Saturday, January 31, 2009

MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM - 2

3. Explain the different components and various applications of expert systems.
Ans
Expert system consists of 4 major parts
(1) User Interface
(2) Knowledge Base
(3) Inference Engine
(4) Development Engine

P User Interface
The user interface enables the user to enter instructions & information into the expert system and also to receive information from it. The instructions specify the parameters that guide the expert system though its reasoning process. The information is in the form of values assigned to certain values.
 Expert System Inputs
The user can use 4 methods for input purposes menus, commands, natural language and customized interfaces.
 Expert System outputs
Expert systems are designed to recommend solutions. Theses solutions are supplemented by explanations. There are two types of explanations
 Explanation of questions
The manager may desire explanations while the expert system performs its reasoning. Perhaps the expert system will prompt the manager to enter some information. The manager asks why the information is needed, and the expert system provides an explanation.
 Explanation of Problem solution
After the expert system provides a problem solution the manager can ask for an explanation of how it was reached. The expert will display each of the reasoning steps leading to the solution.
P Knowledge Base
The knowledge base contains both facts that describe the problem area and knowledge representation techniques that describe how the facts fit together in a logical manner. The term problem domain is used to describe the problem area. The popular knowledge representation techniques are rules and networks of rules.
The rules in the knowledge base are usually coded in the form ,If X THEN Y, where X is a condition is an action to be taken if the condition is true. All the rules contained in an expert system are called the rule set. The rules of a rule set are not physically linked, but their logical relationship can be established.
P Interface Engine
The interface engine is the portion of the expert system that performs reasoning by using the content of the knowledge base in a particular sequence. During the consultation, the interface engine examines the rules of the knowledge base one at a time, and when a rule’s condition is true, specified action is taken. In expert system terminology, the rule is fired when the action is taken.
Two main methods have been devised for the inherence engine to use in examining the rules.
 Forward Reasoning
Also known as forward chaining, the rules are examined one after another in a certain order. The order might be in the sequence in which the rules are entered into the rule set, or it might be some other sequence specified by the user. As each rule is examined, the expert system attempts to evaluate whether the condition is true or false.
 Reverse Reasoning
Also known as backward chaining, the inference engine selects a rule and regards it a problem to be solved. Reserve reasoning is faster than forward reasoning because it does not have to consider all the rules and does not make multiple passes through the rule set. Reverse reasoning is appropriate when
1. There is multiple goal variables.
2. There are many rules.
3. All or most of the rules do not have to be examined in the process of reaching a solution.
P Development Engine
The development engine is used to create the exert system and this process involves building the rule set. There are two basic approaches
 Programming Languages An expert system can be created using any programming language, however, two are especially well suited to the symbolic representation of the knowledge base, Prolog and Lsp.
 Expert System Shells An expert system shell is ready made processor that can be tailored to a specific problem domain through the addition of the appropriate knowledge base. In most cases, the shell can produce an expert systems quicker and easier by programming.



APPLICATIONS OF EXPERT SYSTEMS
The business applications of expert systems are many. Some of them are as follows
 Manufacturing
• Marinating Facilities.
• Analyzing quality and providing corrective measures
• Determining whether a process is running correctly or not
• Scheduling job shop tasks
• Selecting transportation routes
• Assisting with product design and facility layout.
 Marketing
• Establishing sales quotas
• Responding to customer inquiries
• Assisting with marketing timing decision
• Determining discount policies
 Accounting And Finance
• Providing tax advice and assistance
• Helping with credit authorization decision
• Selecting forecasting models
• Providing investment advice
 Personnel
• Assessing applicant qualifications
• Giving employees assistance in filling out forms
 General Business
• Assisting with project proposals
• Recommending acquisition strategies
• Educating trainees
• Evaluating performance
 Social Applications
• Counseling prospective students about study option
• Advising buyers on the ideal home layouts.

4. Mention the advantages and disadvantages of client server system.

Ans:

 Advantages
• Reduction of responsibilities and cost overhead at centre.
• Better local cost control of operations and development.
• Faster response time to requests for processing.
• Greater access to corporate data and knowledge otherwise maintained in a highly protected and centralized data structure.
• Enables distribution of processing from centralized to desktop computing.
• Offers cooperative processing between individuals and group departments across organizational boundaries, geographies and time zones.
• Rewriting systems for the client server system is often an opportunity to purge obsolete software from the application portfolio and to consolidate, integrate and make the system more efficient.
• Offers more friendly interfaces for end users-especially knowledge workers and customers.
• Greater involvements of end users in IT implementation.

 Disadvantages
There are some advantages of client server system. Some problems exist, which are associated with downsizing and the need for greater coordination and cooperation among the end users of the system. There is a problem of resistance, which must be expected of all the new technological changes. Training may be considered as a technological obstacle.
End user have to be trained not only on sing the client and knowing the functions of the server, but end users need to be educated about networking and trained in navigating across LAN and perhaps across the internet. Other technological obstacles are the lack of tools of development and products of the client server system, the lack of methodologies for development of client server systems, lack of experience in the planning and implementation of a client server system, lack of experience in the planning and implementation of a client server system, lack of available standards relating to the equipment and operations of such systems. These and other disadvantages of client server are as follows
 Organizational
• Lack of personnel skill in the client server and in networking.
• Resistance to change and new technology
• Risks of downsizing
• costs of conversion
• Need for greater coordination and control of more end users.
 Technological
• Need of LAN/WAN infrastructure.
• Lack of skills and equipment resources.
• Lack of methodology in planning for client server system.
• Lack of client server products and tools of development.
• Lack of client server application
• Lack of national and international standards for the client server paradigm.

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