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Chapter 1 • An Overview of Business Intelligence, Analytics, and Decision Support 33

1.3 Managerial Decision Making 37
1.4 Information Systems Support for Decision Making 39
1.5 An Early Framework for Computerized Decision Support 41
1.6 The Concept of Decision Support Systems (DSS) 43
1.7 A Framework for Business Intelligence (BI) 44
1.8 Business Analytics Overview 49
1.9 Brief Introduction to Big Data Analytics 57
1.10 Plan of the Book 59
1.11 Resources, Links, and the Teradata University Network Connection 61

1.1 Opening Vignette: Magpie Sensing employs
Analytics to Manage a Vaccine Supply Chain
effectively and Safely

Cold chain in healthcare is defined as the temperature-controlled supply chain involving a
system of transporting and storing vaccines and pharmaceutical drugs. It consists of three
major components—transport and storage equipment, trained personnel, and efficient
management procedures. The majority of the vaccines in the cold chain are typically main-
tained at a temperature of 35–46 degrees Fahrenheit [2–8 degrees Centigrade]. Maintaining
cold chain integrity is extremely important for healthcare product manufacturers.
Especially for the vaccines, improper storage and handling practices that compromise
vaccine viability prove a costly, time-consuming affair. Vaccines must be stored properly
from manufacture until they are available for use. Any extreme temperatures of heat or
cold will reduce vaccine potency; such vaccines, if administered, might not yield effective
results or could cause adverse effects.
Effectively maintaining the temperatures of storage units throughout the healthcare
supply chain in real time—i.e., beginning from the gathering of the resources, manufac-
turing, distribution, and dispensing of the products—is the most effective solution desired
in the cold chain. Also, the location-tagged real-time environmental data about the storage
units helps in monitoring the cold chain for spoiled products. The chain of custody can
be easily identified to assign product liability.
A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at
the handling of cold chain vaccines by 45 healthcare providers around United States and
reported that three-quarters of the providers experienced serious cold chain violations.

a Way tOWard a POssibLe sOLutiOn
Magpie Sensing, a start-up project under Ebers Smith and Douglas Associated LLC, pro-
vides a suite of cold chain monitoring and analysis technologies for the healthcare indus-
try. It is a shippable, wireless temperature and humidity monitor that provides real-time,
location-aware tracking of cold chain products during shipment. Magpie Sensing’s solu-
tions rely on rich analytics algorithms that leverage the data gathered from the monitor-
ing devices to improve the efficiency of cold chain processes and predict cold storage
problems before they occur.
Magpie sensing applies all three types of analytical techniques—descriptive, predic-
tive, and prescriptive analytics—to turn the raw data returned from the monitoring devices
into actionable recommendations and warnings.
The properties of the cold storage system, which include the set point of the storage
system’s thermostat, the typical range of temperature values in the storage system, and

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