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Brian J. Reithel, PhD, CDP
Holman Hall 240
(662) 915-5469
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 9:00-9:30 a.m., Thurs. 3:00-4:00 p.m., and by appointment.

Email: breithel@bus.olemiss.edu

Homepage: http://faculty.bus.olemiss.edu/breithel/

None.  We will be making extensive use of Internet-based resources.

A study of decision support systems in terms of the roles an individual assumes in developing the components of a DSS, i.e., DSS builder, intermediary and technical adviser.  Included are topics in expert systems and artificial intelligence. 
Prerequisite: MIS-309.

MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE:

The purpose of this course is to allow the student to:

• Develop an understanding of the use of DSS's in modern organizations.
• Be able to use current tools and technologies for developing distributed DSS's.
• Understand the role of intelligent agents in modern information systems.
• Create multiple information systems and user documentation using rapid prototyping techniques in a Visual Programming Environment using Microsoft FrontPage, Active Server Pages, SQL Server, and ASP.NET technologies.
• Become familiar with rapid development using pre-existing components for Internet-based applications.
• Solidify understanding of object-oriented systems analysis, design, and implementation.
• Develop the ability to uncover and use advanced reference materials via the Internet.

As an MIS professional, the student is expected to have read assigned materials and to have completed assigned homework/project exercises prior to each class. The class discussions/lectures are intended to emphasize the primary concepts from each reading and to provide an opportunity to answer any questions that may result from the readings and/or assignments.

There are NO make-up exams. Students missing one midterm exam due to a PRE-ARRANGED excused absence will be allowed to count the final as 50% of his/her grade.

Homework assignments and projects must be handed in within 3 working days of the assigned due date.  A 25 point per day penalty will be imposed on late homework.

Poor performance is not an acceptable reason to request an incomplete grade.

The academic discipline policy of the University of Mississippi will be strictly followed in this course. Any academic misconduct or dishonesty will result in a grade of "F" in the course. The student should refer to the "M" book for definitions of academic misconduct.

Class participation is an important part of the learning experience. Many topics discussed in class will not be in the text; thus, missing classes implies missing knowledge which leads to missing opportunities to perform well on examinations and on the job after graduation.

Students should anticipate spending a significant amount of time EACH WEEK in the computer laboratory (or using a personally-owned computer if the student has the necessary software development tools/packages). This is the only way that true proficiency in the usage of modern program development tools can be attained.

Grades can be retrieved via the campus BlackBoard server.  Also, your homework assignments must be submitted via the View/Complete feature of BlackBoard.

ASP Reference Links

Simple Sample Web Site

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MIS-410 Tentative Schedule Spring 2003

DATE	Class Video	DISCUSSION TOPIC AND RELATED LINKS
January  9		Course introduction and overview Decision Support Systems history and overview by D.J. Power, editor of  DSSResources.com DSS Web Tour from D.J. Power Data Warehouses (Google directory) and the Five Stages of Data Warehouse DSS Evolution (from DSSResources.com) The Data Warehousing Institute DMReview as a source of information about data warehouses Data Mining (Google directory) OLAP (here is a nice article from MSDN about "Data Warehousing and Online Analytical Processing" Types of Decisions (by degree of structure and by level in the organization) Stages in the Decision-making Process (intelligence, design, choice) Architecture of Web-based Systems Internet Protocol Reference Links Internet Timeline by Robert Hobbes Zakon Using Microsoft FrontPage "Classical" Active Server Pages using VBScript Microsoft .NET Architecture - a quick overview
14		Knowledge Management Artificial Intelligence (expert systems, artificial neural networks, natural language processing) LAN Concepts Using FrontPage (part II) Advanced tips and tricks for Internet Explorer (courtesy of the IEInforSite in the UK) Basic HTML tutorial from w3schools.com
21		HTML, revisited Cascading Style Sheets tutorial from w3schools.com VBScript Using Microsoft Access data source names in VBScript Web Hosting (vendors, fees, etc.) -- nice reference site from cnet.com Domain Registration SSL Certificates
23		Your new "best friends": www.4guysfromrolla.com HTML, VBScript, Storing data NOTE: For all files, hit "View | Source" once the file is displayed in your browser window to see the actual source code access.dsn dsn.asp MyForm1.htm SampleInfoIn.asp  Overview of setting up a data source name ADeveloper.Com -- Web development resources -- "Everything you need to build your site" Here is a great chapter on "Color Theory" from a Glasshaus press book.
30		HTML, VBScript, SQL (nice tutorial from w3schools.com) Great list of ODBC, SQL Server and MS Access reserved words from the Baird Technology Group website Retrieving data SampleViewData.asp SampleViewDataWhere.asp InquiryForm.htm InquiryResults.asp InquiryForm2.htm (the results page for this form uses a different approach for presenting data, including referring to fields by their name instead of column number and automatically generating hyperlinks. InquiryResults2.asp InquiryResultsLastRec.asp (this file uses an ADODB.Recordset object to enable the script to jump to the last record (recordset.using MoveLast) in the recordset and display it for the user. Here is a MSDN Reference link for an article entitled "Using the RecordSet Object" Image Processing/Manipulation Tools, Animated GIFs Macromedia Fireworks, Flash, Director (Shockwave), DreamWeaver,    and ColdFusion MX Streaming Media (Microsoft and Real)
February 6		HTML, VBScript "Chaining" files together ChainForm.htm Chain1.asp Chain2.asp Deleting data DeleteForm.htm DeleteStudents.asp These next three files are used to make a 3-file chain, by using a hidden input field on the second file, to implement an "Are you sure?" mechanism for deleting records: DeleteFormAreYouSure.htm DeleteStudentsAreYouSure.asp DeleteStudentsAreYouSureYes.asp Updating data UpdateForm.htm UpdateInfo.asp   SuperUpdate.asp (uses "variable clauses" to "build up" the SQL UPDATE statement so that only the fields that the user entered will be updated)   ViewUpdate.htm (starts a 3-file sequence that lets you view and update existing records) ViewUpdateDisplay.asp ViewUpdateStore.asp Good article on "Using Connection Strings with ODBC/OLEDB/ADO/RDS" from the MSDN Library Another article on connecting to databases:  "DSN, DSNless Connections" by Charles Carroll Note: February 12th is the last day to withdraw
13		HTML, VBScript -- More Input Controls ControlsDemoForm.htm ControlsDemoScript.asp Session Variables User Authentication Protected Default.Asp Password.Inc InvalidPassword.htm AdminProtected.asp AdminPassword.inc PasswordDemo.zip Great set of "ASP Lessons" from haneng.com Here is the ADO Tutorial from www.w3schools.com Using the "<Object>" tag to "include" another file in your web page "Scraping" the HTML from another site
18		Microsoft Index Server Microsoft .NET Homepage ASP.NET Environment and Framework -- Alphabet Soup and Overview ASP.NET Quickstart Tutorial from Microsoft GotDotNet site Microsoft .NET Developer's Community (DevHood) Microsoft SQL Server, Security, and Stored Procedures quick preview (more to follow on March 6, 18)
25		Project 1 Due A good article on "Accessing and Changing Relational Data Overview" from MSDN ASP.NET -- Server Controls
27		MIDTERM EXAM I
March 4		ASP.NET -- Server Controls II
6		Introduction to Intelligent Agents Working with SQL Server Enterprise Manager Using SQL Server Data Sources in .NET Data Binding and Assorted List Controls Populate a data grid from an SQL Server database (.Net sample) RetrieveWithDataGrid.aspx RetrieveWithDataGrid.aspx.vb Simple Inquiry (.Net sample) Inquiry.aspx Inquiry.aspx.vb Inquiry With Button  (.Net sample) InquiryWithButton.aspx InquiryWithButton.aspx.vb Add new record using button  (.Net sample) AddNew.aspx AddNew.aspx.vb Populate a drop down list from a DB and do inquiry  (.Net sample) InquiryWithDBPopulatedDropDown.aspx InquiryWithDBPopulatedDropDown.aspx.vb
11, 13		Spring Break
18		Entering SQL Commands at runtime  (.Net sample) SQLCommandDemo.aspx SQLCommandDemo.aspx.vb Stored Procedures Security in SQL Server Security in .NET Work with a Stored Procedure to retrieve all records  (.Net sample) StoredProcedureDemo1.aspx StoredProcedureDemo1.aspx.vb Work with a Stored Procedure that uses Parameters to retrieve matching records  (.Net sample) StoredProcedureDemo2.aspx StoredProcedureDemo2.aspx.vb Using "Biometrics" devices for security Microsoft's ASP.NET "Starter Kits" Betas are Available Now! Community Starter Kit Time Tracker Starter Kit Reports Starter Kit Commerce Starter Kit Portal Starter Kit
25		XML Tutorial from w3schools.com XML FAQ edited by Peter Flynn XSL Tutorial from w3schools.com XML Data Objects in .NET Shopping Carts -- Make vs. Buy Nice article on building a shopping cart from WebReview.com, Nov. 21, 1997 Payment Gateways
April 1		Intelligent Systems II: Fuzzy Logic, Intelligent Agents (revisited) Using the Debugging Features in .NET Migration and Installation of .NET Applications Content Management Systems Google Web Directory on Content Management Microsoft Content Management Server PostNuke e-Content Magazine
8		Key Concepts in Electronic Commerce Systems B2B U.S. Federal EDI Standards B2C Perl CGI Java/JavaScript http://javascript.iinternet.com Developer.com Gamelan java resources WAP
15		MIDTERM EXAM II
17		Using global.asax SOAP tutorial from w3schools.com WSDL tutorial from w3schools.com UDDI Web Services overview
22		Web Services in .NET Mobile/Wireless Application Deployment in .NET
24		J2EE BEA Systems WebLogic Server IBM WebSphere Software Platform
29		Microsoft Commerce Server Building "Accessibility" Into Your Web Pages -- Here is a great chapter on accessibility issues from a Glasshaus press book by Shawn Lawton Henry
May 1		Last day of class
May 2		Semester project due
May 5-9 finals		Final Exam for MIS-410: Thursday, May 8 at 4:00 p.m.

Comments: breithel@bus.olemiss.edu