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DSS News
D. J. Power, Editor
March 30, 2003 -- Vol. 4, No. 7
A Bi-Weekly Publication of DSSResources.COM
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Call for Papers: Special issue of DSS Journal on Web-based
Decision Support. Contact bhargava@computer.org, power@uni.edu
or daewons@psu.edu
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Featured:
* Ask Dan! - What are the characteristics of a Decision Support
System?
* DSS News Releases
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What are the characteristics of a Decision Support System?
by Daniel J. Power
Many faculty who teach DSS courses intend that their students will
master the skill of determining if a specific information system is a
"DSS". Gaining this skill is complicated because the concept "Decision
Support System" is used in various ways by authors, researchers and
practitioners. On March 7, 2003, Chan Chun Kit emailed asking "what are
the characteristics of a Decision Support System?" Also, on March 13,
Juliet Stephen emailed asking about the characteristics of DSS. She
noted "I'm really interested in DSS". This Ask Dan! tackles this
difficult and potentially controversial question.
DSSResources.COM, my book (Power, 2002) and this column advocates the
"big tent" or umbrella approach to defining DSS. Following the lead of
Alter (1980) and Sprague and Carlson (1982), I have concluded that
"Decision Support Systems (DSS) are a specific class of computerized
information system 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 identify and solve problems and make
decisions. Five more specific DSS types include: Communications-driven
DSS, Data-driven DSS, Document-driven DSS, Knowledge-driven DSS, and
Model-driven DSS."
Turban and Aronson (1995) and others try to narrow the "population of
systems" called DSS. Turban and Aronson define DSS as "an interactive,
flexible, and adaptable CBIS specially developed for supporting the
solution of a nonstructured management problem for improved decision
making (p. 77)". A few paragraphs later, they broaden the definition and
define 13 characteristics and capabilities of DSS. Their first
characteristic is "DSS provide support for decision makers mainly in
semistructured and unstructured situations by bringing together human
judgment and computerized information. Such problems cannot be solved
(or cannot be solved conveniently) by other computerized systems or by
standard quantitative methods or tools". Their list is a useful starting
point.
Alter (1980) identified three major characteristics of DSS:
1. DSS are designed specifically to facilitate decision processes,
2. DSS should support rather than automate decision making, and
3. DSS should be able to respond quickly to the changing needs of
decision makers.
Clyde Holsapple and Andrew Whinston (1996) identified four
characteristics one should expect to observe in a DSS (see pages
144-145). Their list is very general and provides an even broader
perspective on the DSS concept. Holsapple and Whinston specify that a
DSS must have a body of knowledge, a record-keeping capability that can
present knowledge on an ad hoc basis in various customized ways as well
as in standardized reports, a capability for selecting a desired subset
of stored knowledge for either presentation or for deriving new
knowledge, and must be designed to interact directly with a decision
maker in such a way that the user has a flexible choice and sequence of
knowledge-management activities.
Turban and Aronson note their list is an ideal set. They state "Because
there is no consensus on exactly what a DSS is, there is obviously no
agreement on standard characteristics and capabilities of DSS". This
conceptual confusion and lack of consensus on a well defined DSS concept
originally prompted me in 1995 to try to more systematically define and
categorize DSS. It seems impossible to conduct meaningful scientific
research about systems that can't be consistently identified and
categorized. A more consistent definition of DSS and set of
"characteristics" should also improve communications about these
important computerized systems with students and DSS practioners.
So what is a characteristic of a DSS? In this context, it is an
observable feature, peculiarity, property, or attribute of ANY type of
Decision Support System that differentiates a DSS from another type of
computerized system. Why do we develop lists of characteristics and
attribute lists? In general, such lists can identify an object as part
of a class or group of similar objects; it helps us in recognition and
identification!
The following is my list of the characteristics of a DSS, please
comment!
CHARACTERISTICS OF A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM
1. DSS facilitate and support specific decision-making activities and/or
decision processes.
2. DSS are computer-based systems designed for interactive use by
decision makers or staff users who control the sequence of interaction
and the operations performed.
3. DSS can support decision makers at any level in an organization. They
are NOT intended to replace decision makers.
4. DSS are intended for repeated use. A specific DSS may be used
routinely or used as needed for ad hoc decision support tasks.
5. DSS provide specific capabilities that support one or more tasks
related to decision-making, including: intelligence and data analysis;
identification and design of alternatives; choice among alternatives;
and decision implementation.
6. DSS may be independent systems that collect or replicate data from
other information systems OR subsystems of a larger, more integrated
information system.
7. DSS are intended to improve the accuracy, timeliness, quality and
overall effectiveness of a specific decision or a set of related
decisions.
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References
Alter, S. Decision Support Systems: Current Practice and Continuing
Challenges. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley, Inc., 1980.
Holsapple, C. W. and A. B. Whinston. Decision Support Systems: A
Knowledge Based Approach. Minneapolis, MN.: West Publishing, Inc., 1996.
Power, D. J., Decision Support Systems: Concepts and Resources for
Managers, Westport, CT: Greenwood/Quorum Books, 2002.
Sprague, R. H. and E. D. Carlson. Building Effective Decision Support
Systems Englewood Clifts, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc.: 1982
Turban, E. and J. E. Aronson Decision Support and Intelligent Systems.
(5th edition) Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc.: 1995.
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DSS News Releases - March 17 to March 28, 2003
03/28/2003 Call for Papers: Special issue of DSS Journal on Web-based
Decision Support.
03/27/2003 FreeBalance eGrants goes live in Ireland - web-based grants
management system deployed by Irish Government Research Council.
03/27/2003 Fair, Isaac partners with EDS to detect fraud and abuse in
eastern states medicare claims.
03/27/2003 HumanConcepts announces the release of OrgPlus Automation
module and OrgPlus Directory.
03/26/2003 Toshiba America Business Solutions deploys Cognos(R) Series 7
across North American business portal.
03/26/2003 Frost & Sullivan: Technology convergence forces strategic
change in web content management market.
03/26/2003 Outbreak detection software, `RedBat,' alerts health
officials of mystery infection called SARS.
03/25/2003 Production Modeling Corporation and Optiant team to deliver
strategic inventory management.
03/24/2003 Belk enhances business performance with MicroStrategy
software.
03/24/2003 Hy-Vee selects FineGround Networks to enable real-time web
applications.
03/24/2003 Sybase teams with Distributor Resource Management to boost
analytical capabilities for foodservice supply chain.
03/24/2003 SupportSoft enhances speed and accuracy of knowledge
management with new Knowledge Center software release.
03/20/2003 Gartner says stand-alone portal products will begin to
disappear from the market as the suite approach arrives in 2003.
03/20/2003 Strategic Management Group, Inc. releases Version 4.0 of its
SimShop simulation platform.
03/19/2003 Leading computer science professional organizations organize
MobiSys '03: first international conference on mobile systems,
applications and services.
03/18/2003 Guardian Life Insurance maximizes value of its Lotus Notes
content using Stellent Lotus Notes Integrator.
03/18/2003 Landstar deploys Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite to
connect affiliated independent small business customers.
03/17/2003 Cognos accelerates ability to implement corporate performance
management solutions.
03/17/2003 DKSystems integrates KPS knowledge management technology into
the DKHelpDesk product suite.
03/17/2003 Lightbridge announces FraudBuster(R) release 7.0 with new
predictive intelligence.
03/17/2003 Intergraph showcases Geospatial Resource Management solutions
at GIS-T.
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DSS News is copyrighted (c) 2003 by D. J. Power. Please send your questions to
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