Introduction › Procedure Action Diagrams

Procedure Action Diagrams

The extension of interaction analysis into Design results in the Procedure Action Diagram, which consists of an ordered collection of actions that defines a Procedure Step. A Procedure Step is a useful subdivision of a procedure that performs a discrete and definable amount of processing necessary to complete a procedure. A procedure is a method by which one or more elementary processes are carried out using a specific implementation technique.

The Procedure Action Diagram defines the detailed logic of a Procedure Step. It allows the designer to define the following fields:

• Fields local to the Procedure Step
• Fields required to process the screen that interacts with the Procedure Step
• Fields required to process the database (also available in the Process Action Diagram)
• Exit states or conditions that terminate processing, also available in Process Action Diagram

The following list details the objectives of the procedure logic design:

• Express the business system design at a level that includes data access, important conditional actions, reference to fields in screens, and the use of algorithms
• Provide a basis for generating the business system

The Procedure Action Diagram complements Dialog Design. While the Dialog Flow Diagram defines the logic between Procedure Steps, the Procedure Action Diagram defines the detailed logic within each step, including setting the exit states that control the flows to and from each step.

The Procedure Action Diagram also complements Screen Design and Window Design functionality, tools that control the user interface. Statements in a Procedure Step can set the properties of fields, dialog boxes, and windows, and control event processing activities.