Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design, 6e (Valacich)
Chapter 6 Structuring System Requirements: Process Modeling
1) A data-flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical tool that allows analysts to illustrate the flow of
data in an information system.
Classification: Concept
2) Logic modeling graphically represents the processes that capture, manipulate, store, and
distribute data between a system and its environment and among components within a system.
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3) Data-flow diagramming is one of several structured analysis techniques used to increase
software development productivity.
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4) Structured analysis techniques, such as data-flow diagramming, can help companies avoid
misunderstanding how existing systems will have to work with the new system and incorrect
specifications for necessary data, forms, and reports.
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5) A primitive level data-flow diagram is the first deliverable produced during requirements
structuring.
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6) Data-flow diagrams (DFD) illustrate important concepts about the movement of data.
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7) Data-flow diagrams evolve from the more general to the more detailed as current and
replacement systems are better understood.
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8) A data flow represents data in motion, moving from one place in the system to another.
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9) On a data-flow diagram, a check and payment coupon mailed to the company is represented as
a data store.
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10) Data on a customer form could be represented on a data-flow diagram as a data flow.
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11) Assume shipment data are entered into a logbook once shipments are received at the
company’s warehouse; the logbook is represented on a data-flow diagram as a sink.
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12) Assume your local veterinarian records information about each of his patients on patient
medical history forms; the collection of medical history forms is represented on a data-flow
diagram as a data store.
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13) The calculation of a student’s grade is represented on a data-flow diagram as a data flow.
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14) The determination of which items are low in stock is represented on a data-flow diagram as a
process.
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15) Sources and sinks are internal to the system.
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16) When constructing data-flow diagrams, you should show the interactions that occur between
sources and sinks.
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17) The data a sink receives and often what data a source provides are fixed.
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18) A Web site’s customer is represented as a source on a data-flow diagram.
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19) On a data-flow diagram, an arrow represents an action, such as calculating an employee’s
pay.
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20) On a data-flow diagram, a diamond represents a process.
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21) On a data-flow diagram, a rectangle with the right vertical line missing represents a data
store.
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22) A context diagram shows the scope of the organizational system, system boundaries, external
entities that interact with the system, and the major information flows between entities and the
system.
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23) Context diagrams have only one process labeled “P-1.”
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24) No data stores appear on a context diagram.
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25) A level-0 diagram is a data-flow diagram that represents a system’s major processes, data
flows, and data stores at a high level of detail.
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26) Assume Process 7.4 produces a data flow and that Process 7.2 must be ready to accept it; we
would say that these processes are physically linked to each other.
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27) Assume we have placed a data store between Process 5.1 and Process 5.5; we would say that
these processes are decoupled.
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28) A data flow can go directly back to the same process it leaves.
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29) A fork in a data flow means that exactly the same data go from a common location to two or
more different processes, data stores, or sources/sinks.
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30) Data cannot move directly from a source to a sink.
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31) A data flow to a data store means update.
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32) More than one data flow noun phrase can appear on a single arrow as long as all of the flows
on the same arrow move together as one package.
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33) A process has a verb label.
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34) Double-ended arrows are used to represent data flowing in both directions.
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35) To keep a data-flow diagram uncluttered, you may repeat data stores, sinks/sources, and
processes.
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36) Because a data flow name represents a specific set of data, another data flow that has even
one more or one less piece of data must be given a different, unique name.
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37) Functional decomposition is a repetitive process of breaking the description or perspective of
a system down into finer and finer detail.
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38) The lowest-level data-flow diagrams are called level-0 diagrams.
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39) The decomposition of Process 1.1 would be shown on a level-1 diagram.
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40) The decomposition of Process 2.4.3.4 would be shown on a level-4 diagram.
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41) As a rule of thumb, no data-flow diagram should have more than about seven processes on it.
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42) Coupling is the conservation of inputs and outputs to a data-flow diagram process when that
process is decomposed to a lower level.
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43) A composite data flow on one level can be split into component data flows at the next level,
but no new data can be added and all data in the composite must be accounted for in one or more
subflows.
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44) Completeness, consistency, timing, iterative development, and primitive DFDs are guidelines
for drawing DFDs.
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45) DFD cohesion means your DFDs include all of the necessary components for the system you
are modeling.
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46) A data flow repository entry would include the composition or list of data elements contained
in the data flow.
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47) A gross violation of DFD consistency would be a level-1 diagram with no level-0 diagram.
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48) One of the primary purposes of a DFD is to represent time, giving a good indication of
whether data flows occur constantly in real time, once a day, or once a year.
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49) Structured analysis is the process of discovering discrepancies between two or more sets of
data-flow diagrams or discrepancies within a single DFD.
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50) To date, data-flow diagrams have not been useful tools for modeling processes in business
process reengineering.
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51) Data-flow diagrams allow you to:
A) show the timing of data flows.
B) model how data flow through an information system.
C) demonstrate the sequencing of activities.
D) show the relationship among entities.
E) represent the internal structure and functionality of processes.
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52) Since data-flow diagrams concentrate on the movement of data between processes, these
diagrams are often referred to as:
A) process models.
B) data models.
C) flow models.
D) flow charts.
E) logic models.
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53) Graphically representing the processes that capture, manipulate, store, and distribute data
between a system and its environment and among components within a system refers to:
A) data modeling.
B) structure modeling.
C) process modeling.
D) transition modeling.
E) logic modeling.
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54) The diagram that shows the scope of the system, indicating what elements are inside and
outside the system, is called a:
A) context diagram.
B) level-2 diagram.
C) referencing diagram.
D) representative diagram.
E) decomposition diagram.
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