Free Data Flow Diagram Maker — Map Information

See it work

Data flow diagram examples.

Same tool, four requests. Every drawing below is a real render.

What you type

Create a level-one online checkout data flow diagram: a customer places an order, customer and order databases exchange data with the order process, a payment gateway approves payment, a carrier receives shipping details, inventory is updated, and the customer receives status.

Then tryAdd an order-cancellation process.Add a refund status flow from the payment gateway.

Flowchart · Sugiyama layered DAG + orthogonal routing · schematex-flowchart

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The drawing

What a data flow diagram is.

A data flow diagram, or DFD, shows information moving through a system. External entities provide or receive data, processes change it, and data stores hold it between steps.

It is useful for explaining a system boundary before discussing implementation. A level-one DFD breaks a broad process into its main activities and labels the data each activity exchanges.

Standard: Sugiyama layered DAG + orthogonal routing
Engine: schematex-flowchart
Editable: Double-click text, drag nodes
Export: SVG · PNG · PDF

Who uses it

Who uses data flow diagrams.

Business analysts

Checkout systems mapped with customers, payment services, stores and shipping partners in one view.

API designers

Request validation, records and notifications mapped before an endpoint is implemented.

Product and platform teams

The path from a submitted post to a database record and follower notification made explicit.

How it works

How to make a data flow diagram in three steps.

Describe it

One paragraph is enough to start.

“Create a level-one online checkout data flow diagram: a customer places an order, customer and order databases exchange data with the order process, a payment gateway approves payment, a carrier receives shipping details, inventory is updated, and the customer receives status.”

See the drawing

Drawn by the right engine.

Say what changes

Every edit keeps a version.

Add an order-cancellation process.

V2 · DRAWN FROM V1, NOTHING RETYPED

FAQ

Common questions

What is a data flow diagram?

A DFD is a diagram of how information enters a system, moves through processes, is stored and leaves for another person or system.

What belongs in a data flow diagram?

Include external entities, named processes, data stores and labelled arrows that state what data moves between them. Keep process names action-oriented and data labels specific.

What is the difference between a context diagram and a level-one DFD?

A context diagram treats the system as one process and shows its outside connections. A level-one DFD expands that process into its main internal activities and stores.

How do I make a data flow diagram?

Describe the system boundary, the people or systems that exchange data with it, its main processes and its stores. Then refine any arrow or process that needs more detail.

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