Business Support Systems with Excel

Curriculum guideline

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Course
CSIS 3190
Discontinued
No
Course code
CSIS 3190
Descriptive
Business Support Systems with Excel
Department
Computing Studies & Information Systems
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
201720
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 week
Max class size
35
Contact hours
4 hours per week
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Lab
Learning activities

Lecture and Lab

Course description
In this course, students will build on their knowledge to apply advanced Excel features, to create unique business support systems (BSS). Topic included: Advanced Functions (Business, Statistics, Logical), Macro’s, Power Pivot Tables, User Defined Functions (UDF), Visual Basic Application (VBA) coding, What-If Analysis tools and Custom System User Interface (UI) Dashboards. This is a case-based course where students will be presented with real world capstone business problems and create multifaceted business systems using Excel and the agile system development methodology.
Course content

During our work together in this course, students will:

  1. Review the fundamental terms, concepts and theories associated with BSS, computerized decision aids, expert systems, group support systems and executive information systems.
  2. Examine business cases that support business decisions, and various planning, analysis and control tasks.
  3. Develop the systems using, agile planning, analysis, design and implementation of a computerized BSS.
  4. Design user interfaces (UI) and create custom dashboards.
  5. Connect live XML web databases for dynamic analysis.
  6. Build state-of-the-art BSS using advanced macro and Visual Basic Application (VBA).
  7. Recognize that most business support systems are designed to support rather than replace decision makers.
  8. Create documenting and training material to support a customized BSS.
Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the successful student should be able to:

  1. Evaluate the differences between a variety of business support systems.
  2. Analyze a business problem and create a business support system using Excel.
  3. Apply Visual Basic Application (VBA) coding to create a business support system.
  4. Utilize power pivot tables to rapidly analyze large data sets.
  5. Resolve a redundant business procedure using macros.
  6. Create dynamic connections, implement and update online XML data.
  7. Design a custom user interface (UI) to simplify rapid input analysis.
  8. Create a custom user defined function (UDF) to automate an iterative procedure.
  9. Present a custom designed business support system (BSS) to management.
  10. Demonstrate the knowledge necessary to write the industry standard MOS Excel certification exam.
Means of assessment
Business Case Assignments    15% - 30% (2-4 Cases)
Computer Lab quizzes 15% - 30% (2-4 Quizzes)
Midterm 15% - 30% (1-2 Midterms)
Final Exam 25% - 30% (1 Final)
Textbook materials
  • Exploring: Microsoft Excel, Comprehensive
  • MyITLab with Pearson eText -- Access Code 
  • Exploring VBA for Microsoft Office
Prerequisites

CSIS 1190

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Which prerequisite

None