DFD - Software Design Center
DFD - Software Design Center
Process Notations
Process
A process transforms incoming data flow into outgoing data flow.
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Datastore Notations
DataStore
Datastores are repositories of data in the system. They are sometimes also referred to as
files.
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Dataflow Notations
Dataflow
Dataflows are pipelines through which packets of information flow. Label the arrows
with the name of the data that moves through it.
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External Entity Notations
External Entity
External entities are objects outside the system, with which the system communicates.
External entities are sources and destinations of the system's inputs and outputs.
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Context Diagrams
A context diagram is a top level (also known as Level 0) data flow diagram. It only
contains one process node (process 0) that generalizes the function of the entire system in
relationship to external entities.
DFD levels
The first level DFD shows the main processes within the system. Each of these processes
can be broken into further processes until you reach pseudocode.
Once linked, a small plus sign will appear in the object, and clicking on it opens the
linked file.
When you link two SmartDraw files, the link created between them is absolute, not
relative. (A link to a file on your hard drive will look something like this: C://SmartDraw
Files/Project X/dataflow2.sdr instead of a relative link: dataflow2.sdr) In order to share
your files with others, you can either save your files to a network drive or save and
publish them as web pages. If you save your diagrams on a network, make sure you go to
Network Neighborhood or My Network Places to find the appropriate directory instead
of using your local mapped drives.
Browse on your network to find the files you want to link to
You can use this hyperlink function to open any kind of file, including text documents,
spreadsheets, web pages, or even to launch a program!
IE Notation - Logical Data Model
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