Developing Web-Enabled Decision Support Systems

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Developing Web-Enabled Decision Support Systems

• Ravindra K. Ahuja
• Industrial Systems Engineering,
• University of Florida, Gainesville
• ahuja_at_ufl.edu

2
Overview

• Introduction to Decision Support Systems
• Building a Web-Enabled Decision Support System
• Integrating DSS in Business Curriculum

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Decision Support Systems (DSS)

• A decision support system is an information
  system that assists the user in decision-making.

4
Developing Interactive Systems

• Practical decision making requires developing
  man-machine interactive systems.

The Model
Input Data
Output, Reports
User Interface, Re-optimization
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Importance of DSS Development Skills

• Help us package models and algorithms.
• Combine modeling with human experience
• Highly desirable for consulting jobs for students
• Useful for academics to get industry grants
• New consulting opportunities for faculty members

6
DSS Development Process

• Data Storage Mechanism
• MS Excel, Lotus 123
• MS Access, Oracle, MS SQL Server, Dbase
• Data Manipulation
• Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
• Visual Basic .NET (VB .NET)
• Java, C/C
• Data Presentation
• VBA, VB .NET, MS Access, ASP .NET
• Java Applets

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Two Common Ways to Develop DSS

• Spreadsheet-Based Decision Support Systems
• Spreadsheets
• Excel features
• VBA for Excel
• Web-Enabled Decision Support Systems
• Databases
• Microsoft Access
• VB .NET
• ASP .NET

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Overview

• Introduction to Decision Support Systems
• Building a Web-Enabled DSS
• Integrating DSS in the Business Curriculum

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Components of a Web-Enabled DSS

• Databases
• Database Management System (Access DBMS)
• Developing GUI
• Web-Enabling the Application

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Data Modeling

• Systematically converts E-R Diagram into Relations

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Access DBMS Developing Environment

• Access Environment Facilitates development
  process.

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Tables and Relationships

• Tables Stores data
• Relationships Window Relates data

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Queries

• Queries Processes data

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Data Manipulation using SQL

• Structured Query Language (SQL) is the most
  powerful and commonly used query language.

Sample SQL Command SELECT PorfolioID, Name,
Type FROM tblPortfolio WHERE Type Like Auto OR
Like Insurance
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Components of a Web-Enabled DSS

• Databases
• Database Management System (DBMS)
• Developing GUI
  (VB .NET)
• Web-Enabling the Application (ASP .NET)

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What is .NET ?

• .NET is a set of Microsoft software technologies
  for connecting information, people, systems, and
  devices.

• .NET Framework is a common layer between .NET
  applications and Windows OS.
• .NET Applications are VB / VC / C programs
  written on .NET Framework.

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VB .NET Developing Environment

• Visual Studio .NET is the Interactive
  Development Environment (IDE) for .NET
  applications.

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Exploring VS .NET IDE Features

• Create new/open existing projects. (Open the
  existing portfolio application.)

• Solution explorer lists all the files for the
  current solution. (Double click Welcome.vb file
  to view its design.)

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Exploring VS .NET ID Features (Contd)

• Design Window is the actual work place displays
  form design and VB .NET code. (Double click
  anywhere on this form to open its code window.)

• ToolBox is a gazette of controls forms building
  blocks. (Add a button and label controls to the
  form.)

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Exploring VS .NET ID Features (Contd)

• Properties Window sets properties for controls
  and in a way their appearance and behavior. (Set
  Name, Text, Font, Back Color properties on these
  controls.)

• Menu bar and Toolbars are handy for supporting
  operations like save, run, add items. (Save the
  project and run the application.)

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VB .NET Programming Language

• Like other programming languages VB .NET
  supports
• Interaction with user (user input / output)
• Arithmetic, logical, and string operations
• Control structures
• Modules, Classes, Procedures, Methods
• Data structures like arrays

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ProgrammingInteractive Process

• VB .NET is event driven programming. (Double
  click the button control and add following code
  for its OnClick event.)

• Code window lists all the controls and their
  events for us. (Browse the combo boxes on top of
  the code window.)

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Programming...Interactive Process (Contd)

• Programming is even more fun now. Get all the
  help online as you code.

• Organize your code in nice and neat format using
  region feature of IDE. (Browse through to play
  with these features.)

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ADO .NET Database Connectivity

• ADO .NET structure makes is easy to
• Connect to a database
• Run SQL queries against it
• Store and further process query results
• Add/Update/Delete records from database

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ADO .NET Database Connectivity (Contd..)

• Steps for querying a database and showing results
  on VB .NET form
• Connect to a database (once for a project)
• Create a data adaptor with desired SQL statement
• Create a dataset to store query results
• Bind the control to the dataset
• Run the query by writing VB .NET code

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Connection, Adaptor, and Dataset

• Server Explorer makes it easy to connect to a
  database. (Connect to the Portfolio database.)

• Toolbox assists in the creation of data adaptors,
  and data sets. (Portal form Add an adaptor and a
  dataset to get the list of portfolios.)

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Binding Controls to Dataset

• We then bind controls to datasets to show query
  results on forms using property window for a
  control. (Bind the dataset created to the list
  box on Portal form.)

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Writing Code to Execute a Query?

• Next we run the query and display the data. It is
  done by writing 2 lines of VB .NET code. (Write
  this code for list box control on page load
  event.)

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VB .NET Events and Data Retrieval

• Data retrieval (using adaptor and datasets) and
  VB .NET events can be combined together for
  interesting functionalities. (On selection of
  portfolio from list display its details in the
  data grid control.)

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VB .NET Events Data Retrieval (Contd..)

• Steps
• Create adaptors and datasets and bind them to
  respective controls. (Bind to list box and data
  grid.)
• Execute a parameter query for second control on
  some event of first control. (Here we execute
  parameter query for data grid on selection change
  event of list box.)

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Add/Update/Delete Records from DB

• Data adaptor, dataset and their methods makes
  altering database very easy. (Add these one
  liners to OnClick event of respective buttons.)

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Using VB .NETs Advance Controls

• We can use advance controls like Check List Box,
  Trees controls for nice functionalities.
• (Use check list box to display list of stocks
  allowing multiple selections, then display data
  for all selected stocks in the data grid.)

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Using VB .NETs Advance Controls (Contd..)

• We can use advance controls line Date Time Picker
  for professional looks.
• (Use this control to allow user choose year for
  performance graph.)

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VB .NET and OOPS

• VB .NET is a complete Object Oriented Programming
  Language (OOPL).
• VB .NET with its Class structure now supports all
  three basic OOP principles
• Encapsulation
• Inheritance
• Polymorphism
• What it is good for?
• Data hiding and data encapsulation
• Code reusability
• Split the development task into independent
  modules

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Other Supported Features

• Exception Handling Preparing for worse!! (Browse
  through the code for portfolio form for Try...
  Catch ... End Try blocks.)

• Code Debugging Towards perfection! (Press F5 and
  click for optimization, debugging window pops up,
  press F8 to step through.)

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Plug-in Optimization/Simulation Packages

• Some of the available options are
• Optimization code using VB .NET language.
  (Illustrated next.)
• Use VB .NET to connect to C/C code. (Using DLL
  files or through flat text files.)
• Use MS Excel functionalities. For example, we can
  use Excel Solver functionality to solve small to
  medium size optimization problems through VB
  .NET.

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Portfolio Optimization Problem
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Working with Crystal Reports

• Crystal reports are used to produce professional
  quality reports/graphs to summarize information.
  (Plot the pie chart for the output of the
  portfolio optimization result.)

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Working with Crystal Reports (Contd..)

• Steps for displaying crystal report on VB .NET
  form
• Have the data to plot in a dataset. (This might
  be from database or result of some operation like
  optimization.)
• Create the crystal report layout using Report
  Expert Wizard (Select type, fields, format etc.
  for graph.)
• Associate the crystal report and the dataset in
  VB .NET code. (This requires only 3 lines of
  code.)

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Working with Crystal Reports (Contd..)
Dataset with data to plot
VB .NET Code
Chart Expert Wizard
Final Graph
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ASP .NET Web Connectivity

• ASP .NET Internet HTML VB .NET
• Knowledge of Web Terms and Internet
• Hypertext Manipulation Language (HTML) - for data
  presentation
• Visual Basic .NET (VB .NET) - code behind web
  pages, for data manipulation

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How This Works?
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Developing ASP .NET Application

• Developing ASP .NET Application is very similar
  to VB .NET Application development. (Make Portal
  form of VB .NET application web-enabled using ASP
  .NET.)
• We use Web Controls and HTML controls for Windows
  controls used in VB .NET application.
• VB .NET code with minor additions can be used as
  code behind for ASP .NET pages.
• HTML code is automatically generated by the
  Visual Studio .NET IDE.

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Overview

• Introduction to Decision Support Systems
• Building a Web-Enabled DSS
• Integrating DSS in Business Curriculums

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Teaching DSS Development Courses

• The University of Florida is currently offering
  two separate courses on DSS Development
• Developing Spreadsheet-Based DSS
• Developing Web-Enabled DSS
• 3-credit courses
• Project-oriented courses

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Course Delivery

• Hands-on course
• Students bring laptops
• Instructor uses LCD Projector
• After basic topics from PowerPoint presentations
  are taught, we do in-class assignments.
• Weekly homework assignments.
• Students do semester-long team projects in which
  they develop full DSS applications.

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Outline of Web-Enabled DSS Course

• Part 1 (3 weeks)
• Database design principles
• Microsoft Access, Tables, Queries, SQL
• Part 2 (6 weeks)
• .Net Platform, VB .Net programming Language
• Windows forms and controls, Database connectivity
• Crystal reports
• Part 3 (3 weeks)
• HTML, ASP .Net, Database connectivity in Web
  forms
• Part 4 (2 weeks)
• Project work
• Developing and presenting DSS applications

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Web-Enabled DSS Textbook

• Abhijit Pol
• Ravindra K. Ahuja

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The Book Outline

• Part I Principles of Database Design
• Part II MS Access A DBMS
• Part III DB Programming using VB .NET
• Part IV Web-Connectivity using ASP .NET
• Part V Case Studies

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Case Studies

• NASAs Rocket Science
• University Student Information System
• TV Channel Project
• Airline Scheduling
• Portfolio Management
• Online Shopping

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Additional Course Material

• PowerPoint Presentations
• Review Questions and Hands-On Exercises
• Solution Manual for Instructors
• Student Team Projects
• Web Resources

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Another DSS Textbook

• Michelle M. Hanna
• Ravindra K. Ahuja
• Wayne L. Winston

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DSS Development Workshop
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Additional Information

• Course material website

www.ise.ufl.edu/IT
Workshop website
www.ise.ufl.edu/DSS
Interested in course material? Please give us
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