DSS

Decision Support Systems (DSS) help executives make better decisions by using historical and current data from internal Information Systems and external sources. By combining massive amounts of data with sophisticated analytical models and tools, and by making the system easy to use, they provide a much better source of information to use in the decision-making process.

Decision Support Systems (DSS) are a class of computerized information systems that support decision-making activities. DSS are interactive computer-based systems and subsystems intended to help decision makers use communications technologies, data, documents, knowledge and/or models to successfully complete decision process tasks.

While many people think of decision support systems as a specialized part of a business, most companies have actually integrated this system into their day to day operating activities. For instance, many companies constantly download and analyze sales data, budget sheets and forecasts and they update their strategy once they analyze and evaluate the current results. Decision support systems have a definite structure in businesses, but in reality, the data and decisions that are based on it are fluid and constantly changing.

Types of Decision Support Systems (DSS)

1. Data-Driven DSS take the massive amounts of data available through the company’s TPS and MIS systems and cull from it useful information which executives can use to make more informed decisions. They don’t have to have a theory or model but can “free-flow” the data. The first generic type of Decision Support System is a Data-Driven DSS. These systems include file drawer and management reporting systems, data warehousing and analysis systems, Executive Information Systems (EIS) and Spatial Decision Support Systems. Business Intelligence Systems are also examples of Data-Driven DSS. Data-Driven DSS emphasize access to and manipulation of large databases of structured data and especially a time-series of internal company data and sometimes external data. Simple file systems accessed by query and retrieval tools provide the most elementary level of functionality. Data warehouse systems that allow the manipulation of data by computerized tools tailored to a specific task and setting or by more general tools and operators provide additional functionality. Data-Driven DSS with Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) provide the highest level of functionality and decision support that is linked to analysis of large collections of historical data.
2. Model-Driven DSS A second category, Model-Driven DSS, includes systems that use accounting and financial models, representational models, and optimization models. Model-Driven DSS emphasize access to and manipulation of a model. Simple statistical and analytical tools provide the most elementary level of functionality. Some OLAP systems that allow complex analysis of data may be classified as hybrid DSS systems providing modeling, data retrieval and data summarization functionality. Model-Driven DSS use data and parameters provided by decision-makers to aid them in analyzing a situation, but they are not usually data intensive. Very large databases are usually not needed for Model-Driven DSS. Model-Driven DSS were isolated from the main Information Systems of the organization and were primarily used for the typical “what-if” analysis. That is, “What if we increase production of our products and decrease the shipment time?” These systems rely heavily on models to help executives understand the impact of their decisions on the organization, its suppliers, and its customers.
3. Knowledge-Driven DSS The terminology for this third generic type of DSS is still evolving. Currently, the best term seems to be Knowledge-Driven DSS. Adding the modifier “driven” to the word knowledge maintains a parallelism in the framework and focuses on the dominant knowledge base component. Knowledge-Driven DSS can suggest or recommend actions to managers. These DSS are personal computer systems with specialized problem-solving expertise. The “expertise” consists of knowledge about a particular domain, understanding of problems within that domain, and “skill” at solving some of these problems. A related concept is Data Mining. It refers to a class of analytical applications that search for hidden patterns in a database. Data mining is the process of sifting through large amounts of data to produce data content relationships.
4. Document-Driven DSS A new type of DSS, a Document-Driven DSS or Knowledge Management System, is evolving to help managers retrieve and manage unstructured documents and Web pages. A Document-Driven DSS integrates a variety of storage and processing technologies to provide complete document retrieval and analysis. The Web provides access to large document databases including databases of hypertext documents, images, sounds and video. Examples of documents that would be accessed by a Document-Based DSS are policies and procedures, product specifications, catalogs, and corporate historical documents, including minutes of meetings, corporate records, and important correspondence. A search engine is a powerful decision aiding tool associated with a Document-Driven DSS.
5. Communications-Driven and Group DSS Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) came first, but now a broader category of Communications-Driven DSS or groupware can be identified. This fifth generic type of Decision Support System includes communication, collaboration and decision support technologies that do not fit within those DSS types identified. Therefore, we need to identify these systems as a specific category of DSS. A Group DSS is a hybrid Decision Support System that emphasizes both the use of communications and decision models. A Group Decision Support System is an interactive computer-based system intended to facilitate the solution of problems by decision-makers working together as a group. Groupware supports electronic communication, scheduling, document sharing, and other group productivity and decision support enhancing activities We have a number of technologies and capabilities in this category in the framework – Group DSS, two-way interactive video, White Boards, Bulletin Boards, and Email.

Components of DSS

Traditionally, academics and MIS staffs have discussed building Decision Support Systems in terms of four major components:

• The user interface
• The database
• The models and analytical tools and
• The DSS architecture and network

This traditional list of components remains useful because it identifies similarities and differences between categories or types of DSS. The DSS framework is primarily based on the different emphases placed on DSS components when systems are actually constructed.

Data-Driven, Document-Driven and Knowledge-Driven DSS need specialized database components. A Model- Driven DSS may use a simple flat-file database with fewer than 1,000 records, but the model component is very important. Experience and some empirical evidence indicate that design and implementation issues vary for Data-Driven, Document-Driven, Model-Driven and Knowledge-Driven DSS.

Multi-participant systems like Group and Inter- Organizational DSS also create complex implementation issues. For instance, when implementing a Data-Driven DSS a designer should be especially concerned about the user’s interest in applying the DSS in unanticipated or novel situations. Despite the significant differences created by the specific task and scope of a DSS, all Decision Support Systems have similar technical components and share a common purpose, supporting decision- making.

A Data-Driven DSS database is a collection of current and historical structured data from a number of sources that have been organized for easy access and analysis. We are expanding the data component to include unstructured documents in Document-Driven DSS and “knowledge” in the form of rules or frames in Knowledge-Driven DSS. Supporting management decision-making means that computerized tools are used to make sense of the structured data or documents in a database.

Mathematical and analytical models are the major component of a Model-Driven DSS. Each Model-Driven DSS has a specific set of purposes and hence different models are needed and used. Choosing appropriate models is a key design issue. Also, the software used for creating specific models needs to manage needed data and the user interface. In Model-Driven DSS the values of key variables or parameters are changed, often repeatedly, to reflect potential changes in supply, production, the economy, sales, the marketplace, costs, and/or other environmental and internal factors. Information from the models is then analyzed and evaluated by the decision-maker.

Knowledge-Driven DSS use special models for processing rules or identifying relationships in data. The DSS architecture and networking design component refers to how hardware is organized, how software and data are distributed in the system, and how components of the system are integrated and connected. A major issue today is whether DSS should be available using a Web browser on a company intranet and also available on the Global Internet. Networking is the key driver of Communications- Driven DSS.