STRUCTURED ANALYSIS

AND

SYSTEM SPECIFICATION

by

Tom DeMarco

Foreword by

P.J Plauger

Techniache Universitfit Darmstadt

FACHBEREICH INFORMATIK
B I B L I O T H E K
Invontar-Nr.: Moh ~ ( 0>r3t.0 c ito

YOURDON PRESS
A Prentice-Hall Company
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey 07632
 CONTENTS
PAGE
PART 1: BASIC CONCEPTS
1. The Meaning of Structured Analysis 3
1.1 What is analysis? 4
1.2 Problems of analysis 9
1.3 The user-analyst relationship 14
1.4 What is Structured Analysis? 15

2: Conduct of the analysis phase 19

2.1 The classical project life cycle 19
2.2 The modern life cycle 22
2.3 The effect of Structured Analysis on the life cycle 25
2.4 Procedures of Structured Analysis 27
2.5 Characteristics of the Structured Specification 31
2.6 Political effects of Structured Analysis 32
2.7 Questions and answers , 35

3. The Tools of Structured Analysis 37

3.1 A sample situation 37
3.2 A Data Flow Diagram example 38\
3.3 A Data Dictionary example 42
3.4 A Structured English example 43
3.5 A Decision Table example 44
3.6 A Decision Tree example 44

PART 2: FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION

4. Data Flow Diagrams 47

4.1 What is a Data Flow Diagram? 47
4.2 A Data Flow Diagram by any other name . . . 48
4.3 DFD characteristics — inversion of viewpoint 48
viii CONTENTS

5. Data Flow Diagram conventions 51

5.1 Data Flow Diagram elements 51
5.2 Procedural annotation of DFD's 61
5.3 The Lump Law 62

6. Guidelines for drawing Data Flow Diagrams 63

6.1 Identifying net inputs and outputs 63
6.2 Filling in the DFD body 64
6.3 Labeling data flows 66
6.4 Labeling processes 66
6.5 Documenting the steady state 68
6.6 Omitting trivial error-handling details 68
6.7 Portraying data flow and not control flow 68
6.8 Starting over 69

7. Leveled Data Flow Diagrams 71

7.1 Top-down analysis — the concept of leveling 72
7.2 Elements of a leveled DFD set 75
7.3 Leveling conventions 77
7.4 Bottom-level considerations 83
7.5 Advantages of leveled Data Flow Diagrams 87
7.6 Answers to the leveled DFD Guessing Game 87

8. A Case Study in Structured Analysis 89

8.1 Background for the case study 89
8.2 Welcome to the project — context of analysis 90
8.3 The top level 91
8.4 Intermezzo: What's going on here? - 94
8.5 The lower levels 96
8.6 Summary * 104
8.7 Postscript 104

9. Evaluation and Refinement of Data Flow Diagrams 105

9.1 Tests for correctness 105
9.2 Tests for usefulness 112
9.3 Starting over 114

10. Data Flow Diagrams for System Specification 117

10.1 The man-machine dialogue 117
10.2 The integrated top-level approach 118
10.3 Problems and potential problems 120
 CONTENTS

PART 3: DATA DICTIONARY

11. The analysis phase Data Dictionary 125

11.1 The uses of Data Dictionary 126
11.2 Correlating Data Dictionary to the DFD's 127
11.3 Implementation considerations 127

12. Definitions in the Data Dictionary 129

12.1 Characteristics of a definition 129
12.2 Definition conventions 133
12.3 Redundancy in DD definitions 137
12.4 Self-defining terms 139
12.5 Treatment of aliases 142
12.6 What's in a name? 143
12.7 Sample entries by class 144

13. Logical Data Structures 149

13.1 Data base considerations 150
~ 13.2 Data Structure Diagrams (DSD's) 152
13.3 Uses of the Data Structure Diagram 155

14. Data Dictionary Implementation 157

14.1 Automated Data Dictionary 157
14.2 Manual Data Dictionary 162
14/3 Hybrid Data Dictionary 162
14.4 Librarian's role in Data Dictionary 163
14.5 Questions about Data Dictionary 164

PART 4: PROCESS SPECIFICATION

15. Description of Primitives 169

15.1 Specification goals 169
15.2 Classical specification writing methods 177
15.3 Alternative means of specification 177

16". Structured English 179

16.1 Definition of Structured English 179
16.2 An,example 180
16.3 The logical constructs of Structured English 184
16.4 The vocabulary of Structured English 202
16.5 Structured English styles 203
16.6 The balance sheet on Structured English 210
16.7 Gaining user acceptance 212
 CONTENTS

17. Alternatives for Process Specification 215

17.1 When to use a Decision Table 215
17.2 Getting started. 217
17.3 Deriving the condition matrix 219
17.4 Combining Decision Tables and Structured English 221
17.5 Selling Decision Tables to the user 221
17.6 Decision Trees 222
17.7 A procedural note 225
17.8 Questions and answers 225

PART 5: SYSTEM MODELING

18. Use of System Models 229

18.1 Logical and physical DFD characteristics 230
18.2 Charter for Change 231
18.3 Deriving the Target Document 232

19. Building a Logical Model of the Current System 233

19.1 Use of expanded Data Flow Diagrams 235
19.2 Deriving logical file equivalents 238
19.3 Brute-force logical replacement 254
19.4 Logical DFD walkthroughs 256

20. Building a Logical Model of a Future System 257

20.1 The Domain of Change 258
20.2 Partitioning the Domain of Change 260
20.3 Testing the new logical specification - 263

21. Physical Models ^ 265

21.1 Establishing options 265
21.2 Adding configuration-dependent features 269
21.3 Selecting an option 269

22. Packaging the Structured Specification 273

22.1 Filling in deferred details 273
22.2 Presentation of key interfaces 275
22.3 A guide to the Structured Specification 275
22.4 Supplementary and supporting material 278
 CONTENTS xi

PART 6: STRUCTURED ANALYSIS FOR A FUTURE SYSTEM

23. Looking Ahead to the Later Project Phases 283

23.1 Analyst roles during design and implementation 283
23.2 Bridging the gap from analysis to design 284
23.3 User roles during the later phases 285

24. Maintaining the Structured Specification 287

24.1 Goals for specification maintenance 287
24.2 The concept of the specification increment 289
24.3 Specification maintenance procedures 292
24.4 The myth of Change Control 294

25. Transition into the Design Phase 297

25.1 • Goals for design 297
25.2 Structured Design 302
25.3 Implementing Structured Designs 323

26. Acceptance Testing 325

26.1 Derivation of normal path tests 326
26.2 Derivation of exception path tests 328
26.3 Transient state tests 330
26.4 Performance tests 330
26.5 Special tests 331
26.6 Test packaging 331

27. Heuristics for Estimating . ' 333

27.1 The empirically derived estimate - 334
27.2 Empirical productivity data ' 335
27.3 Estimating rules 336'

GLOSSARY 341

BIBLIOGRAPHY 347

INDEX 349