Real-Time Software For Central Heating Control - Heat Company Essay. (70 Characters)

You are required to demonstrate an understanding of particular concepts covered in lectures, tutorials, laboratories and reading to provide the specification requested. This may require further reading and research beyond the material discussed in class.

Your task is to complete a Real-Ti me Structured Analysis Specification for the CHCSV10.  You analysis should include the following components:

1. An External Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD)indicating relationships of the CHCSV10 and the other external entities in the system. You do not need to include attributes of the entities on the ERD, just the relationships and their cardinality and modality.

2. Data and Control Flow Diagrams (DFD/CFDs)- to sufficient detail that only a single task is carried out by each process at the lowest level (Do not however model the functionality of the System Clock - Configure and Set Time, Configure Temperature Detector, Set Heating Program processes; just have a process for each). You should show the control events/flows and data flows on the same diagrams. Use the real-time extensions for control flows etc shown in the lecture notes (slides 15-17 from week 3). You need to determine when and where events will occur. For example, whenever a piece of data becomes available it may need a control event to let the system know that it is available. These events must be clearly shown in these DFD/CFD diagrams and then handled in the CSPEC.

3. Process specifications (PSPECs) - a pseudo-code or similar design language specification is required for each process at the lowest level. A narrative description alone will not be considered sufficient.

4. Control Specifications (CSPECs) - use combinational or sequential FSMs as required, presented in an appropriate format. The idea is that the CSPEC will completely describe how each and every event or control flow is handled in the system. You need to provide both "Process Activation Table" and "State Machine Diagram" as appropriate.

5. A Data Dictionary is required to adequately describe each name or special term used in the analysis. This includes process names, data flow names, data stores, control flow names, control stores and events.

Objective of the Project

This report revolves around a Heat Company and its needs. The aim of this project is to model a real time software which is needed in CHCSV10 project. Actually, this company wants to monitor the heat availability with the implementation of Central Heating control V10 project. The objective of CHCSV10 project refers to producing heating equipment for both residential facilities and for non-residential facilities. On the other hand, the actual aim of CHCSV10 project’s plan is to release a new line of gas fired central heating system, to meet the requirements of monitoring the heat availability, where a central heating control system of new version is used. This project ensures to have automated facility for monitoring all the aspects of central heating facility.

The objective of this report is to find the required facilities to achieve this facility. The software engineering methodology will be used for completing the real time structure analysis specification for CHCSV10 project. The External entity relationship diagram, process specification, Control specifications, data dictionary and, data and control flow diagrams will be studied and used to complete this project.

The entity relationship diagram is abbreviated as ERD and it is also called as entity relationship model. Generally it refers to a graphical representation of information system which depicts the relationship among the following- people, objects, places, events in a system. This diagram helps in defining the business processes. On the other hand, it also acts as a foundation of the relational database. Later, the relationship between the attributes and entities is defined by the cardinality notation.

               Figure: Heat Company’s ER Diagram ("Entity Relationship Diagram - Everything You Need to Know About ER Diagrams", 2018).

The above ERD refers to the Heat Company. The Heat Company has the necessities to screen the heat availability with the help of control heat system’s simplification. Thus, there is a need of installation components such as heat unit, display, control panel, heat fan, ducks, gas supply, temperature detector and clock. This organization likewise has a couple of key components such as central heating system hardware sub system and CHCSV10 ("What is entity relationship diagram (ERD)? - Definition from WhatIs.com", 2018).

Data Flow Diagram (DFD) refers to a traditional visual representation and it is also known as control flow diagram (CFD). This diagram helps to identify or represent the system’s information flow. A DFD refers to a clear and perfect portrays of a viable system prerequisites based on graphical representation. DFD can be drawn in an automated, manual or by combining both. This helps to show how the data enters and how it exits from a system. It also helps to find what results in modification of data and the data storage place ("What is a Data Flow Diagram", 2018). The goals of DFD is to indicate the system's scope along with its limits ("What is Data Flow Diagram (DFD)? How to Draw DFD?", 2018).

The systems analyst and the people who has a role in the system’s functioning can use DFD as a communication tool. Thus, it results in beginning the system redesigning process. The control flow diagram helps to include all the process detail so that it gives a clear picture of all the processes in a system. Hence, the data and control flow diagram represents the beginning of the control, it ends and where all it is directed.

Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

                                                                                   Figure: Heat Company’s data and control flow diagram

The above figure represents the Heat Company’s data and control flow diagram. This organization requires a simplified control heat system for monitoring the availability of heat, with the help of the central heating control system. This requires installation components for simplifying the system by stipulating the assumptions and scope of the Central heating control system ("Data Flow Diagram - Everything You Need to Know About DFD", 2018). The plan of this project is to release a new line of gas fired central heating system, to meet the needs of monitoring the heat availability (Mishra & Mohanty, 2012).

PSPECs refers to Process specifications. This methodology stresses on the utilization of graphical tools such as Entity Relationship Models, Function Charts, Data Flow Diagrams and Prototypes, just to support the production of the Functional Specifications. But, at the lowest detail level this tool fails to provide effective communication of information. The stated reason includes, that they are present in the conceptual level. English is used for writing text for mentioning the requirements of the system ("Process Specification (PSPEC)", 2018).

                                                                                       Figure: Process Specifications (Pressman, 2014).

The above figure represents PSPECs for Heat company.

Control specifications (CSPECs) comprises of many effective modelling tools (Qin & Qiu, 2011). The following refers to the Control Specifications- How the software’s behaviour is identified during the event of sensing the event or a control signal? As a consequence of event occurrence what are the invoked processes? CSPECs consists of state transition diagram and process activation table (PAT).

                                                                                                     Figure: Control Specifications

The above diagram depicts the control specification diagram ("Control Specifications (CSPEC)", 2018).

Data Dictionary indicates a collection of descriptions of data objects in a data model, for the programmers and other people’s benefit. Firstly the object’s system must be analyzed with the help of user interaction, then it helps to find each object and also its relationship with the other objects and this type of process is called as data modelling ("Systems Analysis: Process Specification", 2018). The below mentioned list refers to the identified data dictionary ("What is data dictionary? - Definition from WhatIs.com", 2018):

a. Central Heating Control System

b. Equipment of Heat

1. 1. Residential Facilities and
   2. Non-Residential Facilities

c. Components for Installation

1. 1. Heating Unit
   2. Gas Supply

d. Control Panel

1. Fan
2. Display
3. Clock
4. Temperature Detector
5. Ducts
6. Ducts Piping
7. Key components
8. Central Heating System Hardware sub system
9. CHCEV10

e. Heat availability monitoring

f. Control system simplifying

Conclusion 

This report effectively administered the real time software modelling needed by the CHCSV10 project. The CHCEV10 project is undertaken by Heat Company for screening and computerizing the heat. By executing the Central Heating control V10 project, the aim is to monitor the accessibility of heat. The plan of CHCSV10 intends to discharge another line of gas fired central heating system, so that effective monitoring of heat accessibility is possible with central heating control system of a new version. It is observed that to accomplish this facility it needs installation components for the central heating system such as the heat unit, control panel, display, temperature detector, ducts, fan, duct piping, gas supply, and clock. In this report, effective utilization of different software engineering methodologies are used for finishing the real time structure analysis requirements for CHCSV10 such as External ERD, process specifications, control specifications, data dictionary and data and control flow diagrams. All these methodologies are studied and discussed before implementing it for this project. It is observed that ERD provides graphical representation of information system with relation relationship. Whereas, DFD clearly portrays the system prerequisites.

References

Control Specifications (CSPEC). (2018). Retrieved from https://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/sa6-control-specifications.html

Data Flow Diagram - Everything You Need to Know About DFD. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.smartdraw.com/data-flow-diagram/

Entity Relationship Diagram - Everything You Need to Know About ER Diagrams. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.smartdraw.com/entity-relationship-diagram/

Mishra, J., & Mohanty, A. (2012). Software engineering. New Delhi, India: Dorling Kindersley.

Pressman, R. (2014). Software engineering. New York: Mcgraw-Hill.

Process Specification (PSPEC). (2018). Retrieved from https://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/sa6-process-specification.html

Qin, S., & Qiu, Z. (2011). Formal methods and software engineering. Heidelberg: Springer.

Systems Analysis: Process Specification. (2018). Retrieved from https://it.toolbox.com/blogs/craigborysowich/systems-analysis-process-specification-032411

What is a Data Flow Diagram. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/data-flow-diagram

What is data dictionary? - Definition from WhatIs.com. (2018). Retrieved from https://searchmicroservices.techtarget.com/definition/data-dictionary

What is Data Flow Diagram (DFD)? How to Draw DFD?. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.visual-paradigm.com/tutorials/data-flow-diagram-dfd.jsp

What is entity relationship diagram (ERD)? - Definition from WhatIs.com. (2018). Retrieved from https://searchdatamanagement.techtarget.com/definition/entity-relationship-diagram-ERD