Decision Support System (DSS)

Assignment 2
Decision Support System (DSS)
Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date
ASSIGNMENT 2 100.00 25.00 25th May 2016
This assignment must be your own work. It is acceptable to discuss course content with others to improve your understanding and clarify requirements, but solutions to assignment questions must be done on your own. You must not copy from anyone, including tutors and fellow students, nor allow others to copy your work. All Assignments will be checked using collusion monitoring tools to ensure that each assignment is the original work of the submitting student. Assignments that do not adhere to this requirement will be deemed as being the result of collusion or plagiarism. This may lead to severe academic penalties as outlined in USQ Policy Library: Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. It is your own responsibility to ensure the integrity of your work. Refer to the USQ Policy Library for more details:
• Academic Integrity Policy
• Academic Integrity Procedure
In completing this assignment, you are expected to use available resources such as the practical activities in the study modules, the Course Study Desk – especially the Discussion Forums (click the Study Desk link on UConnect – http://uconnect.usq.edu.au ), as well as exploring and experimenting on your own.
Applicable course objective:
• demonstrate problem-solving skills by identifying and resolving issues relating to information systems and their components, and proficiently utilise different types of information systems software (especially gaining proficiency in utilising databases, spreadsheets, and presentation applications).
• demonstrate written communication skills by understanding basic information, communication and technology (ICT) terminology for effective communication and applying it within a business environment.
Applicable graduate qualities and skills gained from this assessment instrument:
• Problem Solving (Skill U2)
• Written & Oral Communication (Skill U4)
This assignment is quite complex, and exposes you to many different components in Microsoft Excel 2007/2010/2013, some or all of which might be very unfamiliar to you. The assignment description provides some explanation of how to use these components, but you are also expected to use available resources such as Online Help, the Beskeen et al text, the Practical Skills sections at the end of each Module in the Study Materials, the SAM online tutorial activities and the course discussion forums, as well as exploring and experimenting on your own.
Preamble
Dr Dorothy “Dodo” Little was extremely impressed with our computing firm’s – Kinkajou Technologies – development of the All Creatures Great and Small’s Database Management System (DBMS) utilising Microsoft Access 2007/2010/2013 (Assignment 1). The business has contracted our firm to assist in setting up more of the business’s various computer-based information systems.
The next computer-based information system that the business is interested in is a Decision Support System (DSS) utilising Microsoft Excel 2007/2010/2013. The DSS will be used to analyse sales trends for the business to determine future courses of action for the business.
Dr Dorothy “Dodo” Little would like the information in the Database Management System (DBMS) (Assignment 1) imported into Microsoft Excel 2007/2010/2013 so that the information can be summarised as a report and some future analysis of sales trends performed. The suppliers used by the business, source items from either Netherlands (NL) or Cayman Islands (KY). They allow the business to select from either of these two regions on an ad hoc basic depending on the most favourable exchange rate at the time.
Dr Dorothy “Dodo” Little has noted that a number of the business’s competitors are providing a discount to customers who place large orders. The business would like to see what affect adopting a similar policy would have on the business. The business has also noted a growing number of online businesses are starting to provide free freight delivery as a way of encouraging more online business; the business would like to run a number of scenarios based on potential Mark-up and Freight options to ascertain the best combination for the business if they were to adopt this policy too.
All phases in this project must be developed with professionalism and user-friendliness in mind.

karledwards.com/poster-gallery/, Karl Edwards Studios.
Decision Support System Design
Mrs Hyacinth Macaw, your manager, has set up the following tasks for you to complete for this phase of the project:
1. Create a Spreadsheet and import the four (4) Access 2007/2010/2013 Tables into four (4) Worksheets
2. Data Validation Check
3. Create an Index Worksheet
4. Create a Data Input Worksheet Template for later use
5. Create a Calculations Worksheet Template for later use
6. Create Name Ranges for the Customers, Items, and Suppliers data
7. Create a Report Worksheet and set up the column headings
8. Modify the Report Worksheet by Cell Referencing all the Orders Table data
9. Modify the Report Worksheet by using VLOOKUP to get Customer, Item and Supplier data
10. Modify the Data Input Worksheet to include extra data needed for tasks 11 to 15
11. Modify the Report Worksheet by using a Nested IF to calculate Cost Price (AU)
12. Modify the Report Worksheet by using a Nested IF to calculate Selling Price
13. Modify the Report Worksheet by using a Nested IF to calculate Freight Cost
14. Modify the Report Worksheet by using a AND / IF to calculate Item Discount
15. Modify the Report Worksheet by using simple formulas to find Purchases and Sales, and Modify the Report Worksheet by using a formula to calculate the Order Discount
16. Modify the Data Input Worksheet to include extra data needed for tasks 18 to 22
17. Modify the Calculations Worksheet by using simple formulas
18. Modify the Data Input Worksheet by Cell Referencing all the Calculations data
19. Create eight (8) Scenarios on the Data Input Worksheet
20. Create a Scenario Summary of the eight (8) Scenarios
21. Create an Documentation Worksheet
22. Create an Analytical Essay to describe the findings made using the Spreadsheet
Task 1: Create and Import
Open a single new Excel 2007/2010/2013 spreadsheet and name the file – ‘[lastname] [initial] _ [student number] _ [course code] _ [assignment number]’ (eg. genrichr_0050051005_CIS5100_assign2.xlsx).
Import the following four (4) database tables from your Assignment 1 Microsoft Access 2007/2010/2013 Database File and into Microsoft Excel 2007/2010/2013 (tblCustomers, tblItems, tblSuppliers, tblOrders). The easiest and quickest way to import data from Access 2007/2010/2013 into Excel 2007/2010/2013 is by using the “Import From Access” Wizard. The following steps will assist you with this process:
1) Select the first unused tab at the bottom of the Spreadsheet, right click on it and rename it “CustomersTable”.

2) Put a heading at the top of the worksheet in cell A1 called “Customers Table”.
3) Go to the Data Icon Ribbon (see below)

4) Click on the From Access option in the Get External Data icon area.
5) In the Get External Data – From Access wizard popup, browse to find your Assignment 1 Access Database file and select the – then click Open.
6) In the Select Table wizard popup, select tblCustomers – click OK.
7) In the Import Data wizard popup, select Table and Existing Worksheet $A$3 as the location to Import the place to put the data.
8) Left click anywhere on the imported data in worksheet then go to the Design Icon Ribbon and select Convert to Range then click OK.
9) Check that the data has correctly been imported correctly into this worksheet.
10) Modify the layout of the data to a professional level of presentation, making sure that the headings are in English (Customer ID not CustID).
Use bold, italics, font size, font colours, shading, lines and borders.
Repeat the above 10 steps for the rest of the Access Database tables naming each worksheet as follows:
Database Table Worksheet Name Worksheet Title (Cell A1)
tblItems ItemsTable Items Table
tblSuppliers SuppliersTable Suppliers Table
tblOrders OrdersTable Orders Table
Task 2: Data Validation Check
Check the imported data in the CustomersTable, ItemsTable, SuppliersTable and OrdersTable to ensure that:
1. The column headings are displayed correctly
2. The content of each column displays in a format that appears valid for that type of data (apply appropriate formatting if required).
3. The content of each column contains complete and accurate data values (eg. Phone numbers are not truncated).
4. The content of each column contains reasonable data values for the use of this business.
If you discover that the data imported in any of your 4 table worksheets contains missing or inaccurate values, please contact the CIS5100 course team immediately. You will be issued with a new copy of the Assignment 1 Access 2007/2010/2013 Database file (containing the 4 Database Tables) to restart Task 1.
Task 3: Index Worksheet
Add a worksheet labelled Index before the four tables from Task 1. Put a heading at the top of the worksheet in cell A1 called Index Worksheet. Ensure that it contains all the recommended data for this worksheet listed in Appendix 7 of the Study Materials – Spreadsheet design considerations.
Modify the layout of the data to a professional level of presentation. Use bold, italics, font size, font colours, shading, lines and borders.
Task 4: Data Input Worksheet Template
Add a worksheet labelled DataInput after the Index worksheet from Task 2 (but before the four tables from Task 1) that conforms to Appendix 7 of the Study Materials – Spreadsheet design considerations. Put a heading at the top of the worksheet in cell A1 called Data Input Worksheet and then input the following template in the exact cells shown below onto this worksheet:
A B C D
3 Changing Cells:
4 Recommended MarkUp Type [Insert Markup Type here]
5 Recommended Freight Type [Insert Freight Type here]
6 Store Recommended MarkUp % [Insert Standard MarkUp % here]
7 Recommended Exchange Rate Type [Insert Exchange Rate Type here]
8 Exchange Rate (NL to AU) [Insert NL to AU Exchange Rate here]
9 Exchange Rate (KY to AU) [Insert KY to AU Exchange Rate here]
10
11 Quarterly Income:
12 Total Sales [Insert Cell Reference here]
13
14 Quarterly Fixed Expenses:
15 Bank Charges [Insert Bank Charges Expense here]
16 Electricity Expenses [Insert Electricity Expense here]
17 Freight Inwards Expenses [Insert Freight Inwards Expense here]
18 Internet Expenses [Insert Internet Expense here]
19 Telephone Expenses [Insert Telephone Expense here]
20 Wages Expenses [Insert Wages Expense here]
21
22 Total Quarterly Fixed Expenses [Insert Cell Reference here]
23
24 Quarterly Variable Expenses:
25 Total Purchases Expenses [Insert Cell Reference here]
26 Total Freight Outwards Expenses [Insert Cell Reference here]
27
28 Total Quarterly Variable Expenses [Insert Cell Reference here]
29
30 Total Profit: [Insert Cell Reference here]
31 Total Discount for Orders: [Insert Cell Reference here]
32 No. Orders Discount Applied: [Insert Cell Reference here]
* This template will be modified with correct number, formula and function in tasks 10 onwards.
Modify the layout of the data to a professional level of presentation. Use bold, italics, font size, font colours, shading, lines and borders.
Task 5: Calculations Worksheet Template
Add a worksheet labelled Calculations after the DataInput worksheet from Task 4 (but before the four tables from Task 1) that conforms to Appendix 7 of the Study Materials – Spreadsheet design considerations. Put a heading at the top of the worksheet in cell A1 called Calculations Worksheet and then input the following template in the exact cells shown below onto this worksheet:
A B C D
3 Quarterly Income
4 Total Sales: [Insert Formula here]
5
6 Quarterly Expenses
7 Total Quarterly Fixed Expenses: [Insert Formula here]
8
9 Total Quarterly Variable Expenses
10 Total Purchases Expenses [Insert Formula here]
11 Total Freight Outwards Expenses [Insert Formula here]
12
13 Total Quarterly Variable Expenses: [Insert Formula here]
14
15 Total Profit: [Insert Formula here]
16 Total Discount for Orders: [Insert Formula here]
17 No. Orders Discount Applied: [Insert Formula here]
* This template will be modified with correct number, formula and function in tasks 10 onwards.
Modify the layout of the data to a professional level of presentation. Use bold, italics, font size, font colours, shading, lines and borders.
Task 6: Name Ranges
On the CustomersTable, ItemsTable and SuppliersTable worksheets set the following Cell Range Names:
• Cust – on all the data (not headings) in the CustomersTable worksheet
• Itms – on all the data (not headings) in the ItemsTable worksheet
• Supp – on all the data (not headings) in the SuppliersTable worksheet
Note: You must only create the three name ranges listed in this task, any other name ranges used may result in loss of marks.

Task 7: Report Worksheet Headings
Add a worksheet labelled Report after the Calculations worksheet