Page 203 - DMGT505_MANAGEMENT_INFORMATION_SYSTEM

Management Information Systems

Notes 10.1.4 Decision Support System

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.

10.1.5 Need for an Expanded Framework

Decision Support Systems should be defined as a broad category of information systems for
informing and supporting decision-makers. DSS are intended to improve and speed-up the
processes by which people make and communicate decisions. We need to improve how we
define Decision Support Systems on both a conceptual level and on a concrete, technical level.
Both managers and DSS designers need to understand categories of decision support so they can
better communicate about what needs to be accomplished in informing and supporting decision
makers.

The DSS literature includes a number of frameworks for categorizing systems. Steven Alter
(1980) developed the broadest and most comprehensive one more than 20 years ago. A new,
broader typology or framework than Alter’s (1980) is needed because Decision Support Systems
are much more common and more diverse than when he conducted his research and proposed
his framework.
Decision Support Systems do vary in many ways. Some DSS focus on data, some on models and
some on communications. DSS also differ in scope, some DSS are intended for one “primary”
user and used “stand-alone” for analysis and others are intended for many users in an organization.
A Decision Support System could be categorized in terms of the generic operations it performs,
independent of type of problem, functional area or decision perspective. His seven types included:
file drawer systems, data analysis systems, analysis information systems, accounting and financial
models, representational models, optimization models, and suggestion models.

10.1.6 Types of Decision Support System

The various types of DSS are:
 Data driven DSS

 Model driven DSS
 Knowledge driven DSS
 Document driven DSS
 Communications driven and Group DSS
 Inter-organizational and Intra-organizational DSS

 Function specific or General purpose DSS

198 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY