Describing Process Specs and Structured Decisions Ch 9

Process Specification Goals: • Reduce ambiguity of process • Precisely describe what is accomplished • Validate System design (Data flow / data dictionary)

Primitive Processes (No Specs Required) • Physical input/output (simple logic) • Basic data validation • Processes involving prewritten code (subprograms and functions)

Process Descriptions • Forms • CASE Repository

Process Logic • • • Structured English A decision table A decision tree A formula Any combination of the above

Process Specification Format

Business Rules • • Definitions of business terms. Business conditions and actions. Data integrity constraints. Mathematical and functional derivations. Logical inferences. Processing sequences. Relationships among facts about the business

Structured Decision Details • • Conditions Condition Alternatives Action rules

Structured English • Structured logic, or instructions organized into nested and grouped procedures, and • Simple English statements such as add, multiply, move

Structured English

Shipping Statement Data Structure

Shipping Statement Structured English

Decision Tables They are used to: • describe the conditions, • identify possible decision alternatives, • indicate which actions should be performed, • describe actions

Decision Table

Decision Tables

Decision Trees • Identify all conditions and actions and the order and timing of these (if they are critical). • Build the tree from left to right while making sure you are complete in listing all possible alternatives before moving over to the right.