Decision Support Systems (DSS)
Abstract-
This paper is about “DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
(DSS)”. DSS are information systems that help people to make
decisions. DSS evolved during 1980’s for providing easier end-
user access to the data they contain. In the 90’s data for decision
making evolved into the data warehouse, which is close
approximation of early MIS concept.
A DSS is flexible, adaptive, GUI-based, and interactive
and so on. All such applications designed to improve the
efficiency of existing business processes. Improving efficiency
is common use of computers, but improved efficiency can have
only a limited impact on corporate bottom line.
DSS have applications in field of artificial intelligence
The field of artificial intelligence encompasses several areas,
including robotics, machine vision, understanding languages ,
speech recognition, neural networks, and expert systems. Of
these expert systems are the most useful in DSS overall.
Keywords – DSS, CBIS, Text-oriented DSS, Database-oriented
DSS, Spread -oriented DSS, Rule-oriented DSS, Expert
Systems,GDSS, Workflow Systems.
1. INTRODUCTION
A. Definition of DSS
A DSS is an interactive, flexible and complete CBIS
specifically developed for supporting the solution of a non-
structured management problem for improved decision-making.
It utilizes data, it provides easy user interface and it allows for
the decision makers own insights.
2. EVALUTION OF DSS
DSS is not a very new technology. They have been around
since the early 1970s. However, the early versions were highly
mathematical applications and not easily available to business.
The newer DSS applications are very friendly and range from
macros in spreadsheets all the way to GUI interface menu
applications that use sophisticated mathematical and statistical
models. They are also linked to data files like text files,
spreadsheets or relational DB files for faster processing.
The 1990s saw the extension of DSS to sophisticated OLAP
data warehouses for even more complex data analysis to assist
managers and knowledge workers in their decision-making
process.
3. DSS CLASSIFICATION
• Text-oriented DSS – hypertext, WWW (documents and
applications using http), electronic document
management
• Database-oriented DSS –OLAP, Data mining
• Spreadsheet-oriented DSS – Financial planning packages
such as IFPS
• Solver-oriented DSS – large scale mathematical
programming based solvers written in programming
languages such as C++
• Rule-oriented DSS – qualitative and quantitative rules
with inference capabilities
4. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES FOR DSS
Third generation languages have the advantage of
standardization. Pascal and C fall under this category. 3GLs
have refined codes that utilizes hardware efficiently. High
volume transaction processing programs fall under this category.
3GL programming is labor intensive, time consuming and error
prone. The fourth generation languages specifies what the
computer should do and not how the computer is to do it. A 4GL
like FOCUS uses flexibility and run time efficiency for speed of
development. The need to interface to one or more existing
databases and to modules written in a 3GL are often important
factors in 4GL choice. 4GLs are not widely accepted
because:3GLs are designed primarily for applications such as
summary reports not complex data manipulation. 3GLs are not
standardized. Most existing mainframe based transactions are
written in 3GL. The cost of the 4GL and its supporting.
Software is to high.
5. DSS USER INTERFACE
Planning the user interface is an important part of planning
any DSS, perhaps more so than with most other types of
information systems. Factors to be considered in planning the
DSS user interface include, minimizing task performance time,
minimizing learning and recall time, maximizing system
versatility, minimizing errors and adapting to different user
needs, including the availability of help for those who need it.
Additional factors to take into account are the users ability to
keep several thing in mind, user fatigue, and command
consistency with other systems with which the users are
familiar. Color can often enhance a user interface but must used
with due consideration for those users who cannot see a
difference among the developers color choices.
B. .User Interface Styles
There are four general ways to control computers, command
liner interfaces, graphical interfaces, menus, and question and
answer dialogues. Each of these applies both to the DSS itself
and to the operating system under which the DSS runs.
Developing an application that conforms fully to the standards
of a GUI is, despite the availability of operating system
facilities, more difficult than developing a comparable
application that operates via menus and typed in commands.
6. EXPERT SYSTEM Vs DSS
Expert systems are also called knowledge – based systems or
rule - based systems. Information systems apply the reasoning
process of a human expert to new situations. Such systems are
usually are especially useful in decision making. Expert system
consists of various parts. They are knowledge base (also termed
as rule base). The next component is an inference engine. This is
a computer program that applies the problem solving knowledge
in the knowledge base to known facts. Inference engine is a
general purpose program and it can work for any set of rules and
facts. Third component is a user interface. This program
requests information from user and send output to user. The
fourth component is a workspace which is an area in computer
storage where the expert system stores the facts that are given
for a situation and any additional information that it has derived.
Expert systems used for decision support often use databases.
Human beings are also involved with any expert systems.
Expert systems can also incorporate a database and models, as
used in other types of DSS. The ability to explain its reasoning
is inherent in the knowledge and rule oriented structured of an
Expert system. Other types of DSS either do not have this
ability or must have it explicitly added to them via additional
program code. Their domain of expertise is usually narrow.
They cannot apply common sense, only their rules. They are
brittle at their limits. They may be costly to develop. One or
more expert must be on hand to contribute to the project for an
extended period of time.
7. GROUP DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS
It supports group decision processes that include
communication, file sharing, modeling of group activities,
aggregation of individual perspectives into a group perspective,
and other activities that involve group interaction.
C. Types of DSS
Connection management systems: Deal with information flow at
the lowest level, which consists of providing a physical
mechanism through which people involved in a decision can
communicate .A system that does no more than this is not a true
GDSS.
Communication management: this enhances the information
flow by means of facilities to store messages, reply to them ,
forward them with comments, and so forth.
Content management systems: provide intelligent routing
whereby the system knows where a document goes after its
current user finishes with it, or where a message should go once
it is entered. A GDSS at this level does not take an active part in
deciding how the decision – making process should proceed.
D. Group DSS in Use Today
An electronic meeting operates in chauffeured, supported, or
interactive style. Tasks support tools can be added to an
electronic meeting room to create a decision conference facility.
Networks can extend electronic meetings and decision
conferences to multiple sites.
The Delphi approach is a useful way to structure asynchronous
communication for a decision – making task.
Work flow systems: Work flow systems are designed to reflect
the flow of information in a group decision – making process.
They use forms to carry the content of a decision being made
and scripts to control the flow of these forms in an organization.
8. ADVANTAGES OF DSS
• Improving personal efficiency
• Improving problem solving
• Facilitating communication
• Promoting learning or training
• Increasing organizational control
9. DRAWABACKS OF DSS
• DSS is not useful for lower level managers
• DSS can increase traffic to transaction system
• DSS require more sophisticated hardware and
software
10. CONCLUSION
DSS are information systems that help people to make
decisions. A DSS is adaptive, interactive, GUI-based, iterative
and employs modeling. All such applications designed to
improve the efficiency of existing business processes.
Improving efficiency is common use of computers, but
improved efficiency can have only a limited impact on corporate
bottom line.

Let us take a simple example in this connection. Automation can

improve efficiency of various applications like accounts payable
and receivable, customer billing, general ledger and so on .

There fore Decision supporting systems are designed to provide

their sponsoring organizations with benefits to make informed
decision.

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A new frontier, Database , Winter, 1985.

[4] Analysis And Design of Information Systems By James A. Senn

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An Organizational Perspective Addison-Wesley Reading(Mass), 1978.,