOOD DFD
 Context DFD
– should possess one process symbol only
– The word in the process symbol is the name of
the system
– No data storage symbols.
 Intermediate DFD
– The first word in the process symbol in must
begin with a verb followed by a descriptive noun
– The process name should define a specific action
rather than a general process
INTERMEDIATE DFD (CONTINUED)
– Processes must be numbered to show the
sequence of occurrence.
– Label clearly all data flows, entities, data stores
and processes. No need to label data flows from
process to process but it is a good practice to do
so
– The arrow direction for the data flows must be
correct
– Crossing of lines will not be allowed. You are to
duplicate entities and data stores where
necessary
– No incorrect connections (pg.107&108)
INTERMEDIATE DFD (CONTINUED)
 Data stores not shown in context DFD
are drawn in intermediate DFD
 When naming a data store, use
specific names and avoid general
terms
 The DFD does not indicate which
media the data are being stored
 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD
DIAGRAMS
 Should be graphical with supporting textual
detail
 Should allow the system to be viewed top-down,
partitioned fashion
 Should have minimal redundancy
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS
1. BLACK HOLES

2. MIRACLES

3. Let it get too COMPLEX: 7 ± 2 processes

4. Leave things UNLABELED

(corollary: labels should have meaning)

5. Data stores that are “SOURCES” or

“SINKS”

6. Data flows that are UNASSOCIATED with

a PROCESS

7. Expect your diagram to be “perfect” the

first time!
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS

‘Black Hole’
process data goes into a process
stuff (or data store) but doesn’t
come out
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS

‘It’s a Miracle’
process
stuff a process produces output with no
input
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS

ds-1

A.1
data
A.2 Leave Things Unlabeled
Corollary: Labels Should Have
Meaning
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS

data store
Miracle data source
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS

Black hole data source

data store
DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
DON’TS
Data Flows Unassociated With a Process

data entity to
store to entity
entity or
reverse

data store
to data
store
 Analyse the problem

1. Put a square around any inputs or

outputs involved - these are entities.
2. Circle any processing.
3. Underline any data store
4. Sketch out the information flow, joining
up the people (entities, the processing
and the data stores
A customer wants to order some lunch. They
walk to the counter and ask for the menu. They
make their choice and ask the waitress for a tuna
roll. The waitresses write this down and passes
the order to the chef. The chef gets the order and
makes the roll. The roll is then passed back to
the waitress. Whilst the chef makes the roll, the
waitress gives the customer a paper bill produced
from the till. This shows how much the customer
owes. The customer pays their bill. When the
food arrives from the chef, the waitress gives it to
the customer.
DFD SYMBOLS

External Entity Customer Chef

Bill
Flow of Data

Process
Preparing
a bill

Data Store Menu

 Customer
Customer Chef
Chef

The customer is The chef is a

a source of destination of the
information – the information.
person who start
the whole
process off.
Customer
Customer Chef
Chef

The menu or
price list keeps a Menu
record of prices
– it is a data
store.
Customer
Customer Order Chef
Chef
sandwich

The waitress
processes the
order

The waitress is not shown as an entity

because she does not produce or receive
information (ultimately – the order goes to
the chef!!). She is not a data SOURCE or
SINK!
 CONTEXT DIAGRAM

order

bill order
Orderin
payment g
Chef
Customer Tuna
Process
receipt
Tuna
 1.
menu
Show
Menu
INTERMEDIATE menu

DIAGRAM 2.
Order Receiv
e
menu

3.
Pass Order
order

Bill 4. Chef
Customer
Issu
e bill

payment 5.
Receive
paymen Tuna
t

6.
Tuna
Pass
order