You are the business analyst for your organization and you're creating a data flow diagram...

According to the IIBA, a data flow diagram is a technique that shows where data comes from, which activities process the data, and if the output results are stored or utilized by another activity or external entity1. A data flow diagram consists of four basic elements2:

Data flow: A data flow is a line that represents the movement of data from one point to another. It can be labeled with the name or description of the data.

External entities: External entities are rectangles that represent the sources or destinations of data outside the system boundary. They can be people, organizations, systems, or devices that interact with the system.

Data process: A data process is a circle that represents a process that transforms data by performing some operation on it. It can be labeled with the name or description of the process.

Data store: A data store is an open-ended rectangle that represents a place where data is stored or retrieved. It can be a database, a file, a queue, or a memory.

Among these elements, the one that represents a process that transforms data by combining it with other data is concatenation. Concatenation is a type of data process that joins two or more data flows into one data flow. For example, a concatenation process can combine the first name and last name data flows into a full name data flow3. References:

1: BABOK Guide, section 10.13 Data Flow Diagrams, page 402

2: CCBA® and CBAP® Certifications Study Guide, section Data flow diagrams, page 1

3: Data Flow Diagram Symbols, Types, and Tips, section Data Flow Diagram Symbols, page 1