Why Decision Support?

Most companies choose a decision support system (DSS) as their first foray into client-server-architecture. This is usually a wise choice, because it allows the IS department to become familiar with the new technology under the following conditions:

• The graphical user interface (GUI) environment allows presentation of data that wasn't possible in a character-based environment, with flexible table and chart displays.

• Decision support doesn't require tampering with "mission critical," line-of-business transaction processing systems.

• Since DSS is usually targeted at senior management, it tends to make those who hold the purse strings happy and excited about the new technology.

• The front-end applications tend to be "read-only," and don't require the developers to address the added complexity of client-side transaction processing issues.