Types of Flowcharts

A Flowchart is a graphical representation of process, algorithm, workflow or step-by-step solution of the problem. It shows the steps as boxes of various kinds and connects them by arrows in a defined order depicting a flow. There are twelve main Flowchart types: Basic Flowchart, Business Process Modeling Diagram (BPMN), Cross Functional Flowchart, Data Flow Diagram (DFD), IDEF (Integrated DEFinition) Flowchart, Event-driven Process Chain (EPC) Diagram, Influence Diagram (ID), Swimlane Flowchart, Process Flow Diagram (PFD), Specification and Description Language (SDL) Diagram, Value Stream Mapping, Workflow Diagram. Using the Flowcharts solution from the Diagrams area of ConceptDraw Solution Park you can easy and quickly design a Flowchart of any of these types. This solution offers a lot of special predesigned vector symbols for each of these widely used notations. They will make the drawing process of Flowcharts much easier than ever. Pay also attention for the included collection of ready Flowchart examples, samples and quick-start templates. This is business process improvement tools. If you are looking for MS Visio for your Mac, then you are out of luck, because it hasn't been released yet. However, you can use Visio alternatives that can successfully replace its functions. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is an alternative to MS Visio for Mac that provides powerful features and intuitive user interface for the same.

How to Simplify Flow Charting

Flowchart Components

The ConceptDraw Flowchart component includes a set of samples and templates. This geathered as flowchart maker toolbox which focused on drawing flowcharts of any industry standards.

Data Flow Diagram

Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is the part of the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM), which is intended for information systems projection and analysis. Data Flow Diagrams allow graphically represent the data flows in information system and analyze the data processing during the structural projection. This type of diagrams lets visually show a work of information system and results of this work, it is often used in connection with human processes and can be displayed as Workflow diagram. Data Flow Diagram visualizes processes and functions, external entities, data depositories, and data flows connecting these elements and indicating direction and data character. Each of these elements used for DFD has its own graphical notation. There are two notations to draw DFDs - Yourdon & Coad and Gane & Sarson. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM extended with Data Flow Diagrams (DFD) solution from Software Developmant area is ideal for designing professional looking DFDs, which can be then easily exported in various formats.

Cloud Computing Architecture Diagrams

For documenting the Cloud Computing Architecture with a goal to facilitate the communication between stakeholders are successfully used the Cloud Computing Architecture diagrams. It is convenient and easy to draw various Cloud Computing Architecture diagrams in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software with help of tools of the Cloud Computing Diagrams Solution from the Computer and Networks Area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

Telecommunication Network Diagrams

Telecommunication Network Diagrams solution extends ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software with samples, templates, and great collection of vector stencils to help the specialists in a field of networks and telecommunications, as well as other users to create Computer systems networking and Telecommunication network diagrams for various fields, to organize the work of call centers, to design the GPRS networks and GPS navigational systems, mobile, satellite and hybrid communication networks, to construct the mobile TV networks and wireless broadband networks.

Functional Flow Block Diagram

You need to draw a Functional Flow Block Diagram? You are an artist? Now it doesn't matter. With Block Diagrams solution from the "Diagrams" area for ConceptDraw Solution Park you don't need more to be an artist to design the Functional Flow Block Diagram of any complexity.

UML Diagram Visio

This sample shows the UML Class Diagram that was created in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM on the Mac and then was opened for editing in MS Visio. Using the 13 libraries of the Rapid UML Solution for ConceptDraw DIAGRAM you can create your own visual vector UML diagrams quick and easy.

Business Diagrams

The Business Diagrams Solution extends ConceptDraw DIAGRAM with an extensive collection of professionally designed illustrative samples and a wide variety of vector stencils libraries, which are the real help for all business-related people, business analysts, business managers, business advisers, marketing experts, PR managers, knowledge workers, scientists, and other stakeholders allowing them to design the bright, neat, expressive and attractive Bubble Diagrams, Circle-Spoke Diagrams, Circular Arrows Diagrams, and Venn Diagrams with different quantity of sets in just minutes; and then successfully use them in documents, reports, statistical summaries, and presentations of any style.

Data Flow Diagram Process

Data Flow Diagram (DFD) is a hierarchy of functional processes, connected by data flows. The purpose of this presentation is to show how each process converts its inputs into outputs and to identify relationships between these processes. DFD is convenient way of modeling and construction the information processes, it step-by-step illustrates the flow of information in a process. For construction a DFD traditionally are used two different notations, which appropriate to the methods of Yourdon-Coad and Gane-Sarson. These notations slightly different from each other by graphical representation of symbols for processes, data stores, data flow, external entities. When designing a DFD it is required to decompose the system into the components (sub-systems), for explaining a complex system you may need represent numerous levels. The Data Flow Diagrams solution from ConceptDraw Solution Park contains numerous predesigned DFD symbols for both notations, which help easy and effectively design professional-looking Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and DFD Process Diagrams.

Object-Role Modeling (ORM) Diagrams

Object-role Modeling (ORM) Diagram solution with powerful vector diagramming and data modeling tools, large quantity of specially developed samples and examples, and rich variety of vector objects corresponding to common ORM notation, ideally suits for developing the comprehensive, clear and visual Object-role Modeling (ORM) diagrams and schematics, understandable for all interested people from the different fields and business directions, for designing the ORM models, and demonstrating advantages from the use of ORM and its notation. It is intended for software developers and computer engineers, specialists in a field of Object-oriented programming (OOP), database architects, web-application constructors and developers, etc.

Object-Role Modeling (ORM) Diagrams

Local area network (LAN). Computer and Network Examples

Local Area Network (LAN) is a network which consists of computers and peripheral devices connected each other and to the local domain server, and covers a little territory or small number of buildings, such as home, school, laboratory, office, etc. LAN serves for few hundreds of users. It includes many cables and wires, and demands to design previously a Network diagram. All local area network devices can use the shared printers and disk storage. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is a perfect network diagramming software with examples of LAN Diagrams, templates and predesigned vector objects. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is the ideal choice for network engineers and network designers who need to draw fast and easy Local Area Network Diagrams, for IT specialists, developers and other IT professionals which need to visualize the communication schemes of LAN and visually document the LAN's physical structure and arrangement in houses, offices and other buildings. Ready-to-use vector objects from Computer Network Diagrams solution will help you design LAN diagrams in minutes.

How to Draw a Computer Network

Pyramid Diagram

The DIKW Pyramid refers loosely to a class of models for representing purported structural and/or functional relationships between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom.

Personal area (PAN) networks. Computer and Network Examples

Personal area network (PAN) is a network organized on a limited area and used for data transmission between various personal devices, such as computers, tablets, laptops, telephones, different digital and mobile devices, etc. and also for connecting to higher level network and Internet. PAN is used to manage the interconnections of IT devices which surround a single user and generally contains such appliances, as cordless mice, keyboard, phone, and Bluetooth handsets. PANs can be wired with computer buses, or wirelessly connected to the Internet using such network technologies as Bluetooth, Z-Wave, ZigBee, IrDa, UWB, Body Area Network. PANs have a lot of pros and cons, they are expedient, lucrative and handy, but sometimes have bad connection with other networks on the same radio bands, Bluetooth has distance limits and slow data transfer speed, but is comparatively safe. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming software supplied with numerous solutions of Computer and Networks Area included to ConceptDraw Solution Park perfectly suits for designing the Personal Area Networks.

Pyramid Chart Examples

Pyramid Charts and Triangle Diagrams are used to visually structure the topics and progressively order the quantitative data. They allow to illustrate hierarchical structure of the topics, proportional, interconnected and containment relations among the topics. The multilevel Pyramids and Triangle diagrams are constructed oriented up or down and divided into several horizontal slices. They are effectively used to represent marketing strategies, social strategies, information systems, market value, etc., to illustrate presentations, websites, documents, reports in business, finances, sales, management, marketing, media, training, consulting, and many other fields. To maximize the efficiency in drawing the Pyramid Charts, use the ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Pyramid Diagrams solution from Marketing area, which contains the set of Pyramid Chart examples, samples, templates and vector design elements of triangular diagrams and pyramids with different quantity of levels for various needs.

Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

A Data Flow Diagram (DFD) illustrates the flow of data through an information system, visualizes how the information is handled in terms of inputs and outputs, how the data enter to system and leave it. It is effective to use a Data Flow Diagram for creation the system's overview, to show the system's scope and boundaries. There are two different types of notations for DFDs: Yourdon-Coad and Gane-Sarson, which differ in visual representations for processes, data flow, data stores, external entities, etc. Thus, for example the processes are depicted as circles in Yourdon-Coad notation and as rounded squares in Gane-Sarson notation. Gane-Sarson notation is usually used for visualization information systems and Yourdon-Coad - for system analysis and design. The Data Flow Diagrams solution included to Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park offers a lot of DFD templates, samples and examples, libraries of vector stencils for construction without efforts the DFDs according to both Gane-Sarson and Yourdon-Coad notations.

DFD Library — Design elements

Data Flow Diagrams (DFD) solution from the Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park provides plenty of predesigned templates, samples and DFD vector design elements proposed by three DFD libraries. These DFD library objects are designed to help you effectively model the data flows and functional requirements for the business processes or systems, to design the Process-oriented models or Data-oriented models, Data flowcharts and Data process diagrams, Structured analysis diagrams and Information flow diagrams. There are two different notations used to draw the Data Flow Diagrams (Yourdon & Coad and Gane & Sarson). These notations define the different visual representations for the processes, data stores, data flows, and external entities. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software provides you with possibility of designing professional-looking Data Flow Diagrams, DFD Models, Data Flow Process Diagrams using any of these notations. Simply drag the predesigned DFD flowchart symbols from the appropriate library and connect by arrows depicting the data flow from one step to another.

4 Level pyramid model diagram - Information systems types

A four level pyramid model of different types of Information Systems based on the different levels of hierarchy in an organization. The first level represents transaction processing systems for workers. The second level represents management information systems for middle managers. The third level represents decision support systems for senior menegers. The fourth level represents executive information systems for executives.
"The "classic" view of Information systems found in the textbooks in the 1980s was of a pyramid of systems that reflected the hierarchy of the organization, usually transaction processing systems at the bottom of the pyramid, followed by management information systems, decision support systems, and ending with executive information systems at the top. Although the pyramid model remains useful, since it was first formulated a number of new technologies have been developed and new categories of information systems have emerged, some of which no longer fit easily into the original pyramid model.
Some examples of such systems are:
data warehouses,
enterprise resource planning,
enterprise systems,
expert systems,
search engines,
geographic information system,
global information system,
office automation." [Information systems. Wikipedia]
This diagram was redesigned using the ConceptDraw PRO diagramming and vector drawing software from Wikimedia Commons file Four-Level-Pyramid-model.png. [commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/ File:Four-Level-Pyramid-model.png]
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. [creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3.0/ deed.en]
The triangle chart example "Information systems types" is included in the Pyramid Diagrams solution from the Marketing area of ConceptDraw Solution Park.

Pyramid diagram

Used Solutions

Marketing >

Pyramid Diagrams

Classic Business Process Modeling

The ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software enhanced with Classic Business Process Modeling solution is a powerful flowchart maker and professional business process modeling software with extensive choice of drawing tools, libraries with wide variety of ready-to-use vector objects that are more than sufficient for modeling the business processes and for instant creation variety of diagram types: Control Flow Diagram, Swimlane Diagram, Business Process Modeling Diagram, Functional Flow Block Diagram, Data Flow Diagram. It is ideal for business analysts, developers, as well as for managers and regular users. The samples included to Classic Business Process Modeling solution allow to uncover the solution’s power and to answer qualitatively on how to create a flowchart or to model the business processes with help of diagrams and schemes.

Entity Relationship Diagram Software Engineering

Entity Relationship Diagram (aka ER Diagram, E-R Diagram, ERD) is a time-tested and widespread software development and software engineering method for data modeling, illustrating the logical structure of databases and system design. For ERDs construction are used three basic elements: entities, attributes, and relationships. Chen's notation for ERD supposes the use of rectangles (boxes) to represent entities and diamonds to depict relationships between first-class objects. This notation is popular when creating conceptual data models of information systems. Another standardized notation for ER diagrams is Crow's foot notation. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM as a powerful Entity Relationship Diagram software engineering provides the tools of Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution from Software Development area of ConceptDraw Solution Park for instantly describing databases using ERDs of Crow’s Foot and Chen’s notations. Use the predesigned vector elements for both these notations from 2 libraries included to Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) solution.