A DSS application can be composed of following subsystems:
1. Data Management subsystem: The database management subsystem includes a database, which contains relevant data for the situation and is managed by software called the database management system (DBMS). The database management subsystem can be interconnected with the corporate data warehouse, a repository for corporate relevant decision-making data.
2. Model Management subsystem: The model base gives decision makers access to a variety of models and assist them in decision making. The model base can include the model base management software (MBMS) that coordinates the use of models in a DSS. This component can be connected to external storage of data.
3. Knowledge-based Management subsystem: This subsystem can support any of the other subsystem or act as an independent component. It provides intelligence to augment the decision maker’s own. It can be interconnected with the organization’s knowledge repository, which is called the organizational knowledge base.
4. User Interface subsystem: The user interface, also called the dialog management facility, it allows users to interact with the DSS to obtain information. The user interface requires two capabilities; the action language that tells the DSS what is required and passes the data to the DSS and the presentation language that transfers and presents the user results. The DSS generator acts as a buffer between the user and the other DSS components, interacting with the database, the model base and the user interface.