The Dynamics of Decision Support Systems and Expert Systems

In most business information systems curricula, either a course on decision support systems (DSSs) or a separate track in DSSs has been established. Decision support systems have been around since the early 1970s, and their proliferation and use in homes and businesses have increased dramatically over the years. In recent years, however, the impact of artificial intelligence, particularly expert systems (ESs), has accelerated DSS technology--its applications, design methodologies, and implementation strategies. The goal of this book is to explain DSSs and ESs--the relationships between these two applied technologies, their synergistic effects upon each other, and their differences--and to show what effect their interaction has had on the framework, processes, and technical components for building DSSs.