Accounting Information Systems (AIS)
Chapter 3 Systems Documentation Techniques
Documentation explains how a system works, including the who, what, when, where, why, and
how of data entry, data processing, data storage, information output, and systems controls.
Popular means of documenting system include diagrams, owcharts, tables, and other graphical
representations of data and information. These are supplemented by a narrative description of
the system, a written step-by-step explanation of system components and interactions.
There are three common systems of documentation tools: data ow diagrams (DFD), owcharts,
and business process diagrams (BPD).
Documentation tools are important on the following levels:
I. At a minimum, you must be able to read documentation to determine how a system works.
II. You may need to evaluate documentation to identify internal control strengths and
weaknesses and recommend improvements as well as to determine if a proposed system
meets the company’s needs.
III. More skill is needed to prepare documentation that shows how an existing or proposed
system operates.
This chapter discusses the following documentation tools:
1. Data ow diagram (DFD), a graphical description of data sources, data ows, transformation
process, data storage, and data destinations
2. Flowchart, which is a graphical description of a system. There are several types of owcharts,
including:
A. Document owchart, which shows the ow of documents and information between
departments or areas of responsibility.
B. System owchart, which shows the relationship among the input, processing and
output in an information system
C. Program owchart, which shows the sequence of logical operations a computer
performs as it executes a program.
3. Business Process diagrams (BPD), which are graphical descriptions of the business
processes used by a company
Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
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Chapter 3 Systems Documentation Techniques
Documentation explains how a system works, including the who, what, when, where, why, and
how of data entry, data processing, data storage, information output, and systems controls.
Popular means of documenting system include diagrams, owcharts, tables, and other graphical
representations of data and information. These are supplemented by a narrative description of
the system, a written step-by-step explanation of system components and interactions.
There are three common systems of documentation tools: data ow diagrams (DFD), owcharts,
and business process diagrams (BPD).
Documentation tools are important on the following levels:
I. At a minimum, you must be able to read documentation to determine how a system works.
II. You may need to evaluate documentation to identify internal control strengths and
weaknesses and recommend improvements as well as to determine if a proposed system
meets the company’s needs.
III. More skill is needed to prepare documentation that shows how an existing or proposed
system operates.
This chapter discusses the following documentation tools:
1. Data ow diagram (DFD), a graphical description of data sources, data ows, transformation
process, data storage, and data destinations
2. Flowchart, which is a graphical description of a system. There are several types of owcharts,
including:
A. Document owchart, which shows the ow of documents and information between
departments or areas of responsibility.
B. System owchart, which shows the relationship among the input, processing and
output in an information system
C. Program owchart, which shows the sequence of logical operations a computer
performs as it executes a program.
3. Business Process diagrams (BPD), which are graphical descriptions of the business
processes used by a company
Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)
Page 10 of 25
fl flfl fl fl fl fl fl fl fl
