Session 6

Decision Support Systems 150:127 -- D. Power

Today's Agenda -- Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007

  1. Presentations on [36] Power and Roth “Ertl's Decision Support Journey” and [9] Stevens "Redland Genstar Data Mart"
  2. Discuss Ch. 4 "Designing and Developing DSS"
    1. What activities are involved in diagnosis of a decision process?
    2. What is a major advantage and disadvantage of each of the 3 alternative DSS development approaches?
    3. What are the major concerns of Information Systems staffs about end-user DSS development?
    4. How can the problems of end-user DSS development be minimized, reduced or eliminated?
    5. What is a Decision Support Readiness Audit (Appendix I)? How does it differ from a Decision Process Audit (p. 58)?
    6. What kind of DSS does Mr. X need?
  3. www.TeradataStudentNetwork.com

To Do and Upcoming

For Class Session 8 -- Thursday, February 1

  1. TUT 8: Creating Custom Forms. Print 4 pages. On p. 441 print code and user form. Also, on p. 464 print code and user form. Document your code. Include name and tutorial number. Also, printouts from Case 2 p. 472-474. I'll check your Case 2 application in class.
  2. Check Spreadsheet Tips on Spreadsheet-Based DSS page
  3. Discuss reducing Spreadsheet application errors 1. Plan it!, 2. Avoid complex formulas, 3. Test it!

For Class Session 9 -- Tuesday, Feb. 6, TUT 9: Examining Variables

For Class Session 10 -- Thursday, Feb. 8 Exam #1: DSS Ch. 1-4 and Excel concepts (100 pts.)

  1. The exam will consist of 30 Multiple Choice questions (2 pts. each) over Ch. 1-4 (60 pts. total); 10 Multiple Choice Excel questions (1 pts. each, 10 pts. total); 5 of 6 short answer questions (2 pts. each) over DSS book/Ask Dan (10 pts. total); an open book case analysis essay question (10 pts.) prepared as a 1 page memo using MS Word; hands-on Excel exercise (10 pts.). Total 100 points.
  2. The open book essay question will be something like: You just received the following email from your boss. Please send her a detailed reply explaining your assessment of the issues she raises and making one or more recommendations on how to proceed. You'll want to be diplomatic in your answer, but try to fill her in on what you've learned. Assume you are a first year employee in a firm with 500-700 employees in Des Moines, Iowa. The email reads: "At the recent industry conference, I attended a presentation on computerized decision support and heard about DSS at Ertl and Redland Genstar. I think we need a data warehouse and a DSS and I heard you took a class in DSS. You can read the cases at DSSResources.com. How should we proceed? What do you recommend so we can gain a competitive advantage with a DSS?" You'll want to build on the material in the DSS book Chapters 1-4 and on our discussions of the cases.