what is a decision support system dss 
a decision support system dss is a computerized program used to support determinations judgments and courses of action in an organization or a business a dss sifts through and analyzes massive amounts of data compiling comprehensive information that can be used to solve problems and in decision making typical information used by a dss includes target or projected revenue sales figures or past ones from different time periods and other inventory or operations related data understanding a decision support system dss a decision support system gathers and analyzes data synthesizing it to produce comprehensive information reports in this way as an informational application a dss differs from an ordinary operations application whose function is just to collect data the dss can either be completely computerized or powered by humans in some cases it may combine both the ideal systems analyze information and actually make decisions for the user at the very least they allow human users to make more informed decisions at a quicker pace one of the first data driven dss was developed at american airlines in the 1970s 1using a dssthe dss can be employed by operations management and other planning departments in an organization to compile information and data and synthesize it into actionable intelligence in fact these systems are primarily used by mid to upper level management for example a dss may be used to project a company s revenue over the upcoming six months based on new assumptions about product sales due to a large number of factors that surround projected revenue figures this is not a straightforward calculation that can be done manually however a dss can integrate all the multiple variables and generate an outcome and alternate outcomes all based on the company s past product sales data and current variables a dss can be tailored for any industry profession or domain including the medical field government agencies agricultural concerns and corporate operations characteristics of a dssthe primary purpose of using a dss is to present information to the customer in an easy to understand way a dss system is beneficial because it can be programmed to generate many types of reports all based on user specifications for example the dss can generate information and output its information graphically as in a bar chart that represents projected revenue or as a written report as technology continues to advance data analysis is no longer limited to large bulky mainframe computers since a dss is essentially an application it can be loaded on most computer systems whether on desktops or laptops certain dss applications are also available through mobile devices the flexibility of the dss is extremely beneficial for users who travel frequently this gives them the opportunity to be well informed at all times providing them the ability to make the best decisions for their company and customers on the go or even on the spot 