What is a System Support Decision?

Decision aid systems (Support Systems DecisionDSS) are interactive systems that help companies make decisions by analyzing large amounts of data. These systems are used in many sectors and mainly intervene in the unstructured problems of the company's functional circles.

Decision support systems (DDS): definition

Support Systems Decision are computer planning and information systems, intended to improve business decision -making. In French, they are also called decision support systems (SAD). These interactive systems help management, operational levels and planning levels to structure problems of great complexity and to make founded decisions. Operational and strategic tasks are supported. The central functions of DDS are as follows:

• sorting, filtering and presentation of data
• evaluation operations such as comparisons, totalization or calculation of averages
• Carrying out calculation models
• The combination of data with optimization algorithms.

To determine the relevant information, prepare it and present it in the form of tables, graphics or simulations, the DSS analyze large amounts of data. They use knowledge and data from different fields, which do not only include raw data and documents, but also personal knowledge. Decision aid systems thus offer better quality of information than usual reports. Data sources are mainly relational databases, Data Warehouses and cubes (data storage in models). Sometimes other sources of information such as sales and turnover forecasts or electronic medical records are also used.

As a rule, decision -making systems consist of three elements:

• A knowledge base : The database acts as an information library and constitutes a central element of the DSS. It contains both internal information to the company and information from external sources and the Internet. DSS databases can operate as autonomous systems or be integrated into data warehouses for centralized information management.
• A software system : The base of the software system is a model, that is to say the simulation of a real system. Among other things, statistical models are used which establish relationships between events and variables, models of sensitivity analysis (« and if » analyzes) and different predictive models, such as chronological series analyzes and regression models.
• A user interface : The dashboards allow users to view the results and facilitate the processing of the recorded data. User interfaces DSS include, in addition to simple windows, control lines and menu -based interfaces.

Types of decision -making systems

There are different types of support systems Decision, which can be classified into categories depending on the information source used first:

• Data -based decision -making systems (Data-Driven DSS) is based on data from internal or external databases. They generally use data exploration techniques to identify models and deduce forecasts. Companies often use decision -making -based decision -making systems to optimize business processes. In public administration, DSS focused on data are used in particular in the fight against crime.
• Decision -making systems based on models (Model-Drive DSS) focus on the use of mathematical and simulation models adapted to the specific needs of users. DSS based on models are generally not too greedy in data and prove to be particularly practical in situations where it is difficult to make decisions based solely on historical data.
• Decision support systems based on collaboration (Communication-Drive DSS) aim to support communication and teamwork or to help the groups involved in decision -making to analyze problematic situations. This is mainly done by the use of different communication tools such as instant messaging.
• Decision aid systems based on knowledge (Knowledge-Driven DSS) provide specialized expertise to solve complex problems. This knowledge is stored in a database that the system updates permanently. DSS based on knowledge are mainly used for tasks that require human expertise.
• Decision -making systems based on documents integrate special technologies to recover and analyze documents. Documentary management systems that incorporate advanced search engines are an example.

What are the main areas of application of support systems Decision?

DSS can be adapted to changing technical questions and conditions, which gives them great flexibility of use. However, Human judgment is only supported and not replaced. This means that the interpretation of the information provided and the final decision -making remains the responsibility of humans. Decision support systems are content to provide the most relevant information and to assess the impact of possible decisions.

Decision aid systems are Specially adapted to the solving unstructured problemsthat is to say in situations where the data is very dispersed or enormous (Big data) and in cases where no logical link can be established between information. Among the areas of application in which DSS are used, we find:

• Route planning by GPS : Decision support systems are able to determine the ideal route between two points by analyzing the options available. Modern systems even offer the possibility of monitoring live traffic, which avoids traffic jams.
• Agriculture : Farmers use Systems Support Decision to determine the optimal moment for sowing, fertilization and harvesting.
• Medicine : Clinical decision -making systems are used, among other things, to interpret test results, diagnose diseases and develop treatment plans. A concrete example is a clinical DSS designed by Penn Medicine, which has been developed to optimize the weaning of patients under respirator.
• ERP dashboards : They make it possible to obtain an instantaneous of the main indicators of the company. Decision aid systems make it possible to view commercial and production processes and to monitor commercial performance objectives in order to identify the areas likely to be improved.

What relationship between DSS and AI?

In principle support system, support systems offer the possibility of integrating artificial intelligence. Intelligent decision -making systems (Intelligent Decision Support SystemsIDSS) make it possible to process huge amounts of data from different sources and to deduce recommendations for better decisions. For Recognize models and correlationsthey use AI technologies such as the Machine learning.

IDSS partly reproduce the reasoning of human experts while offering a much faster analysis capacity. Such systems find applications in automated production channels, marketing and medical diagnosis.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of decision -making systems?

The DSS therefore offer many advantages that help companies make more effective decisions. They integrate in a flexible and transparent way into existing information systems and can be extended individually. The corresponding systems allow intuitive use, which is particularly important for human-machine interactions. Although most of the final decision -making always returns to humans, decision -making systems contribute considerably to Improve planning processesand therefore often reduce costs. The possibility of going back to the origin of any convincing data is another advantage.

But there are also some drawbacks. On the one hand, the implementation and maintenance of the Decision Support Systems are expensive. On the other hand, the quality of the recommendations strongly depends on the underlying data. A risk exists that decision -makers will become too much DSS dependentthus compromising their own critical thinking.