5.

DSS

Overview, Relevance, Scope,

Characteristics and capabilities of
OSS (DSS), Components of OSS,
Classification of DSS
 Overview
• Offer potential to assist in solving both
semi-structured and unstructured
problems
 Decision Making as a
Component of Problem Solving
Intelligence

Decisio
n Design
making

Proble
Choice m
solving

Implementation

Monitoring
 Solution Types
• Optimization model
– Finding the best solution
• Satisfying model
– Finding a good - but not necessarily the
best - solution to a problem
• Heuristics
– Commonly accepted guidelines or
procedures that usually find a good
solution
 Characteristics of a DSS
• Handles large amounts of data from different sources
• Provides report and presentation flexibility
• Offers both textual and graphical orientation
• Supports drill down analysis
• Performs complex, sophisticated analysis and
comparisons using advanced software packages
• Supports optimization, satisfying, and heuristic
approaches
 Characteristics of a DSS
• Performs different types of analyses
– “What-if” analysis
• Makes hypothetical changes to problem and
observes impact on the results
– Simulation
• Duplicates features of a real system
– Goal-seeking analysis
• Determines problem data required for a given
result
 Capabilities of a DSS
• Supports
– Problem solving phases
– Different decision frequencies
• Solves
– Structured Problems
– Semi-structured and Unstructured Problems
 Web-Based DSS
• Web-based decision support systems
– Decision support system software
provides business intelligence through
web browser clients that access
databases either through the Internet or
a corporate intranet
Components of a DSS
DSS Software System
Wide Area Decision Network
• Characteristics
– Location of group members is distant
– Decision frequency is high
– Virtual workgroups
• Groups of workers located around the world
working on common problems via a GDSS
Executive Support System
(ESS)
Board of directors

President

Function area
vice presidents

Function area
managers
Operations Support System
(OSS)
Operations Support System (OSS)
performs management, inventory,
engineering, planning, and repair
functions for telecom service providers
and their networks.
 Components of OSS
• Order processing, accounting, billing and cost
management
• Network inventory, service provision, design
and assign
• Network discovery and reconciliation, trouble
and fault management, capacity
management
• Network elements, asset and equipment
management, field service management
 DSS Hardware
• Portability has become critical for deploying
decision-making capability in the field,
especially for salespersons and technicians
• The power and capabilities of the World Wide
Web have a dramatic impact on DSS
– Communication and collaboration
– Download DSS software
– Use DSS applications provided by the company
– Buy online from application service providers (ASPs)
 DSS Classifications
• AIS SIGDSS classification for DSS
– Communications-driven and group DSS
(GSS)
– Data-driven DSS
– Document-driven DSS
– Knowledge-driven DSS, data mining, and
management ES applications
– Model-driven DSS
– Compound DSS
 DSS Classifications
• Holsapple and Whinston’s classification
– Text-oriented DSS
– Database-oriented DSS
– Spreadsheet-oriented DSS
– Solver-oriented DSS
– Rule-oriented DSS
 DSS Classifications
• Alter’s output classification
– Data
• File drawer systems
• Data analysis systems
– Data or models
• Analysis information systems
– Models
• Accounting models
• Representational models
• Optimization models
• Suggestion models
 DSS Classifications
• Other DSS categories
– Institutional DSS
A DSS that is a permanent fixture in an
organization and has continuing
financial support. It deals with decisions
of a recurring nature
– Ad hoc DSS
A DSS that deals with specific problems
that are usually neither anticipated nor
recurring
 DSS Classifications
• Other DSS categories
– Personal support
– Group support
– Organizational support
– Group support system (GSS)
Information systems, specifically DSS,
that support the collaborative work of
groups
• Custom-made systems versus ready-made
systems