Choosing a decision-support system
– Which decision-support system, BI tool or reporting software should we choose?
– An overview of the different decision-support systems we and our customers use
– Different needs among different report and information users
What is decision support?
Decision support is an umbrella term for methods that support effective decision-making, primarily by processing large volumes of information using decision-support systems (expert systems) and algorithms for extracting information (data mining) from the company's other systems.
How do you evaluate decision support?
Before evaluating different decision-support tools, you should establish their purpose. What is the purpose of the decision support? Is it intended for everyone or for different types of user groups?
– Is viewing reports enough, or should users be able to explore information from different angles?
– Is it for a few users, such as the company's management team, or many users, such as all consultants and project managers?
– Do you require online information, meaning the information displayed is current rather than 2 hours old?
– In addition to decision support through reports and output, do you require two-way communication, meaning the ability to enter budget or forecast data?
– Is information held in different systems that currently cannot be connected
Another approach is to divide decision-support needs into conventional information sharing or analysis/data mining, as below:
Conventional information sharing
– Static reports and key figures are produced at regular intervals
– Intended for many users
– Online
– Challenge: are these the right key figures/reports from the ERP system?
Recommended tools: Sage X3 reports, Sage X3 BI, Jeeves ERP reports, Jeeves BI, Microsoft Reporting Services, Jeeves Business Control, Google Apps, Crystal Reports
Analysis/Data mining
– Dynamic reports and analysis that can be performed ad hoc
– Few users
– Information drawn from different sources
– Offline (performance)
– Challenge: flexibility versus data quality
Recommended tools: QlikView, Sage Enterprise Intelligence, Microsoft Office, Jeeves Dynamic Reports
Decision support from Systemstöd
The product sheet below provides an overview of the areas in which Systemstöd works with decision support, as well as information about when different types of decision-support tools and systems are most suitable.