Data Flow Diagram (DFD):

A data flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the "flow" of data through an information system. It differs from the flowchart as it shows the data flow instead of the control flow of the program. A data flow diagram can also be used for the visualization of data processing (structured design). It is common practice to draw a context-level ata flow diagram first which shows the interaction between the system and outside entities. !he " is designed to show how a system is divided into smaller portions and to highlight the flow of data between those parts. !his context-level ata flow diagram is then "exploded" to show more detail of the system being modeled. ata flow diagrams were invented by #arry $onstantine% the original developer of structured design%&'( based on )artin and *strin+s "data flow graph" model of computation. ata flow diagrams ( " s) are one of the three essential perspectives of ,tructured ,ystems Analysis and esign )ethod ,,A ). !he sponsor of a pro-ect and the end users will need to be briefed and consulted throughout all stages of a system+s evolution. .ith a dataflow diagram% users are able to visualize how the system will operate% what the system will accomplish% and how the system will be implemented. !he old system+s dataflow diagrams can be drawn up and compared with the new system+s dataflow diagrams to draw comparisons to implement a more efficient system. ataflow diagrams can be used to provide the end user with a physical idea of where the data they input ultimately has an effect upon the structure of the whole system from order to dispatch to recoo/. 0ow any system is developed can be determined through a dataflow diagram. eveloping a data model. ata flow diagram helps in identifying the transaction data in the

!here are different notations to draw data flow diagrams% defining different visual representations for processes% datastores% dataflow% and external entities. &1( Developing a Data flow diagram

Top-Down Approach 2. !he system designer ma/es "a context level " "% which shows the "interaction" (data flows) between "the system" (represented by one process) and "the system environment" (represented by terminators). '. !he system is "decomposed in lower level " (3ero)" into a set of "processes% data stores% and the data flows between these processes and data stores". 1. *ach process is then decomposed into an "even lower level diagram containing its subprocesses". 4. !his approach "then continues on the subse5uent subprocesses"% until a necessary and sufficient level of detail is reached which is called the primitive process (a/a chewable in one bite).

Data Flow Diagram Notation . Function

File/Database

Input/Output

Flow Data Flow Diagram of the Shopping Site

Level 0

Input Data %ase "#stem

Out &ut User/ $!min

Level 1

Login

$!min

In 'ali! &asswo r! Login

User

Level 2: User o!ule:

Login

User

List O) Items

Database

$!! *o +art

$!! items Up!ate -ntit# Delete t,e items

&a#ment *,row cre!it car! or Debit +ar!

$uto Log Out

Level (: $!min o!ule:

Login

$!min

$!! 'iew Up!ate Delete t,e Items

D%

.eporting

&ai! .eport

&en!ing .eport

Delivere! .eport

ER diagram

An entity-relationship (*6) diagram is a specialized graphic that illustrates the interrelationships between entities in a database. *6 diagrams often use symbols to represent three different types of information. 7oxes are commonly used to represent entities. iamonds are normally used to represent relationships and ovals are used to represent attributes An entity-relationship model (*6)) in software engineering is an abstract and conceptual representation of data. *ntity-relationship modeling is a relational schema database modeling method% used to produce a type of conceptual schema or semantic data model of a system% often a relational database% and its re5uirements in a top-down fashion.

Name

"e0 $!!res s Users

&, one &in "tate &asswor ! +it#

1mail ID 1 +reat es

%ill no 1mail ID $mount

Date Invoice

Name &ro!uc t ID &ro!uct

Item Name -ntit# 1 /as Items Description

$mou nt

+ate gor#

1 "ale N Invoice Details $mount N %ill No

-ntit# &ro!uct ID

Item Name