Answers to Problems and Exercises

1. Students can draw their data flow diagrams in several ways, depending on the level of detail they
choose to capture. Students should realize that there is not one “right” data flow diagram for this or
most other business processes. Relevant data flows include payment information, receipt, goods sold
information, and inventory information. Three data stores are a goods sold file, an inventory file, and
daily sales total file. Processes include update goods sold file, update inventory file, update daily
sales total file, and produce management reports. Sources/sinks include customer and store manager.
A sample context diagram and level-0 data flow diagram are provided below. In the level-0 data
flow diagram, Transform Customer Purchase, Update Goods Sold File, Update Inventory File, and
Update Sales Total File, were selected as processes rather than as sources/sinks because they were
deemed to be central to the point of sale process. Point out why these DFDs are balanced.

Retail Store
Context Diagram

0
Receipt Management
Report
Customer Point of Sale Store
Payment System Manager
 Retail Store
Level-0 Diagram

1
Receipt
Transform
Customer Customer
Payment Purchase

Goods Sold Inventory Sales Data

Data

2 3 4
Update Goods Update Update
Sold Inventory Sales Total
File File File

Formatted Formatted Formatted

Goods Sold Inventory Sales Total
Amount Amount Amount

D1 Goods Sold File D2 Inventory File D3 Sales Total File

Inventory
Amounts Sales Totals
Goods Sold
Amounts 5
Produce Store
Management Manager
Reports Management
Report
2. Sample context and level-0 data flow diagrams are provided below. As with the previous question,
students can draw their data flow diagrams in several ways, depending on the level of detail they
choose to capture. Students should realize that there is not necessarily one “right” data flow diagram
for this or most other business processes. It is important that the diagrams be balanced, have a clear
and purposeful boundary, and obey the rules for drawing DFDs.

Cap and Gown

Context Diagram

Order
0 Cap and Gown
Information
Information
Student Shipping
Receipt
Order
Entry
System

Cap and Gown

Level-0 Diagram

Order Cap and Gown

Information Receipt Information
Student Shipping

1 2 Inventory 3
Valid Order
Information Data Update
Validate Finalize Inventory
Order Order File

Inventory Formatted
Status Inventory Data
D1 Inventory File
11. A suggested answer is provided below.

Hospital Pharmacy
Context Diagram

Prescription 0
Drug Label Info
Unfilled Order Info
Doctor Hospital Store
Pharmacy Manager
System Patient Number
Unfilled Order Info and Drug Type,
Response Amount & Cost
 Hospital Pharmacy
Level-0 Diagram

1
Prescription Review &
Doctor Send
Prescription
to Station
Unfilled Order Info

Pharmacy
Prescription Tech Review D1 Patient File
Unfilled Order Info
Response

2 Patient Info
Review
Prescription
Order by
Station

Order Info Order Fill Info

3
Fill
Order

Drug Label Info Patient Number

and Drug Type, Billing
Amount & Cost Dept
4
Generate
Label
Drug Label Info

Nurses
Station
12. A suggested answer is provided below.

Contracting System
Context Diagram

0
Purchase Order Shipping Bill
Government Contracting Government
Agency System Agency
Invoice
Invalid Purchase
Order Info

Contracting System
Level-0 Diagram

Contract Terms
Purchase Order 1 and Conditions
Government
Verify
Agency
Purchase
D1 Contract Database

Invalid Purchase Order

Validated PO #
Order Info

Validated PO
Completed PO
Shipping Bill Closeout Info
Invoice 2
Check
Inventory

Not-in-stock
Report Validated PO

3
Validated PO,
Pull & Ship Initial Shipping Bill
Items from & Exception Report
Inventory D2 Contracts File
Shipping Bill for
Exception Report Items