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Types of Information System – Decision Support Systems ( DSS ), and Expert Systems. 07 th November 2011. Decision-Support Systems (DSS).
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Types of Information System – Decision Support Systems (DSS), and Expert Systems 07th November 2011
Decision-Support Systems (DSS) • A type of information system that provide middle management with sophisticated data and information analysis to support semi-structured and unstructured decision making. • Support non-routine decision making for middle management • Focus mainly on problems that are new and unique – What is important here??
DSS DSS use both internal and external information • Internal: from information systems within the organisation such as TPS and MIS • External: from sources outside the organisation such as current stock prices, new legislation, etc
DSS • DSS use a variety of models to effectively analyse the data. • Also use a range of techniques allowing for condensing large amounts of data and information into more effective formats. • Some layouts are more effective than others! • E.G. A graph may be more effective than a chart in a given scenario
DSS • DSS may vary in terms of how much they rely on analytical models. • For instance… • one DSS may extensively use analytical models to make complex decisions • whereas another DSS may extensively extract useful information from a large data source instead • Combinations of the above are often employed!
Voyage-Estimating DSS This DSS operates on a powerful PC. It is used daily by managers who must develop bids on shipping contracts. Figure 2-5 (Laudon & Laudon)
DSS • Example Case Study from Laudon & Laudon • P. 489 Renault DSS
Expert System • A type of information system that captures the expertise of a human in limited domains of knowledge (Laudon & Laudon) • These systems capture the knowledge of skilled employees in the form of explicit rules so as to enable others in the organisation to avail of them!
Expert System • These explicit rules captured by the expert system contributes to the stored learning of the firm. • Expert systems lack the information processing capabilities of humans! Therefore expert systems are limited in their field of application!
Expert System – How they work • They model human knowledge in a way that the computer will be able to process it. • This knowledge is modelled as a set of rules – collectively known as the knowledge base • Typically model from between hundreds to thousands of explicit rules depending on the complexity of the problem
Expert System – How they work • Strategy used to search through the knowledge base is called the inference engine. • The inference engine relies mainly on one of 2 strategies: • Forward Chaining • Backward Chaining
Office Automation Systems • A type of information system that supports a range of office activities that lead to improved work flow between workers. • Office automation systems often enable more effective and efficient processing of office activities such as calculating paychecks, sending automated emails, providing instant access for a credit card processor to validate credit cards, etc