Session 3

Decision Support Systems 150:127 -- D. Power

Today's Agenda -- Tuesday, January 16, 2007

  • Assign cases for presentation and discussion leadership -- Power & Roth “Ertl's Decision Support Journey”; Stevens "Redland Genstar Data Mart"; eRoom "Naval Medicine"; Vollmer "Anderson Clayton", Documentum "Optimizing Aircraft Maintenance"; Pontz & Power “EASE” case study
  • A DSS Generator is a computer software package that provides tools and capabilities that help a developer quickly and easily build a specific Decision Support System (Sprague and Carlson, 1982)
  • Distinguish between a special study conducted using a spreadsheet and a spreadsheet-based DSS
  • Check the Excel Review Questions
  • "What If" Analysis - The capability of "asking" the software package what the effect will be of changing some of the input data or independent variables."
  • What is the timeline for major milestones in the history of DSS? Check DSSTimelinetable.htm. What should be added? Can we create a better way of sharing the information?
  • Ask Dan! How does the job of a DSS Analyst differ from that of a Decision Support Analyst?
  • Discuss Ch. 2 "Gaining Competitive Advantage with DSS".

For Class Session 4 -- Thursday, Jan. 18

  • Ask Dan! What is a cost estimation DSS?
  • Tutorial 6 "Introduction to VBA"
    1. Complete Tutorial 6 and then complete steps 1-10 of the Review Assignments on pages 352-353. Submit by the end of class printouts. Print the annotated code for the AgeYears function in step 5. Print the macro code in step 10 and then use the macro to print the workbook. You should have 2 VBA modules. Staple the 3 sheets in the order listed.