1. INSTRUCTOR:
            Dr. John Butler
        OFFICE:
            448 Fisher Hall, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University,
            Columbus, Ohio 43210
        OFFICE HOURS:
            Monday 5:30 - 6:30 and by appointment.
        OFFICE PHONE:
            (614) 688-8679
        E-MAIL:
       butlerj@cob.ohio-state.edu
         the subject of all messages must be AMIS 657

2. COURSE TEXTS:

1. Required text: Decision Support and Data Warehouse Systems, by E. Mallach,  McGraw Hill, 2000; and my lecture notes.
2. This syllabus serves as an interactive entry point into all materials covered in this class. It WILL be updated frequently during the quarter, so check often for new links, notes, messages, and other related material.
3. Recommended material :Any book on Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic (we'll talk the first day)

The purpose of this course is to study advanced topics in decision support systems: technology designed to enhance effective decision making.  Some areas we will cover include problem formulation, interface design, and implementation.  The primary tool that we will use to build systems that support unstructured decision making will be Microsoft Excel, your new best friend.

4. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:
 

	You are expected to have read carefully the assigned portion of the book prior to coming to class; most of the class time will be devoted to the discussion of applications and extensions of the material in the book.
	We will use Excel as our primary tool for building decision support systems, taking advantage of the power of the "macros" we will write in Visual Basic.  I will teach you the basics; you are not required to be an expert with Excel or VB, but you are expected to learn as we go.
	You may work on assignments together (for example, discuss how to work a problem or rough out a solution), but every group must turn in work that has been completed individually. Solutions may not be “copied” and “pasted” by multiple groups.  The purpose of the assignments is not to find a solution on the Internet or from students who took this class previously.  If you do find some useful information on the web or from another source it should be referenced!  Evidence of cheating in any form will be met with serious punishment including formal channels at the University level.
	If my computer is damaged in any way as a result of a malicious virus that you sent me you will receive an "F" for the course.
	If you miss an exam or assignment for any reason, I need evidence that it is a university approved excuse.  In the event that you are sick, I need a note from a non-relative medical professional explaining precisely what ails you.

5. GRADING:
 

	Grade breakdown: Homework : 4 x 100 points each = 400 points Final Project : 120 points 3 Quizzes x 100 points each = 300 points Participation : 20 points
	Late assignments are not accepted.
	Participation is not attendance.  You will be directly rewarded for making postitive contributions to class discussion.

6. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Week	Date	Topic	Readings	Notes	Assignments
1	Mar 27	Introduction to DSS DecisionMaking Process	Chap 1 & 2
	Mar 29	Meet in Mason Hall 345	Chap 1& 2
2	Apr 3	DSS Information and Models Typesof DSS	Chap 3 & 4
	Apr 5	Meet in Mason Hall 345	Chap 3 &4
3	Apr 10	Quiz 1: Chapters 1 - 4 DSS Architecture	Chap 5
	Apr 12	DSS Architecture  DSS SoftwareTools	Chap 6
4	Apr 17	Discrete Event / Monte CarloSimulation	Chap 8
	Apr 19	Meet in Mason Hall 345	Chap 8
5	Apr 24	Building DSS	Chap 7
	Apr 26	Models	Chap 9
6	May 1	Quiz 2: Chapters 5-9 GroupDSS	Chap 10
	May 3	Decision Trees; Bayes Rule
7	May 8	Meet in Mason Hall 345
	May 10	Expert Systems	Chap 11
8	May 15	Optimization	Chap 9
	May 17	Meet in Mason Hall 345	Chap 9
9	May 22	Data Warehousing / EIS	Chap 12
	May 24	Analysis of Data Warehouses	Chap14
10	May 29	Memorial Day - No Class
	May 31	Quiz 3: Chapters 9-12,14 Large Scale LP
	Jun 6	Projects due at 5:00 pm

7. ARRANGEMENTS FOR ASSIGNMENTS:

As indicated, some assignments may be completed in groups of between 2 and 3 students (no more, no less). Only one report is to be submitted per group. To prevent free-riding the group may be split at any time during the quarter, by written notification to the professor. Free-riding is further discouraged in that questions from the assignments will appear on the exams, and peer-evaluation will be solicited.

Note that some assignments might take more than a few hours to finish. You should submit the required material to your professor. The assignments are due at the beginning of the class session. No late assignments will be accepted - no exceptions.

8. MESSAGES: