How can you get the information you need to make good decisions?

On-Line Analytic Processing (OLAP) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) enables executives in gaining insight into data by providing fast,  interactive access to a  variety of possible views of information. These Executive Information Systems transform raw data so that it reflects the  dimensions of the enterprise understood by the user.

These Executive Information Systems (EIS) systems have the ability to answer "who?" and "what?" questions. Additionally they can answer "what if?" and "why?" questions. EIS enable decision-making about future actions. EIS calculations can be more complex than simply summing data. An interesting EIS question might be: "What would be the effect on seat/mile costs if jet fuel prices went up by $.10/gallon and maintenance costs went down by $.05/mile?"

EIS depend on access to good, consistent data, usually contained in a Data Warehouse. A Data Warehouse stores and manages data. OLAP transforms Data Warehouse data into strategic information. EIS range from basic navigation and browsing (often known as "slice and dice"), and calculations, to more serious analyses such as time series and modeling. As decision-makers exercise more advanced capabilities, they move from data access to information to knowledge.

Experience

In 1976, corporate managers at one of the largest insurance companies in Boston wanted an online system to help determine the profitability of insurance lines by sales area.  In an era before the phrase Decision Support System (DSS) became common, Bryan Kocher created a three dimensional DSS to analyze profitability, by insurance line, and sales area.

 

The Profit Analysis System (PAS) extracted data from the monthly accounting system.  It stored information on payments, claims, and profitability in an online database.  The user interface was designed to make the data readily available to upper level managers.  Profitability could be viewed at any of five levels of area aggregation, from individual agent to company region, subdivided by up to six levels of insurance product hierarchy.  Subdividing profitability into payments and claims provided a third dimension to this pioneering DSS.

 

Building on such early experience, Bryan Kocher recently created Decision Support systems for Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) and USWest (now Qwest).  Both of these systems are used by marketing management at the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC) to determine profitability for their products.  Prior to the breakup of AT&T, the RBOCs were regulated to attain a fixed rate of return on equity.  Profitability by product was never a concern.  In the new competitive atmosphere, profitability became a paramount concern.  Both of there RBOCs used their DSS to organize thinking about products, profitability and fixed investment allocation.  The RBOCs’ DSS have helped them survive and thrive in a deregulated world.

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EIS Executive Information Systems DSS Decision Support Systems OLAP On-Line Analytic Processing EIS Executive Information Systems DSS Decision Support Systems OLAP On-Line Analytic Processing EIS Executive Information Systems DSS Decision Support Systems OLAP On-Line Analytic Processing EIS Executive Information Systems DSS Decision Support Systems OLAP On-Line Analytic Processing EIS Executive Information Systems DSS Decision Support Systems OLAP On-Line Analytic Processing EIS Executive Information Systems DSS Decision Support Systems OLAP On-Line Analytic Processing

 

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Last modified: 01/23/03