Documenting Business Processes and Information Systems

A data flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of a system that depicts its components, the data flow among the components, and the sources, destinations, and storage of data. This course will teach you everything you need to know about a DFD including the difference between logical DFDs, which show a system’s processes, and physical DFDs, which show a system’s internal and external entities. You will also look into balanced and top-down partitioning DFDs.

A systems flowchart is a graphical representation of the information process, as well as the related operations process. This course will teach you how systems flowcharts represent a system to identify parts that could be improved or streamlined. You will also learn how to analyze a system’s controls. In addition, you will look into the entity relationship diagram (ERD) and study the 13 guidelines that outline the basic flowcharting technique.

Data flow diagrams and flowcharts provide multiple, complementary methods for describing a system. By the end of this course, you will grasp how data flows in and out of a system and external entities through a context diagram. This will help you better understand business process documentation, data workflow diagrams and ERD models.