JPH0594290A - Data flow chart verifying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically verify the description error of an executing order by chasing the executing order of processes set to a table by developing it to a route list, and executing error display by judging the circulation of the executing order when the same process appears. CONSTITUTION:A monitor display 9 used for preparing a data flow chart, keyboard 10 and mouse 11 or the like are connected through an interface 8 to a data flow chart preparation part 6, and the data flow chart prepared at the data flow chart preparation part 6 is stored in a data flow chart file 7. In this case, a data flow chart verifying device 1 extracts the executing order relation of processes from the data flow chart in the data flow chart file 7 by using an executing order extraction part 2. The extracted executing order relation is registered on a table 3, and the route of data flowing between processes is developed from the contents to a route list 5 on a memory. During the process, it is verified whether the data flow chart can be successively executed or not and when it can not be executed, error output is executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for verifying a description error in a data flow diagram created when analyzing and designing an information processing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A data flow diagram is a diagram in which a process in an information processing system is divided into functional units and a data flow between the processes (hereinafter referred to as a process) is illustrated. Since it was created by paying attention only to the flow of data, it is not possible to describe the control structure of data such as how many times the data is looped and under what conditions it branches. There is another process flow diagram such as a flowchart for describing the control structure of data. Therefore, in the data flow diagram, at least the data flow does not circulate between the processes, and if such a description is made, it is determined that the execution order of the data flow diagram is incorrect. Conventionally, humans rely on verification of the description error of the execution order.

[0003]

Therefore, it is impossible to completely avoid the occurrence of a verification error such as overlooking a description error, and the more complicated the data flow diagram is, the higher the probability of occurrence of the verification error becomes. .. In addition, the labor and time of the person who performs the verification is also greatly consumed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a data flow diagram verification apparatus capable of automatically verifying a description error in the execution order of a data flow diagram.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution. That is, the present invention is a device that divides processing in an information processing system into functional units and verifies a description error in the execution order of a data flow diagram in which a data flow between each processing (process) is diagrammed. Means for extracting the execution order of each process based on the data flow, means for tracking the execution order of the extracted processes to determine whether the data flow is circulating between the processes, and And a means for outputting an error to the outside when the circulation of the flow is judged.

[0006]

The function of the present invention is as follows. By extracting the execution order of each process from the data flow of the data flow diagram and tracing the execution order, it is determined whether or not the data flow circulates among the processes. If there is a circulation as a result of the judgment, it is determined that there is a description error in the execution order of the data flow diagram, and an error is output to the outside.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a data flow diagram verification apparatus in this embodiment and peripheral devices attached to the apparatus. A monitor display 9, a keyboard 10, a mouse 11 and the like used for creating the data flow diagram are connected to the data flow diagram creating unit 6 via the interface 8. Data flow diagram creation unit 6
The data flow diagram created in step 1 is stored in the data flow diagram file 7.

The data flow diagram verification apparatus 1 includes an execution order extraction unit 2 for extracting process execution order relations from a data flow diagram in a data flow diagram file 7, and a table 3 for registering the extracted execution order relations. , The path of data flowing between processes is expanded from the contents of Table 3 to the path list 5 on the memory, and in the process, it is verified whether or not the data flow diagram can be sequentially executed. And an execution order verification unit 4 that outputs an error to a monitor display.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a data flow diagram to be verified. Elements surrounded by a circle represent a process, and the process name is described in the circle. An arrow line connecting each process indicates a data flow (hereinafter referred to as a flow). In the figure, processes P2 → P3 → P4
→ The flow circulates between processes such as P2, which is an example of a description error in the execution order.

Next, the operation of verifying the description error of the execution order in the data flow diagram of FIG. 2 will be described. As described above, since the data flow diagram is created in the specific description format, the execution order extraction unit 2 analyzes the data flow diagram according to the description format. That is, the graphic element surrounded by the circle is judged to be a process, and the arrow line is flowed.
The process element that connects the graphic element with a circular frame at the base of the arrow line,
The round frame graphic element at the end of the arrow line is determined to be the connection destination process.

Based on the determination, the connection source process and the connection destination process of each flow are extracted and set in the table 3 having the format as shown in FIG. At this time, each process is represented by an identification number. For example, if the process P1 at the beginning of the data flow (this P1 is actually a process name) is represented by the number "1", all the following processes are represented by the consecutive numbers. When the identification number of the connection source process P1 in the flow A of FIG. 2 is "1", the identification number of the process at the connection destination is represented by "2".

When the table 3 shown in FIG. 3 is completed from the data flow diagram of FIG. 2, the execution sequence verification unit 4 is activated to detect an error in the execution sequence of the data flow diagram (whether or not the flow is circulating). Verify. The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S1, the identification number "1" (hereinafter referred to as process number "1") of the connection source process of the flow A at the top of the table 3 and the process number "2" of the connection destination are set. It is read and stored in the route list 5 on the memory (not shown).

In step S2, the route list 5 is read and the process number of the connection destination is read. Here, the process number “2” is read. Using the read process number “2” as a key, a match is made with the process number set in the connection source process column of Table 3, and the matched flow is read (step S
3). The flow B having the process number “2” as the connection source process is read.

In step S4, the read process number of the connection destination of the flow B is read from the table 3. The process number "3" is read out, and the process proceeds to step S5 to judge whether or not the process number "3" is already stored in the route list 5. If not stored,
In step S6, it is stored in the route list 5, and in step S6
Return to 2. If the same process number is already stored in the route list 5, it is assumed that there is a part in which the flow circulates in the data flow diagram, and step S7
Then, an error is displayed on the monitor display 9.

Since only the process number "1" and the process number "2" stored in step S1 are stored in the route list 5, the process proceeds from the determination process in step S5 to step S6, and the route list 5 is displayed. The process number “3” is stored. Then, returning to step S2,
Process number of connection destination of route list 5, that is,
"3" is read, and in step S3, the flow C having the process number "3" as the connection source is read. In the next step S4, the process number "4" of the connection destination of the flow C is read out, the process proceeds from step S5 to step S6, and is stored in the route list 5. By the processing up to this point, the contents of the route list 5 are as shown in FIG.

When the process returns to step S2 again and the above process is repeated, the process number "2" of the connection destination of the flow C based on the process number "4" of the connection destination of the route list 5 is read. Since the process number “2” already exists in the route list 5 of FIG. 4, the circulation of the flow is found by the determination processing of step S5. That is, as a result of tracing the process of the connection destination of the flow, the process will be returned to the process that has already passed, so that the circulation of the flow is determined and an error is displayed in step S7.

[0018]

As is apparent from the above description, the data flow diagram verification device of the present invention automatically determines whether or not the data flow circulates among the processes based on the execution order of the processes. By making a judgment, the verification of the description error of the execution order of the data flow diagram was automated. Therefore, there are no verification errors such as manual oversight, and
The time and labor of the person who performs the verification can be significantly reduced. The effect of the present invention becomes more remarkable as the data flow diagram becomes more complicated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a data flow diagram verification device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an example of a data flow diagram to be verified.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a format of a table in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a route list in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for verifying a description error.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Data Flow Diagram Verification Device 2 ... Execution Order Extraction Section 3 ... Table 4 ... Execution Order Verification Section 5 ... Route List

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for verifying a description error in an execution order of a data flow diagram in which a process in an information processing system is divided into functional units and a data flow between the respective processes (processes) is illustrated. Means for extracting the execution order of each process based on the flow of data, means for tracking the execution order of the extracted processes to determine whether the data flow is circulating between the processes, and the data flow And a means for outputting an error to the outside when the circulation of the data flow is judged.