DATA FLOW DIAGRAMS (AGAIN)

breaking it down

Giz runs a car rental company and wishes to computerize the management of his growing organization. Before this can be done, her current activities must be diagrammatically represented. Those activities are listed below:

Customer makes request in person/ by phone then the Rental clerk jots request down on form The form is stamped with todays date & put on spike Manager collects spike periodically & records in the Request book by date of rental & updates available cars book When customer comes in to receive car, he/ she signs request book & makes payment When customer returns the car, it is evaluated and this evaluation is recorded, signed by customer, initialized by evaluator & available cars book is updated If the returned car needs repair/ service, mechanic is called in and given the details of servicing/ repair. The available cars records the location of the vehicle Payment for repairs are done in part by cheque The available cars book is again updated when it is returned by mechanic; the 2nd payment is also made by cheque When the customer makes the first request, the manager checks the records to ensure it is available for that future date and calls customer if it is not.

First, lets look at the question again:

Giz runs a car rental company . Her current activities are listed (short hand) below:

Evaluation is recorded, signed & initialed available cars book is updated after this Mechanic is called and given details if repairs are needed available cars records vehicle location Payments for repairs are done in 2 parts by cheque available cars book is again updated when mechanic returns car Manager checks availability and calls customer if car is not.

Customer makes request

Rental clerk jots down request

Form is stamped & put on spike Manager records data in the Request book Manager updates avail When customer receives car, he/ she signs request book & makes payment Returned cars are evaluated able cars book

Level 0

Identify all the persons OUTSIDE of our main activities What are the main activities? Renting the car and all the operations that go with it. Of course, you could disagree and put your assumptions to that effect. Personally, I see the managers and rental clerks as a part of the system

Mechanic

Customer

Evaluator

Widescreen Graphics
Put them together with the central process (click)

GizSys
And the data that goes to and comes from it
Repair info

N.B. the new additions to the DFD are in orange, the existing ones are blue

R ental R equest Car to be repaired info Signature Payment

Customer

Mechanic

Availability info Initialized evaluation R epair info

E valuator

Moving to level 1
1. Keep everything other than the process (click)

Level 1
2. To create the level 1 DFD, look at each line in the narrative and determine what data is moved and to whom

Availability Call Rental Request

Customer

Customer makes request in person/ by phone Rental clerk jots request down on form

1.1
Request

Form is stamped with todays date & put on spike (temporary storage) When the customer makes the first request, the manager checks the records to ensure it is available for that future date and calls customer if it is not.

Take request 1.3 Check availability

Request On form

1.2 Stamp form

(click)

Level 1
Again, look for the activities(click) 3. Then include any data stores you deem necessary (click):

N.B. the new additions to the

Mechanic

DFD are in orange, the existing ones are blue Repair info

1.4
Car details

update

If the returned car needs repair/ service, mechanic is called in and given the details of servicing/ repair. The available cars records the location of the vehicle

Update car data

1.5 Call mechanic

Available Cars
locatio n

State of car to be repaired

Evaluatio n book

Level 1
1.6
Update

Available Cars

Record evaluation
Evaluatio n report

Evaluatio n report

Evaluation book

Evaluator

4. Repeat the process until: all the external entities from level 0 are represented And all the data flows as well (click)

When customer returns the car, it is evaluated and this evaluation is recorded, signed by customer, initialized by evaluator (which I am

Level 1
5. Ensure that all parts of the narrative are represented in the diagram or in the assumptions

1.8
signature payment
Customer

Record return of car Available Cars

Payment details

Manager collects spike periodically & records in the Request book by date of rental (click) & updates available cars book (click)

1.7

Record payment
1.2

When customer comes in to receive car, he/ she signs request book & makes payment Stamped form info available cars book is updated (click) Payment for repairs are done in part

Stamp form
Stamped form info

Request book

Level 1
1.8

Time to tie up any loose ends Ask yourself where the information comes from for each process and data store And inversely, where it goes (click)

Record return of car

Update info

Available Cars 1.3

Request

Check availability

Availablility

1.2 Stamp form

Stamped form info

Request book

1.2
Update info

Stamp form

1.4 Update car data

Repair info

Available Cars
Availability Request locatio n update

Availability Call

Reques t On form

Customer

Mechanic

1.1
Request

1.5 Call mechanic

Take request

payment

Car details

Rental Request

Then add the evaluator info and you are DONE!!

1.8

State of car to be repaired

1.3 Check availability

Payment details

1.7

signature

Record return of car

Evaluatio n book

R.B k

Record payment