Data Flow Diagram Template
Model processes and map data flows efficiently with the data flow diagram template. Improve internal processes and lead development teams with more clarity.
Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies
About the Data Flow Diagram Template
The data flow diagram template is a visual tool you can use to improve your understanding of how data travels within a system — namely by visualizing the inputs, outputs, and the processes involved. Organizations use data flow diagrams (DFD) in many business activities, including depicting notation styles, physical requirements, and system automation.
We’ll walk you through how you can start creating a data flow diagram using Miro’s free and customizable DFD template.
How to use Miro’s data flow diagram template
To get started with Miro’s data flow diagram template, scroll to the top of this page and click on the blue “use template” button. That’ll open the template and allow you to start using Miro’s diagram maker. Once you’ve opened it, think about what type of system you’re trying to visualize — whether it’s a business process, data flow within a software application, or something else. When you’re ready, here are a few more steps to make the most of the data flow diagram template.
1. Identify inputs and outputs
Each process you aim to map out should have at least one input and one output. This helps make sure that your DFD template is complete and has no loose ends. Look for the two blue, rounded rectangles on the left and right of the DFD template marked “external entity,” then edit the text boxes within them to label where the data is entering the system from and where it’ll go. To add more input and output sources, right-click on the rectangle and choose “Duplicate.”
2. Identify processes
On the data flow diagram template, the three circles labeled “Process” are for you to identify the activities or functions that manipulate data in some way. Edit the text boxes to add your system’s processes, and easily delete or duplicate these circles as needed.
3. Identify data stores
There are two symbols on the template labeled “data store.” As its name implies, it refers to where the system stores its data. Double-click on the text boxes to edit them and replace the text with how you want to label your data stores. Duplicate these symbols as needed, and click and drag them if you’d like to adjust their position on the diagram.
4. Label data flows
Last but not least, don’t forget to visualize the flow of data. The template comes with arrows connecting inputs, outputs, processes, and data stores. Edit the text along these arrows to identify the type of data that’s traveling, and click and drag them to adjust the direction of flow appropriately.
Is Miro’s data flow diagram template free?
Yes, Miro’s data flow diagram template is free and fully customizable, so you can make it your own. Just click on the blue “use template” button on this page to get started.
Who is Miro’s data flow diagram template for?
Miro’s data flow diagram template is for any team involved in system development, analysis, optimization, and collaboration — including data analysts, software development teams, growth teams, and product teams.
What’s the difference between a data flow diagram and a flowchart?
A data flow diagram is your guide to understanding the nitty-gritty of how information travels within a system — such as databases, software applications, and business processes. While a flowchart also visualizes flows, it isn’t limited to representing data. Flowcharts are versatile maps that outline processes, decisions, and actions much more broadly. Miro's free data flow diagram template is specially crafted to visualize the intricacies of data flow within complex systems.
Get started with this template right now.
Flyer Maker Template
Works best for:
Design, Marketing
Whether it’s a client party or a nonprofit fundraiser, your event needs one key thing to be a smashing success: people to show up. That’s why promoting it is such an important part of the planning—and creating and sending a flyer is the first step. These single-page files will grab your guests’ attention and give them the key details, such as the time, date, and location (and if it’s a fundraiser, who/what the funds will benefit). This template will let you lay out text and customize a flyer design.
Product Roadmap Template
Works best for:
Product Management, Roadmaps
Product roadmaps help communicate the vision and progress of what’s coming next for your product. It’s an important asset for aligning teams and valuable stakeholders – including executives, engineering, marketing, customer success, and sales – around your strategy and priorities. Product roadmapping can inform future project management, describe new features and product goals, and spell out the lifecycle of a new product. While product roadmaps are customizable, most contain information about the products you’re building, when you’re building them, and the people involved at each stage.
Action Plan Template
Works best for:
Education, Project Management, Project Planning, Kanban
Why create an action plan? Long-term business strategies and goals are only good if you can make them a reality—by accomplishing every small task along the way. An action plan lists those tasks and lays them out in clear detail. It helps you keep everything in order, make sure nothing is missed, and get stakeholders on the same page to complete a project quickly and effectively. This template will help you write an action plan that’s SMART: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
Product Development Roadmap Template
Works best for:
Product Management, Software Development, Roadmaps
Product development roadmaps cover everything your team needs to achieve when delivering a product from concept to market launch. Your product development roadmap is also a team alignment tool that offers guidance and leadership to help your team focus on balancing product innovation and meeting your customer’s needs. Investing time in creating a roadmap focused on your product development phases helps your team communicate a vision to business leaders, designers, developers, project managers, marketers, and anyone else who influences meeting team goals.
Eisenhower Matrix Template
Works best for:
Leadership, Strategic Planning, Prioritization
Have an overwhelming list of to-dos? Prioritize them based on two key factors: urgency and importance. It worked for American president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and it can work for you—this decision-making framework will help you know where to start and how to plan your day. With our template, you can easily build an Eisenhower Matrix with a quadrant of key areas (Do, Schedule, Delegate, and Don’t Do) and revisit it throughout the day as your priorities change.
Project Proposal Template
Works best for:
Project Management, Documentation, Project Planning
For any type of project, the Project Proposal template can be a crucial step toward clarifying the context, goals, and scope of a project to get stakeholder buy-in. A project proposal outlines what you want to accomplish, your goals, and how you plan to achieve them. Generally, a project proposal gives the reader some context on the project, explains why it is important, and lists the actions that you will take to complete it. Project proposals have myriad uses. Often, businesses use project proposals to get external buy-in from a donor or outside stakeholder. But many companies draw up project proposals for internal buy-in too.