Semantics data flow diagrams

In this article we provide insight as to how semantics can be attached to Data Flow diagrams. We first present a method for transforming a Data Flow Diagram(DFD) to a Petri-Net (PT-net) which specifies the synchronization aspects of a DFD. Secondly, we sketch how a Data Flow diagram may be transformed to expressions whose semantics are described in terms of finite automata. Published as: P.D. Bruza and Th.P. van der Weide. The Semantics of Data Flow Diagrams. In N. Prakash, editor, Proceedings of the International Conference on Management of Data, Hyderabad, India, 1989. 1 Introduction In this document we present a way in which semantics can be attached to Data Flow diagrams (see [4] or [9]). DFD's often form an important role in the design of information systems. Their intention is to model the process aspects of an information system (IS). They are often used in the first phases of information analysis to establish a global model of an information system which can be further r...