A Framework for Web-Enabled Large-Scale Decision Support System Engineering

Abstract

Developing a large-scale information system (IS) can be a complicated and a challenging exercise. Combined with the complexity of developing a Decision Support System (DSS*) and the complexity of developing Web-enabled systems, developing a Web-enabled large-scale DSS designed to serve multiple managers in different business functions who might be distributed over a large area can be a more challenging task than that of developing the much more common two-tiered client/server DSS that have evolved over the past few years. In this paper, it is demonstrated that extra efforts and a more systematic approach in Web-enabled large-scale DSS development are worthwhile, since such a system should incorporate and benefit from the recently developed technological techniques, including information distribution and data exchange schemes. An attempt is made to identify those characteristics of DSS that require different treatment and attention and some issues, which can have greater effect on developing Web-enabled large-scale DSS, are presented.