1

PROCESS SPECIFICATIONS
for DFDs

Concepts and Examples

2

Process Specification

• part of the specifications for a complete

– Dataflow Analysis (DFD)
– OOAD model
– SADT
– etc.
3

Process Specification for a DFD

• specifies process “bubbles” in a DFD
– NOT sources and sinks
• must be consistent with DFD
– specification compatible with diagram
• must be complete with regard to the DFD
• consists of
– process decomposition (diagrams)
– process description
4

Process Description

• (see also IEEE 830-1984)

• name (and aliases)
• informal description
• inputs (see DFD & data dictionary)
• outputs (see DFD & data dictionary)
• processing (semi-formal)
• related processes, sources and sinks
5 Patient Monitoring
Physician
System
Query

Update
Patient Data
Record
(PDR)

Read & Update

PDR- Check & Query - Read &
Check -
Accum. Check
Query
PDR Update

Normal
Patient Data Update +
Input
Query
Process +
Patient
Patient History Current Process
Evaluate
Alarm Treatme Request
nt
New
Stat.
Treatm.
Detail

Out-of- Update
PATIENT DB -
range
Data Result
Ansew to
Query

Give Answer Give

Alarm Query Feedback

Answer
to
Query

Feedbac
Alarm
USER/CRT k
Output
Update
6

Read & Check Query

• name: read & check query (RCQ)
• description:
Reads query statements from the physician’s
terminal interface, brings them into internal
format, checks correctness and
completeness, and handles error situations.
Transaction oriented.
Communicates with user interface.
7

Read & Check Query

• inputs:
– Query
from: physician terminal
(external source)
8

Read & Check Query

• outputs:
– Query +
to: process request
(system internal process)
– Query -
to: physician terminal
(external source)
comment: needs further elaboration
9

Read & Check Query

• related processes, sources and sinks:

– depends on:
• user interface design for physician
terminal
– is-part-of (super-ordinate process):
• Patient Information System
10

Read & Check Query

• related processes, sources and sinks:

– is-decomposed-into (sub-ordinate proc.):
• read query
• check query
• error handling for query
11

(Semi-) Formal Specification?

• PDL - Program Design Language

– see Caine, Farber, and Gordon
– “pseudo-code”, structured English
– English embedded within programming
language syntax
– close to flowcharts
12

Specifying Processes in DFDs

• Structured English
• Decision Trees
• Decision Tables

=> see the example SRS on the course webpage

=> read A.Davis’ book (see Welcome Letter)

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STOP HERE
We will come back at design level!
14
PDL
• modelling basic control - a block:

BEGIN block-name
statements
END block-name

PROCESS process-name
process description
END process-name
15

PDL
• modelling basic control - a condition:

IF condition
THEN block
ELSE block
ENDIF

Remark: There is a CASE construct.

16

PDL
• modelling basic control - a iteration:

DO-WHILE condition
block
ENDDO

Remark: There are REPEAT and

DO-FOR constructs.
 Read & Check Query - PDL
17

PROCESS read&check_query
event: query window is activated;
initialise interface (query window);
DO WHILE user keeps interface active => query
call read_query => query-i;
call check_query => query_error_info or query+;
IF query_error_info
THEN call error_handling_for_query => query-
ENDIF
ENDDO
END.
18

End of Section 2f

coming up:
software design
19

(Semi-) Formal Specification?

• PDL - Program Design Language

– see Caine, Farber, and Gordon
– “pseudo-code”, structured English
– English embedded within programming
language syntax
– close to flowcharts