The potential of decision support systems (DSS - Decision Support System) is the subject of growing interest on the part of companies, fueled by the continuous evolution of information and communication technologies and by the need of business managers for decision support more effective. The text aims to provide a map of DSS demand, with specific reference to small and medium-sized enterprises, and the relative offer, which presents products with very different and articulated characteristics. After outlining the state of the art of DSS, identifying the fundamental classes (Query & Report, OLAP, EIS), the text describes the characteristics and potential of 10 of the main DSS products marketed in Italy, reports the results of a response empirical inherent to the needs of DSS at 30 small and medium-sized enterprises in the Northeast and finally presents two pilot cases of DSS applications in the context of geo-marketing and the flexible production budget respectively.
Dedicated to those who can also decide on the basis of instinct.
