For a Decision Support System course offered in business schools. Packed with essential information, this valuable text helps future business management professionals learn to make and support managerial decisions, providing a thorough understanding of the support aspect of DSS. Written from a cognitive processes and decision-making perspective, it concentrates on issues that emphasize managerial applications and the implication of decision support technology on those issues. - NEW - Intelligent software agents chapter added. - NEW - DSS system development chapter added - Provides logical sequencing of all DSS topics ranging from application types through design and deployment. - NEW - Building data warehouses chapter added. - NEW - Megaputers PolyAnalyst and TextAnalyst data mining and visualization software applications - Including detailed tutorials, data sets, and sample problems. - Strong managerial application and use approach. - Processes involved in making creative decisions and effectively solving problems. - Future of decision support systems - i.e. expert systems, artificial intelligence systems, and executive information systems. - Decision-making theory - e.g. decision