Decision Support Systems, Extract, Transform and Load Tasks - Essay Example

Sometimes the systems provide well-structured information directly to the people. Today electronic business technologies are transforming business transactions and similar technologies can transform and improve decision activities. Various types of DSS help decision makers to use and manipulate the very large database and thus finds software and systems that would meet the expectation of a manager’s decision support and provide appropriate management information the term suggests that the decision-making and planning will be improved in a better way. Decision support systems are gaining increased popularity in various domains, including business, engineering, the military, and medicine.

They are especially valuable in situations in which the amount of available information is prohibitive for the intuition of an unaided human decision-maker, and in which precision and optimality are of importance. Decision support systems can aid human cognitive deficiencies by integrating various sources of information, providing intelligent access to relevant knowledge, and aiding the process of structuring decisions. They can also support choice among well-defined alternatives and build on formal approaches, such as the methods of engineering economics, operations research, statistics, and decision theory. A decision support system may present information graphically and may include an expert system or artificial intelligence.

Extract, transform, and load (ETL) tasks are part of building many types of DSS, including some model-driven DSS. But, the ETL software developed for creating and refreshing large data stores from the transaction, enterprise resources planning (ERP), and/or operating systems are NOT needed for model-driven DSS. (Is ETL Software Needed to Build a Model-Driven DSS? 1995-2006).

Model-driven DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of financial, optimization, and/or simulation models. Model-driven DSS uses limited data and parameters provided by decision-makers to aid decision-makers in analyzing a situation, but in general large databases are not needed for model-driven DSS. Data-driven DSS emphasizes access to and manipulation of a time series of internal company data and sometimes external and real-time data. Communications-driven DSS use the network and communications technologies to facilitate decision-relevant collaboration and communication. A document-driven DSS uses computer storage and processing technologies to provide document retrieval and analysis.

Knowledge-driven DSS can suggest or recommend actions to managers. Decision Support Systems pioneers came from a wide variety of backgrounds and faced many challenges that they successfully overcame to demonstrate the value of using computers, information technologies, and specific decision-support software to enhance and in some situations improve decision-making. The future of decision support systems will certainly be different than the opportunistic and incremental innovations seen in the recent past. Decision support systems as an academic discipline are likely to follow a path similar to computer architecture and software engineering and become more rigorous and more clearly delineated.

The concepts of planning and control can be made operational within the layout of a Management Information System (MIS). MIS in general, are being designed and implemented to support management in fulfilling their role of planning and control. The management Information system provides services such as Management Information Reports, Management Information Support, Statistical Analysis, and Report Design Services.

MIS provides a full range of functions associated with the design, development, enhancement, and support of DSS information technology systems hardware, software applications, and communications. This includes the planning and definition, analysis and development, testing, implementation, operations, and maintenance of mainframe and microcomputer systems as well as user assistance and help desk support and management information reporting and statistical analysis/design services. Technological and environmental risk analysis is a major application domain for model-based decision support systems. (RiskWare: Technological and Environmental Risk Analysis. 1995-2008).

MIS provides a full range of functions associated with the design, development, enhancement, and support of DSS information technology systems hardware, software applications, and communications. This includes the planning and definition, analysis and development, testing, implementation, operations, and maintenance of mainframe and microcomputer systems as well as user assistance and help desk support and management information reporting and statistical analysis/design services.
management information system (MIS): database developed by APACS to record and analyze data from the UK payments industry. manual reversal: reversal of a transaction effected by manual entry of data and often offline processing. (M: Management Information System (MIS)).

The identification of Critical Success Factors for the organization can help in the design of the Decision Support System (DSS). The Critical Success Factors can be identified by translating the strategic management plans into some 'key factors' or 'target areas'. These can be factors that focus either on the internal organization or on the direct environment of the organization. These Critical Success Factors can be further translated into so-called 'Performance-Indicators' which measure the activities, developments, and outcomes of the realization of management policy. Outcomes that differ from pre-defined targets can be located and analyzed through exception monitoring.

The aid of information technology and the use of modeling concepts helps to investigate the relation between these Performance-Indicators and the decision variables which are controlled by management.  Read More