Data Structure Diagram

Data Structure Diagram (DSD) is an architectural model of software engineering employed in the description of a design of data within a system. It pinpoints how structured data is related, and helps the developers, who deal with the maintenance of the software and for new applications to develop better layouts of the data models.

A DSD employs both nodes or boxes that depict the data elements as well as connecting lines or arrows to depict the relationship of the constituent data elements. These data elements form classes which include entities, attributes, relationship as well as constraints. Entities depict objects in the system while attributes characterise the entities, relationships describe how the entities are related, and constraints define conditions under which data going into the system can be stored.

Chiefly, DSDs are useful when in the analysis and the design part of system development. They help in capturing of requirements, providing the big picture of the system, and helping in defining database, tables and fields.

‍