System Analysis and Design

from Shouket Ahmad

Developing DFDs: An Example

To illustrate how DFDs are used to model the logic of data flows in information systems, we will present and work through an example. Consider oosier !urger, a fictional restaurant in !loomington, "ndiana, owned #y !o# and Thelma $ellankamp. Some are con%inced that its ham#urgers are the #est in !loomington, may#e e%en in Southern "ndiana. $any people, especially "ndiana &ni%ersity students and faculty, fre'uently eat at oosier !urger. The restaurant uses an information system that takes customer orders, sends the orders to the kitchen, monitors goods sold and inventory, and generates reports for management.

The information system is depicted as a data flow diagram in Figure ()*. The highest)le%el %iew of this system, shown in the figure, is called a context diagram1. o This context diagram contains only one process, no data stores, four data flows, and three sources/sinks. o The single +,-CESS, la#eled ., represents the entire system/ all context diagrams ha%e only one process, la#eled .. o The S-&,CES0S"12S represent the en%ironmental #oundaries of the system. o !ecause the DATA ST-,ES of the system are conceptually inside the one +,-CESS, DATA ST-,ES do not appear on a context diagram.
An o%er%iew of an organi3ational system that shows the system #oundaries, external entities that interact with the system, and the ma4or information flows #etween the entities and the system.
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System Analysis and Design

from Shouket Ahmad

The analyst must determine which processes are represented #y the single process in the context diagram.

As you can see in Figure ()5, we ha%e identified F-&, separate +,-CESSES. The main +,-CESSES represent the ma4or functions of the system, and these ma4or functions correspond to actions such as the following6 7. Capturing data from different sources 8e.g., Process 1.09 :. $aintaining data stores 8e.g., Process 2.0 and 3.09 ;. +roducing and distri#uting data to different sinks 8e.g., Process 4.09 *. igh)le%el description of data transformation operations 8 e.g., Process 1.09

System Analysis and Design

from Shouket Ahmad

These ma4or functions often correspond to the acti%ities on the main system menu.

<e see that the system #egins with an order from customer, as was the case with the context diagram. "n the first process, la#eled 7.., we see that the customer order is processed. o The result is four ST,EA$S, or F=-<S of data6 7. the food order is transmitted to the kitchen :. the customer order is transformed into a list of goods sold ;. the customer order is transformed into in%entory data *. the process generated a receipt for the customer. The S-&,CES0S"12S are the same in the context diagram and in this diagram6 the customer, the kitchen, and the restaurant>s manager.

This diagram is called a level-0 diagram2. Each +,-CESS has a num#er that ends in .. 8corresponding to the level number of the DFD9. Two of the data flows generated #y the first process, eceive and !ransform "ustomer Food #rder, go to external entities, so we need no longer to worry a#out them. <e are not concerned a#out what happens outside of our system. =et>s trace the flow of the data presented in the other two data flows. First, the data la#eled $oods %old go to +,-CESS :.., &pdate $oods %old File. o The output for this +,-CESS is la#eled Formatted $oods %old Data. o This output updates a DATA ST-,E la#eled $oods %old File. "f the customer order was for T<- cheese#urgers, -1E order of fries, and a large soft drink, each of these categories of goods sold in the data store would #e incremented appropriately. o The Daily $oods %old 'mounts are then used as input to +,-CESS *.., (roduce )anagement eports. Similarly, the remaining data flow generated #y +,-CESS 7.., *nventory Data, ser%es as input for +,-CESS ;.., &pdate *nventory File. o This process updates the *nventory File data store, #ased on the in%entory that would ha%e #een used to create the customer order.

A data flow diagram that represents a system>s ma4or processes, data flows, and data stores at a high le%el of detail.
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System Analysis and Design

from Shouket Ahmad

For example, an order of T<- cheese#urgers would mean that oosier !urger now has two fewer ham#urger patties, two fewer #urger #uns, and four fewer slices of American cheese. o The Daily *nventory Depletion 'mounts are then used as input to +,-CESS *... The data flow lea%ing +,-CESS *.., )anagement eports, goes to the sink ,estaurant $anager.

Figure ()5 illustrates se%eral important concepts a#out information mo%ement. 7. Consider the data flow *nventory Data mo%ing from +,-CESS 7.. to +,-CESS ;... <e know form this diagram that +,-CESS 7.. produces this data flow that +,-CESS ;.. recei%es it. owe%er, we do not know the timing of when this data flow is produced, how fre'uently it is produced, or what %olume of data is sent. Thus, this DFD hides many physical characteristics of the system it descri#es. <e do know, howe%er, that this data flow is needed #y +,-CESS;.. and that +,-CESS 7.. pro%ides these needed data. :. Also implied #y the *nventory Data data flow is that whene%er +,-CESS 7.. produces this flow, +,-CESS ;.. must #e ready to accept it. ;. "n contrast, consider the link #etween +,-CESS :.. and +,-CESS *... The output from +,-CESS :.., Formatted $oods %old Data, is placed in a data store and, later when +,-CESS *.. needs such data/ it reads Daily $oods %old 'mounts from this data store. "n this case, +,-CESS :.. and *.. are decoupled #y placing a #uffer, a data store, #etween them. 1ow, each of these processes can work at their own pace, and +,-CESS *.. does not ha%e to #e ready to accept input at any time. Further, the $oods %old File #ecomes a data resource that other processes could potentially draw upon for data.