| 1. Introduction | 2. Example | 3. Main Menu | 4. Printing | 5. Graphs | 6. Modules | Table of Contents |
| Overview | Hardware & Software | Installation | The Program Group | Starting the Program | The Main Screen |
Welcome to Prentice-Hall's Decision Science software packages - DS
for Windows, POM for Windows and QM for Windows. These
three packages are the most user friendly software packages available in
their fields. POM for Windows is a package for Production and Operations
Management, QM for Windows is a package for quantitative methods,
management science or operations research and DS for Windows contains
the modules in both of those packages. These packages have been designed
to help you to better learn and understand these fields. The software can
be used to either solve problems or to check answers which have been derived
by hand. DS for Windows contains a large number of models and most
of the homework problems in POM textbooks or QM textbooks can be solved
or approached using DS for Windows.
While the printed version of this manual accompanies DS for Windows,
since the look and feel of the three packages is identical the manual can
be used for any of the three. In this introduction and the next four chapters
we describe the general features of the software. We encourage you to read
them while running the software on your computer. Chapter 6 contains the
description of the specific models and applications available in DS
for Windows.
You will find that the software is exceptionally friendly due to the
following features:
What all of this means to you is that with a minimal investment of time
in learning the basics of DS for Windows you will have a very easy-to-use
means for solving problems or for checking your homework. Rather than being
limited to looking at the answers in the back of your textbook you will
be able to see the solutions for most problems. In many cases the intermediate
steps are displayed in order to help you check your work. In addition,
you will have the capability to perform sensitivity analysis on these problems
or to solve bigger, more interesting problems.
The software will work on any IBM PC compatible that is 386 or higher
with at least 3 MB RAM and operating Windows 3.1 or higher. There are very
few differences when operating the software under Windows 3.1 or Windows
95 and these few differences will be indicated in this manual.
The software is provided on a single 3.5" diskette. The 3.5"
diskette version requires a 1.44m disk drive (as all are except on very
old machines).
The software has no special monitor requirements. Different colors are
used to portray different items. All messages, output, data etc. will show
up on any monitor. Regardless of the type of monitor which you are using,
the software has the capability that allows you to customize colors and
or fonts and font sizes in the display to your liking. This is extremely
useful when using an overhead projection system. These options are explained
in the chapter on the Main Menu in the section entitled Tables.
A printer is not required to run the software but, of course, if you
want a hard copy (printout) then it is necessary to have a printer attached.
The printing is plain so that no special features, characters or printer
are required. It also is possible to print to a file in order to import
the printout into a word processor for further editing.
We assume below that the hard drive is named C: and that the 3.5"
disk drive is named A: or B: The software installs in the manner that most
programs designed for Windows install. For all Windows installations including
this one it is best to be certain that no programs are running while you
are installing a new one. In fact, it is best to do the installation as
your first act after Windows opens. That is, it is worthwhile to exit Windows
and then reenter Windows to install any software if you have been running
any program.
Default values have been assigned in the setup program but you may change
them if you like. For Windows 3.1 the default values are that the program
will be installed to a directory on the C: drive named C:\DSWIN (or C:\QMWIN
or C:\POMWIN) and that the program group will be named DS for Windows
(or QM for Windows or POM for Windows). For Windows 95 the
default folder is C:\Program Files\DSWIN (or C:\Program Files\QMWIN or
C:\Program Files\POMWIN). Generally speaking, it is simply necessary to
click [NEXT] each time that the installation program asks a question.
If you get a message saying that something is wrong during installation
and you have the option to ignore then I suggest that you choose this.
The program will likely install properly anyway. The message usually indicates
that you are running a program or have run a program that shares a file
with this software package.
After the files have been copied the setup program will ask you for
registration information such as your name, university, professor and course.
All items are optional except for the name which must be given. The
name can not be changed later!
One option that the program will question you about is whether or not
you want to be able to run the program by clicking on the file name in
File Manager(Win 3.1) or Explorer(Win 95). If you say yes then the program
will associate the proper extensions with the program name. If you choose
not to then this can be done manually by associating each of the 26 data
file extensions with this program. This is a very tedious process.
With the written permission of Prentice-Hall it is permissible to install
the software to a network only if each student has purchased an individual
copy of the diskette. If you are installing the software to the network
then each student should run the program NETSETUP.EXE from the installation
diskette. This will create an individual configuration system for the student.
In addition, it will allow the software to display and print the individual
student's name rather than the network name.
Please note that the software installs some files to the Windows System
directory. The installation will back up any files that are replaced if
you select this option.
Finally, some users have their individual computers boot Windows from
the network rather than the hard disk. Because the software installs to
the Windows System directory you will likely need to have the software
installed by the network operator rather than by yourself unless you have
write permission to the directory.
Under Windows 3.1 you will have a program group added to your program manager. The group will be called DS for Windows and after you open the group it will appear with seven icons displayed.
Under Windows 95 a program group will be added to the Start Menu with
six options.
Prior to starting the program you should check the README file by clicking
on the Readme icon in the program group. The manual is produced before
the software is finalized. This means that there is time to change the
software after this manual has been finished. If changes are made
then they will be indicated in this file.
The DS for Windows icon is the option that is used to begin the
program. Help is available from within the program but if you want to read
some information about the program without starting the program then use
the DS for Windows Help icon.
DS for Windows includes the capability to perform some Normal
Distribution computations from within it. This is especially useful for
Project Management and for Forecasting. In addition, the Normal Distribution
calculator can be run separately by using its icon and the Help can be
viewed similarly.
Under either Win 95 or Win 3.1 the program group contains one icon named
Prentice Hall Web Site Gateway. If you have an association for HTM files
with a Web browser (e.g. Netscape or Internet Explorer) then this document
will point you to program upgrades.
To uninstall the program under Windows 3.1 simply click on the uninstall icon in the program group. Under Windows 95 use the usual Windows 95 procedure to uninstall.
In either case the programs will be removed but the data files will
not and will have to be deleted using file manager or explorer.
Starting the program
To use DS for Windows under Windows 3.1 double click on the DS
for Windows program icon. For Windows 95 Click on Start, Programs and
then the name of your program in order to use the software. In addition,
under Windows 95 the installation will create a shortcut and place it on
your desktop. This can be used to start the program. If you are running
on a network then before starting the program have your individual configuration
diskette that you created by running NETSETUP.EXE in drive a: or b: in
order to customize the performance of the program.
After starting the program the screen will appear as below.
The name of the licensee will appear in the display. This will be your
name if you are running on a stand-alone computer or the network name if
you are running on a network. In addition, after the name an indication
of whether this has been registered as operating on an individual machine
or a network will appear.
One important piece of information is the version number of the software.
In the example the version is 1.4 and this manual has been designed around
that number. However, as mentioned above, the manual is produced before
the software is finalized. This means that there is time to change the
software after this manual has been finished. If changes are made
then the version number will be different. (It probably will be version
1.41). If the version number on the screen does not match then you should
check the README file (see the program groups). In fact you should check
this file anyway.
Another piece of information that may appear on the screen is the names
of the authors of your textbook if you have chosen that option when the
software was registered or have changed this information through the HELP
option of the Main Menu. The program will start in a couple of seconds
after the opening display appears. If there are any problems with the registration
a message will appear now. However, even if a message appears simply click
on OK to continue.
The second screen that appears is the module selection screen (shown
in Chapter 2). In order to display all of the screen components we have
selected a module and loaded a data file.
The top of the screen is the standard Windows title bar for the window.
At the beginning the title is 'DS for Windows'. If you have chosen
one of the available texts then the names of the authors of the texts should
appear in this title bar at the beginning of the program. The title bar
will change to the module and submodule name as you select different modules
as exemplified above where the title is 'Forecasting/Time series analysis'.
To the left of the title bar is the standard Windows control box and to
the right are the standard minimize and maximize (and close in Win 95)
buttons for the window sizing options.
Below the title bar is a standard Windows Menu Bar. The menu bar is very conventional and should be easy to use. The details of the menu options of FILE, EDIT, VIEW, MODULE, TABLES, TOOLS, WINDOW, and HELP are explained in Chapter 3. At the beginning of the program the EDIT option is not enabled as there is no data to edit and the WINDOW option is also disabled since this refers to results windows and we have no results.
Below the menu is a toolbar (also called a button bar and also called a ribbon). This toolbar contains standard shortcuts for several of the most commonly used menu commands. If you move the mouse over the button for about 2 seconds then an explanation of the button (balloon help) will appear on the screen if the button is enabled. As with most software packages the toolbar can be made to disappear if you so choose (click on VIEW). This, of course allows for more room on the screen for the problems. Alas, some software packages allow the toolbar to float but this one does not.
The bar below the toolbar is a command button bar and it contains three
(sometimes four) buttons. The button on the left is named [MODULE].
(This does not appear on QM for Windows or POM for Windows).
A module list can appear in two ways - either using this button or the
MODULE option on the main menu. The next button left is named [PRINT
SCREEN] and it is there to emulate the old print screen function in
DOS. Due to the nature of Windows and the many possible screen settings
we I can not guarantee that this button will always print the screen exactly
as you see it. If you are working with a desktop that is 640 by 480 or
800 by 600 then it should work. The other command button is the [SOLVE]
button. This is what you press after you have entered the data when you
are ready to solve the problem. Alternatively you may use FILE, SOLVE or
the second button from the right 
on the toolbar or press the [F9] key.
For some modules there is one more command that will appear on the command
bar. This command is [STEP] and enables you to step through the
iterations displaying one iteration at a time. If you want you can eliminate
the toolbar by using the VIEW option from the Main Menu.
The next bar is the instruction bar. There is always an instruction here trying to help you to figure out what to do or what to enter. Currently the instruction indicates to select a module or open a file. When data is to be entered into the data table this instruction will explain what type of data (integer, real, positive, etc.) is to be entered. The instruction can be placed on the bottom, made to disappear or it can be turned into a floating instruction bar through the VIEW option on the main menu.
In the center are two areas one of which is the main data table. The table contains a title and then simply rows and columns. The number of rows and columns depends on the module, problem type and specific problem.
Above the data table is an area named the extra data bar for placing extra problem information. Sometimes it is necessary to indicate whether to minimize or maximize, sometimes it is necessary to select a method and sometimes some value must be given. These generally appear above the data.
Below the data is an area for annotating problems. Comments may be placed in here and when the file is saved the information will be saved and then when the file is loaded the information will appear.
The bottom of the screen contains the status panel. The panel will display the file name if a file is loaded, the type of screen which is being displayed, the user name, the date, and the time. As with the other bars this display can be customized by using the VIEW option.
If the file name does not fit entirely in the panel on the left then
if you click on the panel the entire file name will be displayed.
| 1. Introduction | 2. Example | 3. Main Menu | 4. Printing | 5. Graphs | 6. Modules | Table of Contents |
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Prentice-Hall, Inc. A Simon & Schuster Company Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 |