Flowchart Symbols Explained: Document, Data, Database and Subprocess in Visio
Beyond boxes and diamonds: learn when to use the document, data, database and subprocess symbols in a Visio flowchart, with a customer complaint process as the example.
Step by step
Intro
- Flowchart symbols. Most flowcharts only use process boxes and decision diamonds. 4 more symbols make a diagram clearer: document, subprocess, data and database. Here they are used in a customer complaint process in Visio.
- Basic Flowchart Shapes. All 4 are in the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil in the Shapes pane, next to the Start/End, Process and Decision shapes.
Start and process
- Start. Drag a Start/End shape onto the page and type Customer calls. This is where the process begins.
- Process. Drag a Process shape next to it and type Log the complaint. Logging is an action, so a normal process box is right. Then connect Customer calls to Log the complaint, so the arrow shows the order.
Document
- Document. Symbol 1 is the Document shape, the box with a wavy bottom. It means a paper or electronic document is created. Drop one and type Complaint form. Connect Log the complaint to Complaint form. This shows that logging the complaint creates the form.
Subprocess
- Subprocess. Symbol 2 is the Subprocess shape, the box with double lines on each side. It means the step has its own detailed flowchart somewhere else. Drop one and type Investigate complaint, because the investigation is a whole process of its own. Connect Log the complaint to Investigate complaint as well. Log the complaint now has 2 arrows coming out of it.
Data
- Data. Symbol 3 is the Data shape, the slanted box (a parallelogram). It shows an input or an output. Drop one and type Refund amount, which is the result the investigation decides. Connect Investigate complaint to Refund amount.
Database
- Database. Symbol 4 is the Database shape, the cylinder. It shows where information is stored. Drop one and type CRM, because the refund is saved there. Connect Refund amount to CRM to show the refund being saved.
End
- End. Finish with another Start/End shape and type Complaint closed. Connect Refund amount to Complaint closed, and the flowchart is complete.
- Done. Click an empty part of the page to deselect everything and see the whole flow, from Customer calls to Complaint closed.
Recap
- Recap. To sum up: use the document for paperwork, the subprocess for a step that has its own flowchart, data for inputs and outputs, and the cylinder for stored data.
Common mistakes
- Using the cylinder for any piece of data. The Database cylinder means a place where data is kept, like the CRM. A single value moving through the process, like Refund amount, belongs in the Data parallelogram.
- Drawing a document as a plain process box. If a step makes a form, report or letter, show that output with the Document shape. Keep the action itself, like Log the complaint, in a Process box.
- A subprocess with no flowchart behind it. The double-sided box tells readers there is a detailed flowchart for that step somewhere else. If there isn't one, use a normal Process box, or create the detailed flowchart and say where to find it.
- Labelling data and database shapes with actions. Name these shapes after the thing, like Refund amount or CRM, not after an action like Save refund. The action goes in a Process box.
When a business analyst uses this
When mapping a current-state process in a workshop, the Database cylinder shows every system the process reads from or writes to, like the CRM. That list becomes your integration and data requirements. Subprocess boxes mark the steps you still need to map in a separate session, so the main map stays on one page.
Questions people ask
What does the parallelogram mean in a flowchart?
It is the data symbol and shows an input or an output of a step. In the example, Refund amount is the output of the investigation.
What does the cylinder symbol mean in a flowchart?
It is the database symbol and shows where information is stored, such as a CRM. Arrows into it show data being saved there.
What is the difference between a process and a subprocess symbol?
A process is a single step, drawn as a plain rectangle. A subprocess, also called a predefined process, has double lines on each side and means the step is shown in detail in a separate flowchart.
