Integrated decision support systems: A data warehousing perspective

Successfully supporting managerial decision-making is critically dependent upon the availability of integrated, high quality information organized and presented in a timely and easily understood manner. Data warehouses have emerged to meet this need. They serve as an integrated repository for internal and external data—intelligence critical to understanding and evaluating the business within its environmental context. With the addition of models, analytic tools, and user interfaces, they have the potential to provide actionable information resources—business intelligence that supports effective problem and opportunity identification, critical decision-making, and strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Four themes frame our analysis: integration, implementation, intelligence, and innovation.