COMPONENTS OF DSS

3.5 COMPONENTS OF DSS

A DSS application can be composed of the subsystems shown in Figure 3.3. Data-management subsystem. The data management subsystem includes a database

that gQjjtains relevant data for the situation and is managed by software called th© 2 database management system (DBMS). The data management subsystem

can be interconnected with the corporate data warehouse, a repository for corpo- rate relevant decision-making data. Usually the data are stored or accessed via a database Web server.

Model management subsystem. This is a software package that includes financial, statistical, management science, or other quantitative models that provide the sys-

tem's analytical capabilities and appropriate software management. Modeling languages for building custom models are also included. This software is often called a model base management system (MBMS). This component can be con- nected to corporate or external storage of models. Model solution methods and management systems are implemented in Web development systems (like Java) to run on application servers.

User interface subsystem. The user communicates with and commands the DSS through this subsystem. The user is considered part of the system. Researchers

assert that some of the unique contributions of DSS are derived from the inten- sive interaction between the computer and the decision-maker. The Web browser provides a familiar, consistent graphical user interface structure for most DSS.

Knowledge-based management subsystem. This subsystem can support any of the other subsystems or act as an independent component. It provides intelligence to

FIGURE

3 . 3 A SCHEMATIC V I E W OF D S S

Other Other

Internet, Internet,

computer-based computer-based

intranets, intranets,

systems systems

extranets extranets

Data: external and internal

Data Data , t Model Model management External management models

Knowledge-based subsystems

User interface

Organizational KB

Manager (user)

P A R T II DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS

augment the decision-maker's own. It can be interconnected with the organiza- tion's knowledge repository (part of a knowledge management system), which is

sometimes called the organizational knowledge base. Knowledge may be pro- vided via Web servers. Many artificial intelligence methods have been imple- mented in Web development systems like Java, and are easy to integrate into the other DSS components.

By definition, a DSS must include the three major components of a DBMS, MBMS, and user interface. The knowledge-based management subsystem is optional, but can provide many benefits by providing intelligence in and to the three major com- ponents. As in any management information system, the user may be considered a component of DSS.

These components form the DSS application system, which can be connected to the corporate intranet, to an extranet, or to the Internet. Typically the components communicate via Internet technology. Web browsers typically provide the user inter-

face. The schematic view of a DSS and the above components shown in Figure 3.2 pro- vides a basic understanding of the general structure of a DSS. In Table 3.3, we provide

a sampling of the impacts of the Web on DSS components, and vice versa. These impacts have been substantial, because improvements in what began as the Internet have had a major effect on how we access, use, and think of DSS. Next, we present a more detailed look at each component; we provide details in Chapters 4-9.