XML Based Representation of DFD
International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications(IJACSA), (2011)Abstract
In the world of Information Technology, the working of a information system is well explained with the use of Data Flow Diagrams (DFD). DFDs are one of the three essential perspectives of the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM). 3The sponsor of a project and the end users are briefed and consulted throughout all stages of a system&\#39;s evolution. With a data flow diagram, users are able to visualize how the system will operate, what the system will accomplish, and how the system will be implemented. But, various practical problems exist with the representation of DFDs. Different tools are available in the market for representing the DFDs. These tools are user friendly and based on the object oriented features. The diagrams drawn using these tools can be sent over the network for communicating with others. On the other hand, the XML is platform independent, textual information and is totally extensible. XML is structured and is an excellent way to transfer the information along with the metadata over the network. XML can be used to transfer the information related to DFDs, there by removing the problems related to understanding the diagrammatic notations and concentrating more on the information flow in the system. This paper is aimed at understanding the problems related to DFDs and representing it in XML4 format for their storage and communication over the network. The discussion is divided into four main topics – introduction to XML and DFD, problems related to DFD, an XML representation for DFDs and finally the conclusion.