Decision Support, Analytics, and Business Intelligence, Third Edition

Book excerpt: A data-driven, global business environment requires increasingly sophisticated decision support, analytics and business intelligence. Also, changing technologies including mobile devices and cloud computing have created new opportunities for computerized decision support and an increasing need for technology support of business decision making. Contemporary managers must know much more about information technology solutions and especially computerized decision support, data science and analytics. This book is targeted to busy managers and MBA students who want to grasp the basics of computerized decision support. Some of the topics covered include: What is a decision support system? What is "big data" and how is it useful? What is business intelligence? How can predictive analytics support decision making? What is the impact of decision support on decision making? And how can managers identify opportunities for innovative analytics and decision support? Overall the book addresses 70 major questions relevant to decision support.