SQL Queries and Graphs

1.. This Query Table shows the sales in areas where sales were greater than $2000.

It labels them in the region and which products were purchased. This will allow managers to be able to see where the bulk of their sales are coming from.

I used the example given to us and then changed the ending limit to 2000.

SELECT "Product Category","Region","Product","Sales" FROM "Sales" WHERE "Region"='East' AND "Sales">2000

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=794442000000008019&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&DATATYPESYMBOL=false&REMTOOLBAR=true&SEARCHBOX=true&SHOWHIDEOPT=true

2. In this report I used

SELECT "Region", "Customer Name", "Date", "Profit"
FROM "Sales" WHERE "Product Category" = 'Furniture' AND "Profit" >1500
ORDER BY Region

This allowed me to find the date in which people were buying the most furniture and where the profit was above 1500. This allows me to

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=794442000000008122&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&DATATYPESYMBOL=false&REMTOOLBAR=true&SEARCHBOX=true&SHOWHIDEOPT=true


3. Here is the same Report but with the profit raised to 3000 to show big ticket items.

SELECT "Region", "Customer Name", "Date", "Profit"
FROM "Sales" WHERE "Product Category" = 'Furniture' AND "Profit" >3000
ORDER BY Region

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=794442000000008224&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&DATATYPESYMBOL=false&REMTOOLBAR=true&SEARCHBOX=true&SHOWHIDEOPT=true

This allows store owners to find the biggest ticket items, and which ones were popular. Thus attention can be paid to these items to ensure their sale and to track their popularity over time.

Here is a link of a graph from the SQL reports based on Profit over time.

https://reports.zoho.com/ZDBDataSheetView.cc?OBJID=794442000000008346&STANDALONE=true&ZDB_THEME_NAME=blue&REMTOOLBAR=true&INCLUDETITLE=true&INCLUDEDESC=true

This allows users to see overall profit and if we are meeting the standards of previous years. According this chart, we are not. We are slightly under since 2008 but higher than 2009.


HOW I DID IT

1. I logged onto ZOHO
2. Watched the video on how to create SQL query reports.
3. I copied and pasted the link from the example and changed the parameters to give the query new results.
4. I labeled the changes and noted their outcome.
5. I stated the benefits of these changes to users of SQL reports
6. I saved the queries
7. I shared them here.
8. Then I saved them onto my blogger.

Austin Energy First to Implement a Smart Grid

Austin Energy First to Implement a Smart Grid (4)

I will be discussing the social issues created by the advent of Smart Grid Technology in Austin Texas. Now, a Smart grid is an electrical grid that is connected via underground cables. This “‘Smart grid’ generally refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote control and automation. These systems are made possible by two-way communication technology and computer processing that has been used for decades in other industries.”(1, end of the first paragraph) This connection connection allows for diminished power outages and the ability for electrical users--such as home owners-- to track their usage. Which leads to “many benefits to utilities and consumers -- mostly seen in big improvements in energy efficiency on the electricity grid and in the energy users’ homes and offices.” (1 end of the first paragraph) Also, this smart grid allows one to see one’s usage over how much electricity is being produced from one’s home, say if you were using solar panels. PBS news begged the question of Austin’s Smart Grid “is the smart grid more efficient or just more practical...do these benefits outweigh the cost of uprooting an old system (electric poles and above ground wires) and replacing it with this one?” (2)

Austin’s Smart Grid technology has many benefits but companies similar to our PSE&G have a few complaints. Although these grids are bringing higher efficiency while demystifying energy consumption, the energy companies are concerned that smart grids will literally and figuratively take away some of the power from electrical companies. With “over 6 billion data points, [Austin power] is using super computing to figure out how to make the power consumption of the town more efficient.” (1) By using Decision Support Systems, they use this data to make informed decision on their personal and city wide consumption.

According to PBS, some Austinites are also solving “peak hour” issues of energy consumption by charging batteries during the morning. Subsequently, they use these charged batteries to power their households when prices for grid based electricity is high. (1) This takes power (energy) away from electric companies, while it loosens their monopoly on energy production by making it accessible to all. Electric companies are saying what you would expect them too. “At home rechargeable batteries are not safe yet”(2).

Now, till date, energy companies have denounced personal, renewable, batteries as being too dangerous. However, according to the Daily News there are entire island villages which safely use rechargeable car batteries, charged from photovoltaic arrays, as their main source of energy. According the Daily News, one island business owners said that "We don't have any power cuts, like our fellow brethren in the city!"(3) This island system was installed to combat the conditions after monsoons and flooding. They use the batteries to charge their refrigerators, cell phones, lights etc. This puts the power back in the hands of the users. With the combined power of computing, information systems, and DSS imagine what this system can do for America's energy problems.

In Conlcusion, and to finally answer the question of PBS, “is it practical to convert to this system?” (1) It is not only practical, it is our responsibility to the world to do so. We have the technology to implement smart decisions into our energy usage. We leave ourselves less open to energy attacks from hackers. Also, the more we compartmentalize our energy production and usage, the safer our future becomes. If one section of town gets a blackout, this energy system will ensure quick repair, data on when, where, and why the power was lost, and personal power production for the time in which the grid is down. We must be a part of producing, monitoring, consuming our energy. Who knows what using IS technology will do for other public works, like water usage, voting. But with electricity being the guinea pig, we will be one step closer to a more efficient world.

1. http://energy.gov/oe/technology-development/smart-grid
2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU5JEuLFQR8&feature=player_detailpage
3.http://india.nydailynews.com/business/ed8c2352ffd245ead9e128a7b492835d/assam-s-village-islands-use-solar-power-to-break-free-of-darkness-science-feature-with-image#ixzz22ogZwpdU
4. Information Systems 6th Edition Page 332

DSS in our lives

People may not be aware of it but Decision Support Systems, or DSS, are used in many different parts of life. DSS is responsible for medical decisions, agricultural developments and especially business planning. We will be discussing how we use this technology to augment human decision making.

DSS has many function, however the main “goal of a DSS is to make management more efficient and effective, particularly with ad hoc and discretionary decisions” (1). That is, the use of DSS will ensure that archaic decision making is not employed and companies, businesses, and fields work more efficiently.

It is also important for companies to teach the benefits of DSS and how easy it is to use systems like these. For instance, people don’t really know when they are using a DSS or not. But let me put it simply: "If you go to Weather.com and look at the forecast and decide to bring an umbrella with you, you're another successful user of decision-support systems," (2)

    Now for businesses, weather.com may not be the best DSS to find proper business conclusions. For most businesses DSS was relegated to only specific sections of companies but this is changing. “Managers are calling for DSS integration all over the companie” (2). This is similar to having a company that uses weather.com and umbrellas.com to find which umbrella is best for the expected weather. Moreover,  managers believe it creates higher efficiency and allows the managers to create concrete plans based on good information. That is, “Once you have visibility across the enterprise, you can make decisions on the data” (2). This concept is similar to cloud computing and the ability to share necessary information with all levels of the company. This creates a more efficient workforce.
    Decision Support Systems are not just for the business world. They can also be utilized to influence the decision which doctors make. That is a specific type of DSS known as “Clinical Decision Support Systems are active knowledge systems which use two or more items of patient data to generate case-specific advice” (3) This is helpful in ensuring that a patient will get the right medication or that a doctor can quickly make a diagnosis and a prescription depending on the ailments of a patient. Medical DSS is becoming more prevalent in hospitals and private practice. It helps avoid mistakes and catches repeat information, labeling it as a pattern to be investigated.

DSS is a part of our lives and as AI gets better DSS will too. Eventually we will have AI that can make decisions based on DSS programming. However, this comes with its own set of risks: AI may not be programmed with emotions and gut instincts. Logic can make harsh decisions, but by combining DSS with human compassion, we can create helpful, efficient solutions to medical, business, and every day decisions.

1. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/Cos-Des/Decision-Support-Systems.html
2. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/72327/Decision_Support_Systems
3.http://www.openclinical.org/dss.html