Information Technology & Systems

SUMMARY: To enable a company to achieve its objectives, it is essential that the management has a clear understanding of the kind of information that needs to be collected, stored, and analyzed.

This information should be consistent with the requirement of the organizational level at which it is targeted. Information systems that process data generated from the occurrence of business transactions are called transaction processing systems.

Information systems in many large organizations are combinations of various functional information systems like marketing information systems, manufacturing information systems, human resource information systems, accounting information systems, and financial information systems.

The characteristics of an MIS are that it is management-oriented, management-directed, an integrated system, enables maintenance of a common database, and is flexible.

The functions of an MIS are data collection, data storage, and information presentation. DSSs are used to help in managerial decision making. A DSS is flexible, based on simple models, and uses a database. An EIS aims at providing timely information to the top management.

For the successful implementation of the EIS, a consensus between a senior management person and a project leader is essential. OLAP helps in multidimensional analysis and provides timely information. A well-designed OLAP can help in efficient data management.