IMPORTANCE AND CURRENT ISSUES OF DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

Cynthia P. C. Lee

Abstract
This paper emphasized on the Decision Support System (DSS) defined in various ways depending upon the authors point of view by Turban (1995), Little (1970), Moore and Chang (1980), Keen (1980), and Power (1997); history of DSS during late 1950s and early 1960s until millennium approached of Web-based analytical applications; the

Decision support system (DSS) has been used in many different ways (Alter 1980, Power, 2002). Turban (1995) defines it as "an interactive, flexible, and adaptable computerbased information system, especially

developed for supporting the solution of a nonstructured management problem for improved decision making. It utilizes data, provides an easy-to-use interface, and allows for the decision maker's own insights." For Little (1970), a DSS is a "model-based set of procedures for processing data and judgments to assist a manager in his decision-making." Moore and Chang (1980) define DSS as extendible systems capable of supporting ad hoc data analysis and decision modeling, oriented toward future planning, and used at irregular, unplanned intervals.

importance of DSS to assist in high-level decision-making, assist academic advising staff, improve the quality and timeliness of marketing decisions, and medical diagnosis process; and current issues of DSS where decision-making as the most important

activities for human beings, Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs), several types of DSS usage and deployment, and Social decision support system (SDSS) .

In contrast, Keen (1980) claims that it is impossible to all give the a precise of definition the DSS.

1. Introduction
Information Systems (IS) play a vital role in the decision-making process. IS are tools and instruments engaged in recording, analyzing, and disseminating strategic information within the organization. DSS as interactive

including

facets

Nevertheless, according to Power (1997), the term decision support system remains a useful and inclusive term for many types of information systems that support decision making. He humorously adds that every time a computerized transaction system processing is not system an on-line (OLTP),

Information Technology (IT) based systems, which utilize data and models to solve unstructured problems and, thereby, speed up the decision-making process.

someone will be tempted to call it a DSS. As you can see, there is no universally accepted definition of DSS.

ensure the system is accessible at the right

2. History of DSS
According to Keen and Scott Morton (1978), the concept of decision support has evolved from two main areas of research: theoretical studies of organizational decision making done during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and technical work on interactive computer

level for different audiences and secondly to provide only the information appropriate for confidentiality and security purposes. For example, in a drug discovery environment a DSS could have tailored interfaces for

Directors, Team Leaders and Scientists.

systems in the 1960s. It is considered that the concept of DSS became an area of research of its own in the middle of the 1970s, before gaining in intensity during the 1980s.

DSS was also constructed to assist the academic advising staff of a business school. The application identifies any remaining unsatisfied degree program requirements,

selects courses in which the student is eligible In the middle and late 1980s, executive information systems (EIS), group decision support systems (GDSS), and organizational decision support systems (ODSS) evolved from the single user and model-oriented DSS. Beginning in about 1990, data warehousing and on-line analytical processing (OLAP) began broadening the realm of DSS. As the turn of the millennium approached, new Webbased analytical applications were introduced. As the marketing environment becomes more complex and competitive the need for tools to assist the marketing decision maker could not It is clear that DSS belong to an environment with multidisciplinary foundations, including (but not exclusively) intelligence, simulation database research, be greater. DSS can be used to improve the quality and timeliness of marketing decisions by improving the effectiveness of decision making.[5] It allows the decision-maker to make objective and consistent decisions by supporting the fast solution of complex and semi/unstructured problems and also allows the user to experiment with strategies under to enroll, and prioritizes the courses. It permits advisors to spend time on the more substantive advising issues, such as choice of electives, etc and also permits students to obtain an optimized listing of courses without the assistance of a human advisor in about five minutes. [3]

artificial interaction,

human-computer methods, software

engineering, and telecommunications.

3. Importance of DSS
DSS was traditionally aimed at managers to assist in high-level decision-making. The application is much wider and has been applied across the spectrum of business and industry. Any given DSS can be tailored to provide features across a spectrum of users, firstly to

different

scenarios

using

simulation

or

sensitivity analysis.

DSS in medical diagnosis process can be interpreted as a decision making process, during which the physician induces the diagnosis of a new and unknown case from an available set of clinical data and from his/her

clinical experience. This process can be computerized in order to present medical diagnostic procedures in a rational, objective, accurate and fast way. In fact, in the last twothree decades diagnostic DSSs have become a well established component of medical

differentiate

between

systems

supporting

decisions with respect to the core processes and systems supporting decisions which occur in management processes. The second

distinction concerns the users of a DSS, which distinguish between DSS used only within one functional unit of the network organization, and DSS which are used by several units at the same time.

technology.

4. Current Issues in DSS

Decision-making is one of the most important activities for human beings. Complex decisionmaking problems are full of uncertainties and ambiguities. Research about DSS has then proposed to help people effectively solve this kind of problem. Figure 1: Classes of Decision Problems in Network Organizations

Higher education is a big business. With the awareness of the knowledge economy has comes a growing consciousness that higher education constitutes a large industry or economics sector in its own right.

Social decision support system (SDSS) is to facilitate the integration of diverse views into a growing knowledge base and investigation of

Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) have been hailed for the potential to reduce medical errors and increase health care quality and efficiency. At the same time, evidencebased medicine has been widely promoted as a means of improving clinical outcomes, where evidence-based medicine refers to the practice of medicine based on the best available scientific evidence. The use of CDSSs to facilitate evidence-based medicine therefore promises to substantially improve health care quality.
[6]

the future of pervasive computing, using as participants any and all who decide to participate on the web. The system design embodies the hope that modern human networking technology can be configured and used to allow the emergence of a collective human intelligence by very large groups of individuals.

5. Summary
Information System (IS) and Information Technology (IT) play an important role in

According to Vetschera

[7]

, there are several

Decision Support System (DSS). Different definitions DSS from authors point of view by Turban (1995), Little (1970), Moore and Chang (1980), Keen (1980), and Power (1997).

types of DSS usage and deployment outlined in figure 1. First distinction is made according to the application area of the DSS by

History of DSS during late 1950s and early 1960s where DSS first been introduced until millennium approached of Web-based

symposium on Applied computing SAC '95, pp 22-26, February 1995 Turban, Efraim. Decision Support

analytical applications of DSS. Besides that, in this paper also described a few importances of DSS, which are to assist in high-level decisionmaking, improve assist the academic quality and advising staff, of

[4]

Systems and Intelligent Systems, Sixth Edition, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2001. Claire, Marketing decision

timeliness

[5]

C.

marketing decisions, and medical diagnosis process. Current issues of DSS are decisionmaking as the most important activities for human beings, Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) in health care, several types of DSS usage and deployment, and Social decision support system (SDSS) to facilitate the integration of diverse views into a growing knowledge base and investigation of the future of pervasive computing.

support system, Industrial Management & Data Systems Volume 97 Number 8, pp. 293296, 1997

[6]

Ida Sim, Paul Gorman, Robert A.

Greenes, R. Brian Haynes, Bonnie Kaplan, Harold Lehmann, and Paul C. Tang, Clinical Decision Support Systems for the Practice of Evidence-based Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association Volume 8, Number 6, Nov-Dec 2001 Vetschera, R., Decision Support

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