Gelinas 9e - CH 04 - Documenting Information Systems PDF

Chapter 4:
Documenting Information
Systems
Accounting Information Systems, 9e
Gelinas ►Dull ► Wheeler
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Data Flow Diagrams
Data flow diagram: a graphical representation
of a system that depicts the systems
components; the data flows among the
components; and the sources, destinations, and
storage of data.
Use a limited number of symbols.
Do not depict management or operational
elements of a system.
Basic DFD Symbols
Context Diagram
Context diagram: top-level, or least a detailed,
diagram of a system depicting the system and
all its activities as a single bubble and showing
the data flows into and out of the system and
into and out of the external entities.
External entities: those entities (i.e., persons,
places, or things) outside the system that send
data to, or receive data from, the system.
Context Diagram
Physical DFD
Physical data flow diagram (DFD): graphical
representation of a system showing the
system’s internal and external entities, and the
flows of data into and out of these entities.
Specifies where, how, and by whom a system’s
processes are accomplished.
Does not specify what is being accomplished.
Internal Entities
Internal entity: an entity within the system
that transforms data.
Includes, for example, accounting clerks
(persons), departments (places), and
computers (things).
Physical DFD
Logical DFD
Logical data flow diagram (DFD): graphical
representation of a system showing the
system’s processes (as bubbles), data stores,
and the flows of data into and out of the
processes and data stores.
Specifies what activities the system is
performing, without specifying how, where, or
by whom the activities are accomplished.
Logical DFDs portray a system’s activities.
Physical DFDs depict a system’s infrastructure.
Logical DFD
Balanced DFDs
DFDs are balanced when the external data
flows of two or more DFDs are equivalent.
On the following slide
■ DFD (a) is a context diagram.
■ DFD (b) is an “explosion” of the context into a level
0 DFD.
■ DFDs (c) and (d) are explosions of level 0 bubbles 1.0
and 3.0. While DFD (e) is an explosion of bubble 3.1.
Balanced DFDs
Systems Flowcharts
Systems flowchart: a graphical representation
of a business process, including information
processes (inputs, data processing, data
storage, and outputs), as well as the related
operations processes (people, equipment,
organization, and work activities).
Also known as “process flowcharts” and
“business process flowcharts.”
Standard Flowcharting Symbols
Common System Flowcharting
Routines
The following slides show several common ways
of showing processing using system
flowcharting.
Note the way the columns are set up to
communicate the flow of activities between
processing entities.
Routines (cont’d)
Enter document into
computer via keyboard,
edit input, record
input.
Routines (cont’d)
User queries the
computer
Routines (cont’d)
Update sequential data
store
Routines (cont’d)
Preparation and later
manual reconciliation
of control totals.
Routines (cont’d)
Key and key verify
inputs
Routines (cont’d)
Enter document into
computer using a
scanner
Routines (cont’d)
Enter document into
computer using scanner
and manual keying
Preparing Data Flow Diagrams
Analyze narrative:
■ Circle each activity
■ Place box on entities that perform activities
Activity: any action being performed by an
internal or external entity.
■ Actions related to data (send data, transform data,
file or store data, retrieve data from storage, or
receive data).
■ Operations process activities include picking goods in
a warehouse, inspecting goods at a receiving dock,
or counting cash.
Table of Entities and Activities
DFD Guidelines
1. Include within the system context (bubble)
any entity that performs one or more
information processing activities. (Information
processing activities retrieve data from
storage, transform data, or file data.)
2. For now, include only normal processing
routines, not exception routines or error
routines, on context diagrams, physical DFDs,
and logical level 0 DFDs.
DFD Guidelines (cont’d)
3. Include in the process documentation all (and
only) activities and entities described in the
systems narrative.
4. When multiple entities operate identically,
depict only one to represent all.
Suprina Context Diagram
5. For clarity, draw a data flow for each flow into
and out of a data store. You may also, for
clarity and to help you determine that you
have included all necessary flows, label each
flow with the activity number that gives rise
to the flow or with a description of the flow
(e.g., “retrieve accounts receivable master
data”).
6. If a data store is logically necessary (because
of a delay between processes), include a data
store in the diagrams, whether or not it is
mentioned in the narrative.
Suprina Current Physical DFD
7. Group activities if they occur in the same
place and at the same time.
8. Group activities if they occur at the same time
but in different places.
9. Group activities that seem to be logically
related.
10. To make the DFD readable, use between five
and seven bubbles.
Table of Entities and Activities
(Annotated)
Suprina Current Logical DFD
(Level 0)
11. A data flow should go to an operations entity
square when only operations process functions
(such as storing goods, picking goods, packing
orders, and so on) are to performed by that
entity. A data flow should enter an entity
bubble if the operations process entity is to
perform an information processing activity.
12. On a physical DFD, reading computer data
stores and writing to computer data stores
must go through a computer bubble.
13. On a logical DFD, data flows cannot go from
higher- to lower-numbered bubbles.
Documenting Abnormal Processing
Processes called exception routines or error
routines handle required actions for
out-of-the-ordinary (exceptional) or erroneous
events data; shown on systems flowcharts.
■ Processing performed in other-than-normal
situations should be documented below the level 0
DFD with reject stubs that indicate that exceptional
processing must be performed.
■ Reject stub: data flow assigned the label “Reject”;
leaves a bubble; does not go to any other bubble or
data store; shown only in lower-level diagrams.
Preparing Systems Flowcharts
1. Divide the flowchart into columns; one column
for each internal entity and one for each
external entity. Label each column.
2. Flowchart columns should be laid out so that
the flowchart activities flow from left to right.
But, minimize crossed lines and connectors.
3. Flowchart logic should flow from top to
bottom and from left to right. For clarity, put
arrows on all flow lines.
(cont’d)
4. Keep the flowchart on one page, if possible.
With multiple pages use off-page connectors.
5. Within each column, there must be at least
one manual process, keying operation, or data
store between documents. Do not directly
connect documents within the same column.
6. When crossing organizational lines (one
column to another), show a document at both
ends of the flow line unless the connection is
so short that the intent is unambiguous.
(cont’d)
7. Documents or reports printed in a computer
facility should be shown in that facility’s
column first. You can then show the document
or report going to the destination unit.
8. Documents or reports printed by a centralized
computer facility on equipment located in
another organizational unit should not be
shown within the computer facility.
(cont’d)
9. Processing within an organizational unit on
devices such as a PC, laptop, or computerized
cash register should be shown within the unit
or as a separate column next to that unit, but
not in the central computer facility column.
10. Sequential processing steps (computerized or
manual) with no delay between them (and
resulting from the same input) can be shown
as one process or as a sequence of processes.
(cont’d)
11. The only way to get data into or out of a
computer data storage unit is through a
computer processing rectangle or offline
process square.
12. Manual process is not needed to show the
sending of a document; sending should be
apparent from the movement of the
document.
13. Do not use manual processes to file
documents; show documents going into files.
Suprina Systems Flowchart
Documenting Enterprise Systems
Moving from a file-based system to an
enterprise database changes the systems
flowchart.
■ An enterprise database replaces transaction and
master data.
■ Other flows may change depending on the system
implementation.
Suprina Systems Flowchart with an
Enterprise Database

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