OM 471 - Decision Support Systems

3 units (fi 6)(EITHER, 3-0-0)

Faculty of Business

The course focuses on the creation of decision support systems using Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet models and the associated macro programming language, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Students will learn how to create Excel-based applications to aid managers in making decisions based on data and analytics. These applications will have graphical user interfaces, appropriate models in the spreadsheet or in the background, and output reports. Fundamentals of VBA, such as the Excel object model, variables, control logic and loops, subroutines and function subroutines, and user forms will be introduced. Prior programming experience is not assumed. Student projects in this implementation-oriented course will come from different areas such as forecasting, regression, supply chain network design, employee scheduling, and portfolio optimization. Prerequisites: MGTSC 312, MGTSC 352 or OM 352.