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chaPter 8 • analyzing systems Using Data Dictionaries 229

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HypERCASE ExpERiEnCE 8

“You’re really doing very well. Snowden says you’ve given Mr. Hyatt knows the value of contemplation and meditation. If he
him all sorts of new ideas for running the new department. That’s has an opinion, you can be sure it has been well thought through.”
saying quite a lot, when you consider that he has a lot of his own
ideas. By now I hope you’ve had a chance to speak with every- Hypercase Questions
one you would like to: certainly Snowden himself, Tom Ketcham, 1. Briefly list the data elements that you have found on three
Daniel Hill, and Mr. Hyatt. different reports produced at MRE.
“Mr. Hyatt is an elusive soul, isn’t he? I guess I didn’t meet 2. Based on your interviews with Snowden Evans and others,
him until well into my third year. I hope you get to find out about list the data elements that you believe you should add to the
him much sooner. Oh, but when you do get to see him, he cuts Management Unit’s project reporting systems to better cap-
quite a figure, doesn’t he? And those crazy airplanes. I’ve almost ture important data on project status, project deadlines, and
been conked on the head by one in the parking lot. But how can budget estimates.
you get angry, when it’s The Boss who’s flying it? He’s also got 3. Create a data dictionary entry for a new data store and a new
a secret—or should I say private—oriental garden off his office data flow that you are suggesting based on your response to
suite. No, you’ll never see it on the building plans. You have to Question 2.
get to know him very well before he’ll show you that, but I would 4. Suggest a list of new data elements that might be helpful to
wager it’s the only one like it in Tennessee and maybe in the whole Jimmy Hyatt but are clearly not being made available to him
United States. He fell in love with the wonderful gardens he saw in currently.
Southeast Asia as a young man. It goes deeper than that, however.

Figure 8.HC1
In HyperCase, you can look at
the data dictionary kept at MRE.

Summary

Using a top-down approach, a systems analyst uses data flow diagrams to begin compiling a data dictionary,
which is a reference work that contains data about data—or metadata—on all data processes, stores, flows,
structures, and logical and physical elements in the system being studied. One way to begin is by including
all data items from data flow diagrams.
A larger collection of project information is called a repository. CASE tools permit the analyst to cre-
ate and share a repository with team mates that may include information about data flows, stores, record
structures, and elements; about procedural logic screen and report design; and about data relationships. A