Data Flow Diagrams

An Example
Draw the DFD for a distance education university.
The enrolment process works as follows:

Students send in an application form containing their

personal details, and their desired course. The
university checks that the course is available and
that the student has necessary academic
qualifications. If the course is available the student
is enrolled in the course, and the university confirms
the enrolment by sending a confirmation letter to
the student. If the course is unavailable the student
is sent a rejection letter.
 Step No 1
➢ Read the problem description carefully looking for:

❖ people/organisations/things that supply information to

or use information from the system => external
entities(EE)

❖ actions/doing words/verbs => Processes (P)

❖ movement/exchange of information/data between

external entities to processes, and processes to
processes => data flows (DF)

❖ store/record information/data => data stores(DS)

 Step No 1
❖ It often helps to walk through the system in its logical
sequence; e.g. starting with an external entity (source), add
data flows, processes and data stores as the data provided by
the entity is manipulated by the system.

❖ A student (EE) sends in an application form (DF) containing their

personal details, and their desired course.
❖The university checks (P) that the course is available.

❖ If the course is available the student is enrolled (P) in the

course, and the university confirms (P) the enrolment by sending
a confirmation letter (DF) that they are registered for the
course to the student.
❖ Or if the course is unavailable the student is sent a rejection
letter (DF).

Note: The university, or more specifically the administration section, is

the system being modelled, it is not an EE
 Step No 3
Context diagram
❖ Highest level [Link] data flows, external entities, one process
(system in focus) and no data [Link] the system boundary
and interactions with external entities.

In this case:

External entity : - Student

Process - Student Administration process application

Data Flows : - Application Form, Confirmation/Rejection

Letter
Context diagram
 System/Level 0 DFD

External entity - Student

Processes - Check available, Enrol student, Confirm Registration

Data Flows - Application Form, Course Details, Course Enrolment

Details, Student Details, Confirmation/Rejection
Letter.

Data Stores - Courses, Students.

Hoosier Burger’s automated food ordering system

Developing DFDs: Context Diagram

Context Diagram (cont.)
• Restaurant uses an IS to enable it to:
• takes customer orders
• send orders to the kitchen
• monitor goods sold and inventory, and
• generate reports for management
• Note how context diagram contains:
• only one process (labeled 0, representing entire system)
• no data stores (don’t appear on context diagram)
• four data flows, and
• three sources/sinks (environmental boundaries)
 Level-0 DFD
• Level-0 diagram: data flow diagram that represents a
system’s,
• major processes
• data flows, and
• data stores at a high level of detail

• Processes are labeled 1.0, 2.0, etc.; these will be

decomposed into more primitive (lower-level) DFDs
• Result of process 1.0 (process customer order):

• food order is transmitted to the kitchen

• order is transformed into a list of goods sold
• order is transformed into inventory data
• Produce Management Reports
• process generates a receipt for the customer
 Level-0 DFD
Number of Entities:
• Customer,
• Kitchen,
• Restaurant Manager

Number of Processes:
• Receive and transform order,
• update goods sold File,
• update inventory data,
• Produce Management Reports

Data Stores:
• Good sold file
• Inventory file
 Level-0 DFD

Customer order 1.0

Receive
and Food order
Receipt
transform
order

2.0 Good Sold Inventory data 3.0

update
update
inventory
goods data
sold File
Formatted Inventory data

Good sold data

4.0 D1 Inventory file •

D2 Good sold file • Daily Inventory

Produce
Management
Report
Daily Good sold Management
Amount Report
 Example
A system is required which allows a user to input an
unordered list of integer numbers into a computer. The
system will store these numbers in the main store of the
computer where they are to be sorted by the system into
ascending numeric order and re-stored. Finally the system
is to print out the list for the user.

(a) Draw a context diagram for this problem.

(b) Draw a level 1 data flow diagram for this problem.
Number of Entities:
• User,
Number of Processes:
• Get the list of Numbers
• Start Numbers Into Ascending order
• Print the list of Numbers

Data Stores:
• Unordered list of Number
• Ordered list of Number

0
Print ordered list
Unordered list of num
System of numbers User
User
Processing
list
 1 3
Unordered Print the
list of num Print the ordered list
Get the User
User list of
list of
Numbers
Numbers

D1 Unordered list of Num D2 ordered list of Num

2
start
Numbers
Into
Ascending
order
 Example: Mail Ordering System
• Consider a mail order company that distributes CDs and
tapes at discount prices to its members.
• When an order processing clerk receives an order form,
she verifies that the sender is a member by checking the
MEMBER FILE.
• If the sender is not a member, the clerk returns the order
along with a membership application form.
• If the customer is a member, the clerk verifies the order
item data by checking the ITEM FILE.
• Then the clerk enters the order data and saves it to the
DAIILY ORDERS FILE.
• At the same time the clerk also prints an invoice and
shipping list for each order, which are forwarded to the
ORDER FULFILLMENT DEPARTMENT for processing
 Example: Mail Ordering System
• Consider a mail order company that distributes CDs and
tapes at discount prices to its members.
• When an order processing clerk receives an order form,
(Data flow) she verifies (process #1) that the sender is a
member by checking the MEMBER FILE. (Data store)
• If the sender is not a member, the clerk returns the order
along with a membership application form. (Data flow)
• If the customer is a member, the clerk verifies (process #2) the
order item data by checking the ITEM FILE. (Data store)
• Then the clerk enters the order data (Data flow) and saves it to
the DAIILY ORDERS FILE. (Data store)
• At the same time the clerk also prints an invoice and shipping
list (Data flow) for each order, (process #3) which are forwarded
to the ORDER FULFILLMENT DEPARTMENT (external entity) for
processing there.
 Mail Ordering System: Context Diagram

0
Order Form Invoice & Shipping
Customer List
Order
Mail
Or Processing
Ordering
Members System Department
Application Form
 1.0
Customer
Order Form
Verify
Level0 Diagram
Or Member
Members Application Form
member info
D2 Member File

New Order

Validated Order
2.0
Item info
Verify
D2 Item File
Order
items

D2 Member File Validated Order

3.0
Invoice & Shipping Order
Print invoice List
And shipping Processing
list Department
 Example 3

Precision Tools sells a line of high-quality woodworking tools.

When customers place orders on the company’s Web site, the
system checks to see if the items are in stock, issues a status
message to the customer, and generates a shipping order to the
warehouse, which fills the order. When the order is shipped, the
customer is billed. The system also produces various reports.

• Draw a context diagram for the order system

• Draw DFD diagram 0 for the order system
 Context Diagram of Order System

Order
CUSTOMER In-Stock WAREHOUSE
Payment Request

Status 0 Shipping
Message Order

Order
Invoice System Shipping Confirmation

Inventory
Reports

ACCOUNTING
 Level-0 of Order System

Order In-Stock Request

CUSTOMER WAREHOUSE

1.0
Status
Message
Check Shipping
Status Data Status Order

Order
2.0 Data
Shipping 3.0
Confirmation Pending
Issue D1 Orders
Status
Messages Generate
Shipping
Order Data Order

Payment 4.0
Order Data
Invoice
Manage
Accounts
Receivable
5.0
Accounting Data Accounts Receivable Data

Produce
Accounts Reports
D2 Receivable
Inventory
Reports

ACCOUNTING