Chapter 1

DECISION SUPPORT
SYSTEMS AND
BUSINESS
INTELLIGENCE
Learni ng Obj ectiv es
• Understand today’s turbulent business
environment and describe how organizations
survive and even excel in such an environment
• Understand the need for computerized support
of managerial decision making
• Understand an early framework for managerial
decision making
• Learn the conceptual foundations of the
decision support systems (DSS) methodology
Learni ng Obj ectiv es
• Describe the business intelligence (BI)
methodology and concepts and relate them to
DSS
• Describe the concept of work systems and its
relationship to decision support
• List the major tools of computerized decision
support
• Understand the major issues in implementing
computerized support systems
Changi ng Busine ss
Envi ronments an d Comp uteri zed
Deci si on Sup por t
• The business pressures-responses-
support model
– The business environment
– Organizational responses: be reactive,
anticipative, adaptive, and proactive
– Computerized support
Manager ial Deci si on
Maki ng
• The nature of managers’ work
– Interpersonal
– Informational
– Decisional
Manager ial Deci si on
Maki ng
Manager ial Deci si on
Maki ng
• The process of decision making
1. Defining the problem (a decision situation that may
deal with some difficulty or with an opportunity)
2. Constructing a model that describes the real-world
problem
3. Identifying possible solutions to the modeled
problem and evaluating the solutions
4. Comparing, choosing, and recommending a
potential solution to the problem
Manager ial Deci si on
Maki ng
• Decision support systems (DSS)
A conceptual framework for a process of
supporting managerial decision- making,
usually by modeling problems and
employing quantitative models for
solution analysis
Com pu teri zed Support
for Deci si on Maki ng
• Why use computerized decision support
systems
– Speedy computations
– Improved communication and collaboration
– Increased productivity of group members
– Improved data management
– Managing giant data warehouses
Com pu teri zed Support
for Deci si on Maki ng
• Why use computerized decision support
systems
– Quality support
– Agility support
– Overcoming cognitive limits in processing
and storing information
– Using the Web
– Anywhere, anytime support
Com pu teri zed Support
for Deci si on Maki ng
• Cognitive limits
The limitations of the human mind related
to processing information
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
– Degree of structuredness
• Four-phase decision making process
– Intelligence
– Design
– Choice
– Implementation
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
– Types of control in all managerial activities
• Strategic planning
• Management control
• Operational control
– The decision support matrix
• For semistructured decisions and unstructured
decisions, conventional MIS and MS tools are
insufficient
• Decision support systems (DSS) are used
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• Computer support for structured
decisions
– Management science (MS) or operations
research (OR)
The application of a scientific approach and
mathematical models to the analysis and
solution of managerial decision situations
(e.g., problems, opportunities)
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• Computer support for structured
decisions
– Automated decision systems (ADS)
A business rules-based system that uses
intelligence to recommend solutions to
repetitive decisions (such as pricing)
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• Computer support for unstructured
decisions
– Customized solutions
– intuition and judgment
– Computerized communication and
collaboration technologies
– Knowledge management
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• Computer support for semistructured problems
– A combination of both standard solution procedures
and human judgment
– Management Science can provide models for the
structured portion
– For the unstructured portion, a DSS can improve the
quality of the information on which the decision is
based by providing a range of alternative solutions
along with their potential impacts
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• The benefits of computerized decision support
– Companies work in an unstable or rapidly changing
economy.
– There are difficulties in tracking the numerous
business operations.
– Competition has increased especially global
competition.
– Electronic commerce is changing the ways business
is done.
– Existing information systems do not fully support
decision making.
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• The benefits of computerized decision support
– The Information systems department is too busy to
address all of management’s inquiries.
– Special analysis of profitability and efficiency is
needed.
– Accurate information is needed.
– Computerized support is viewed as an organizational
winner.
– New information is needed.
An Early Framew ork for
Comp uterized Decis ion
Support
• The benefits of computerized decision support
– Management mandates computerized decision
support.
– Higher decision quality is needed.
– Improved communication.
– Improved customer and employee satisfaction.
– Timely information is provided.
– Cost reduction is achieved.
– Employees’ productivity has been improved.
The Concept of De cisi on
Sup port Systems (DSS )
• DSS as an Umbrella term: Describes any
computerized system that supports decision
making in an organization
– DSS as a specific application
– The architecture of DSS
• Data
• Models manipulate data as related to a specific situation
• Knowledge component
• Users
• User interface
The Concept of De cisi on
Sup port Systems (DSS )
The Concept of De cisi on
Sup port Systems (DSS )
– Types of DSS
• model-oriented DSS: quantitative models used to
generate a recommended solution to a problem
• data-oriented DSS: support ad-hoc reporting and
queries
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Business intelligence (BI)
An umbrella term that combines
architectures, tools, databases,
applications, and methodologies
• Evolution of BI
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• BI architecture
– Data warehouse
– Business analytics
– Performance management (BPM)
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
– Data warehouse
• Originally, included historical data that were
organized and summarize, so end users could
easily view or manipulate data and information
• Today, some data warehouses include current
data as well, so they can provide real time
decision support
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Business analytics
– Reporting and queries
– Advanced analytics
– Data, text and Web mining and other
sophisticated mathematical and statistical tools
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Data mining
A process of searching for unknown
relationships or information in large
databases or data warehouses, using
intelligent tools such as neural computing,
predictive analytics techniques, or
advanced statistical methods
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Business performance management (BPM)
An advanced performance measurement and
analysis approach that embraces planning and
strategy
– BPM extends the monitoring, measuring, and
comparing of sales, profit, cost, profitability, and other
performance indicators by introducing the concept of
“management and feedback
– BPM provides a top-down enforcement of corporate-
wide strategy
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Business performance management
– User interface
– Dashboard
A visual presentation of critical data for
executives to view. It allows executives to see
hot spots in seconds and explore the situation
– Dashboards integrate information from multiple
business areas
• Visualization tools
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
– Styles of BI
1. Report Delivery and Alerting
2. Enterprise Reporting (dashboard, scorecard)
3. Cube Analysis (Slice and Dice Analysis)
4. Ad-hoc Query
5. Statistics and Data Mining
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Benefits of BI
– Faster, more accurate reporting
– Improved decision making
– Improved customer service
– Increased revenue
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• The DSS-BI connection
– The architecture is very similar since BI
evolved from DSS
– DSS are constructed to directly support
specific decision making; BI systems are
geared to provide accurate and timely
information (indirect support)
– BI has an executive and strategy orientation
while DSS has been oriented toward analysts
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• The DSS-BI connection
1. BI systems are constructed with commercially
available tools and components that are fitted
to the needs of organizations; DSS more
programming is used to construct custom
solutions to very unstructured problems
2. DSS were developed mostly in the academic
world; BI were developed mostly by software
companies
3. Many tools used by BI are also considered
DSS tools (e.g., data mining and predictive
analysis )
A Frame work for
Busi ness Intel ligence
(BI )
• Management support systems (MSS)
A system that applies any type of decision
support tool or technique to managerial
decision-making
A Work Syste m
Vi ew of Deci si on
Sup port
• Work system
A system in which human participants
and/or machines perform a business
process using information, technology,
and other resources to produce products
and/or services for internal or external
customers
A Work Syste m
Vi ew of Deci si on
Sup port
• Nine elements of a work system
1. Business process
2. Participants
3. Information
4. Technology
5. Product and services
6. Customers
7. Infrastructure
8. Environment
9. Strategy
 The Maj or Tools and
Techni ques
of Manageri al Deci si on
Support
Computerized Tools for Decision Support
• Data management • Communication and
• Reporting status collaboration
tracking • Knowledge
• Visualization management
• Business analytics • Intelligent systems
• Strategy and • Enterprise systems
performance
management
The Maj or Tools and
Techni ques
of Manageri al Deci si on
Support
• Tools-Web connection
– All of these tools are available in both web-
based and non web-based formats
• Hybrid (integrated) support systems
A support system that uses several tools
and techniques to assist management in
solving managerial or organizational
problems and assess opportunities and
strategies
Impl ementi ng Co mput er- Based
Manageri al D eci si on Support
Systems
• Developing or acquiring support systems
• Justification and cost-benefit analysis
• Security and protection of privacy
• Integration of systems and applications
• The Web in DSS/BI implementation
– Information portals and MSS