Fall 2010 Course Syllabus

Advanced Business Intelligence

Course #: MIS6334-501
School of Management, The University of Texas at Dallas

Course Information

Course

Course Number : MIS6334-501

Course Title Advanced Business Intelligence
Dates and Room Friday, 7:00-9:45 PM, SOM 2.722

Professor Contact Information

Professor Eric Zheng
Office Phone 972-883-5914
Email Address ericz@utdallas.edu (pls. use elearning for e-mails)
Office Location SOM 3.203
Office Hour: Friday, 5:00-7:00 PM
Other Information http://www.utdallas.edu/~ericz

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

MIS6324, statistics (OPRE6302).

Course Description

MIS6334 focuses on how to analyze business data to enhance firms‟ competencies. As part of
the 4-course curriculum for the SAS data mining certificate program, the objective of this class
is two-folded: 1) learn basic SAS to fulfill the requirements by SAS and 2) learn advanced
topics in business intelligence. We‟ll cover the topics as required by the SAS certificate
program including data manipulation, imputation, variable selection, SAS/STA, SAS/ETS,
SAS/QC (DOE) and various SAS stat modules. Advanced business intelligence techniques
will be organized into five broad topics: data analytics, model analytics, advanced customer
analytics, web intelligence analytics and special topics on analytics. More specifically:

I. Business data analytics - data pre-processing, cleansing, feature selection, data

imputation (for missing data), active learning.
II. Model analytics – advanced models, model selection, model enhancement and
model combination.
III. Customer analytics - consumer choice, counting & timing, loyalty, life-time value,
profitability, survival etc.
IV. Advanced Web intelligence analytics - web text mining, social network analysis,
user-generated content analysis etc.
V. Special topics – optimization, risk analysis, survival analysis, business process
management, firm efficiency analysis, decision making analysis etc.

Tools to be used: Excel (spreadsheet modeling), SAS Enterprise Miner 6.2, SAS Text Miner 9.2,
weka, UCINET and possibly SAS Social Media Analytics and SQL Server 2008 (has financial
performance module, DW module, BI reporting)

Course Syllabus Page 1

 Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Master SAS
Learn advanced BI

Required Textbooks and Materials

The little SAS book, a Primer, 4th

Edition (2008)

By: Lora Delwiche, Susan Slaughter

ISBN: 1599947250

Publisher: SAS Press

Software: SAS 9.2, TextMiner, Weka, UCINET, and Excel Solver.

Academic calendar
Week 1 (8/20): Class overview

Class organization, topics overview, software etc.

Introduction to SAS
o Acquiring SAS at UT, Running SAS programs in SAS using UTD remote access
o SAS basics (modules, statistic tests, data format, programming, print, graph)
Case/article Discussion
o Business analytics: too cool (just) for school, Analytics Magazine, 2010.
o Intelligent Enterprise archive on business analytics at http://intelligent-
enterprise.informationweek.com/channels/business_intelligence/archive.jhtml

Week 2 &3 (8/27): Data Analytics (a continuation on BI), SAS Data Manipulation

Missing data problem (imputation), noise data (outlier detection), data preprocessing
(feature selection), data reduction (factor analysis, PCA),
Case/article Discussion
o Jim Goodnight (SAS CEO)‟s take on SAS BI (www.cio.com/articles/507526)
o HBR 2010 “what we‟re watching in cloud computing”, to be posted
o Oracle white paper “Why BI is ripe – Now! For businesses of any size”, to be
posted
SAS data step, Creating a SAS data set from raw data
o Reading and combining SAS data sets
o Manipulating and formatting date values

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 o Retaining data across observations
o Inputting raw data into SAS
o Making and using permanent SAS data files
Start SAS HW1

Week 3 (9/03): Model Analytics 1 - advanced models, Weka, SAS Data Management

Advanced Models: Naïve Bayes, Bayesian Network and Support vector machine
Introduction to Weka, weka manual, update on weka (to be posted)
Case/article discussion
o BI Infrastructure: HP white paper “Inside the next-gen data center”, to be posted
o Latest trend in cloud computing: “Startups keep on-demand BI faith, but big
vendors wait and see” (www.cio.com/articles/511477) or ACM09 “CTO round
table on cloud computing”, to be posted.
SAS data management
o Merging, Concatenating (stacking) SAS data files
o Working across variables
o Collapsing across observations in SAS via Proc Means, Data Step
o Reshaping data via Proc Transpose

Week 4 (9/10): Model analytics 2 – model enhancement, more on SAS Data Management

Boosting & bagging &stacking, active learning, model selection (AIC, BIC), ROC,
ensemble.
Start Project 1 using Weka
Case/article discussion: CMR article “merged datasets, an analytical tool o evidence-
based management”, to be posted.
Continue on SAS Data Management

Week 5 (9/17): Quick overview on applied probabilities, distributions, basic statistics and
MLE. SAS Programming I

Heads-up on Probabilities, conditional Probability, Bayesian theory (prior and posterior

probability), Correlation, common distributions, statistics (mean, variance, mode),
hypothesis testing.
Comparison to traditional regression-based models: curve-fitting vs. model-fitting.
general discussion about philosophy and objective of probability modeling.
Case/article discussion (choose one of the three)
o EJOR10 – Subbagging for credit scoring models
o EJOR 10 – Support vector machine for default prediction of SMEs based on
technology credit.
o EJOR10 – Forecasting cancellation rates for service booking revenue
management using data mining (SVM)
SAS Programming Techniques
o Arrays, Loop, Condition and others

Week 6 (9/24): Advanced customer analytics I – Count Model, SAS Programming II

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 Introduction to Poisson process, negative binomial models, evaluating goodness-of-fit,
alternative estimation (methods of moments), MLE.
Start SAS HW2
Case/article discussion: HBR 10 article - rethinking marketing, to be posted
SAS programming II
o Modules, macros, debug

Week 7 (10/01): Advanced Customer Analytics II – repeated choice, timing model, SAS
Simulation

Choice (Logistic) vs counting, binomial distribution, beta-distribution as a mixture model.

Timing model. Motivational problem: forecasting new product adoption. Exponential-
gamma. Weibull. Loyalty program (SoW) and Customer life-time value.
Case/article discussion: EJOR10: credit scoring for profitability objectives
SAS Simulation
MT review

Week 8 (10/08) In-Class Mid-term

Week 9 (10/15): Special topic I: Fraud detection, LTV analysis, model with limited data

Fraud detection, common approaches & applications

customer profitability and LTV by Pfeifer et al. (2005)
Incorporate aggregated data into modeling

Week 10 (10/22): Advanced customer analytics III. – Empirical Bayes, Covariates. SAS
Modules I

Conditional probabilities, Poisson and NBD regression, logistic regression

Start Project 2 using Excel Solver
Case/article discussion
o ACM09 “toward web2.0”, to be posted
o CIO article “Facebook, Twitter becoming business tools, but CIOs remain wary”,
www.cio.com/article/513176
SAS Basic procedures

Week 11 (10/29) Web Intelligence Analytics I – Advanced web mining, user-generated

contents, SAS Modules II

Advanced web mining, text mining, mining user-generated contents (blog, twitter, online
reviews)
Case/article discussion (choose one or two)
o Text Analytics: two worlds collide, Analytics Magazine, 2010.
o SAS social media analytics webcast: http://www.sas.com/apps/webnet/webcast-
viewer-2.0/index.jsp?index=wc_sa12apr10 SIGKDD08 “Blogsphere: research
issues, tools and applications”
o HBR 09 article – closing the customer feedback loop, to be posted
o Akamai – ecommerce web site performance today, to be posted
SAS procedure II

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 o Proc IML
o Proc SQL
Start SAS HW3
Week 12 (11/05): Web Intelligence Analytics II – Advanced text mining and SASText Miner
9.1, SAS Modules III

Advanced text mining

SAS Text Miner 9.1
SAS Module on Panel data analysis
o Proc REG, Proc GLM, Proc GENMOD, Proc MIXED etc.
Case/article discussion (choose 1-2)
o Google and Microsoft to escalate war in 2010 (www.cio.com/articles/511520)
o ACM 09 “overcoming the J-shaped distribution of product reviews”,
o KDD 09 “OpinionMiner”
o EJOR10 “On the predictive ability of narrative disclosures in annual reports”

Week 13 (11/12): Web Intelligence Analytics III: Social network analysis, UCINET, SAS
Modules IV
Social network analysis
Case/article discussion: CMR article on social network
Start Project 3 using UCINet and Text Miner (T.B.D)
SAS advanced modules

Week 14 (11/19): Special topic II: Business performance management I (BPM), Efficiency
analysis, SAS Modules V

Business performance management, business process management, optimization,

productivity/efficiency analysis (DEA), change management, event study (Eventus), BI in
decision making
Case/article discussion
o HBR article on BPM
o EJOR10 Efficiency of Indian banks
o EJOR10 – optimizing the marriage market: an application of the linear assignment
model
o Capital 1 top 10 list
Other SAS Modules
o Time-series data analysis (ETS)
o SAS OR (manual 9.2)
o SAS QC (DOE)

(11/26) No Class (Thanksgiving)

Week 15 (12/03): student presentation or Final exam (T.B.D.)

ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION and Discussion

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Attendance and participation are extremely important in the determination of your final
grade! The class participation consists of:

Attendance: Students that attend classes often score much higher on exams and
assignments are receive significantly better grades.
Class Participation: Students are expected to participate in class discussions of case
studies and assigned readings and be able to respond to general and individual
questions based on assigned readings.
Class Presentation and discussion board participation: We‟ll have a list of extra
readings/cases on which students will lead the discussion. Each student will need to
present at least once (in the form of groups) or post at least two comments in the
discussion board. Extra work will be rewarded.

Participation will be positively considered in the determination of the final grade, and
students that regularly and actively participate in class discussions may automatically
receive a grade of A, or significantly improve their final grade at the instructor’s
discretion.

Student Assessments and Grading

Components Grades
Class Participation 5%
Projects 50%
SAS HW1 5%
SAS HW2 7%
SAS HW3 8%
P1 10%
P2 10%
P3 10%
Mid-Term 25%
Final Exam 20%
Total 100%

Note: The grading distribution may change I necessary. Students can check their grades by
clicking “My Grades” under Course Tools after the grade for each assessment task is
released. I will curve the grade as this is a brand new class. Roughly 35% will receive A or A-,
another 35-40% will receive B (B+, B and B-), and the rest 20% will receive C or below.

Assignment submission instructions

You will submit a hard copy of your assignments and if needed also a digital copy to the
„digital drop box‟ at elearning. Please see the Assignments link on the course menu or see the
icon on the designated page. You can click each assignment name link and follow the on-
screen instructions to upload and submit your file(s). Please refer to the Help menu for more
information on using this tool. Please note: each assignment link will be deactivated after the
assignment due time. After your submission is graded, you may click each assignment‟s
“Graded” tab to check the results and feedback.

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 For the team project assignment, one group member will submit the assignment for the group
and all group members will be able to view the results and feedback once it‟s been graded.

elearning

Much of the class information can be found at the e-learning Portal. Students will use their UTD
NetID account to login to the course at: http://elearning.utdallas.edu. Please see the course
access and navigation information.

The data which can be found there include the class schedule, assignments, the lecture slides
and class news. This is also where you will access the Discussion Board. Posting comments on
the discussion board will be counted towards class participation.

If you have any problems with your UTD account or with the UTD eleanring server, you may
send an email to: assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at: 972-883-2911. If
you encounter any technical difficulties within the course site, please send an email to
gmbasupport@utdallas.edu.

Scholastic Honesty
The University has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty.
Detailed information is available on the Scholastic Dishonesty web page. All students are
expected to maintain a high level of responsibility with respect to academic honesty. Students
who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties,
including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since
such dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies
on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced

Course Evaluation

As required by UTD academic regulations, every student must complete an evaluation for
each enrolled course at the end of the semester. An online instructional assessment form will
be made available for your confidential use. Please look for the course evaluation link on the
course Homepage towards the end of the course.

University Policies

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of
each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student
conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to
all registered students each academic year.

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 The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules
and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI,
Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university‟s
Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to
students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist
students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents‟ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off
campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high
standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one‟s own work
or material that is not one‟s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any
other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university‟s policy on plagiarism
(see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which
searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level
courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle
withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of
"F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university‟s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious
effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with
whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members

Course Syllabus Page 8

 retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be
resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a
copy of the respondent‟s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response
provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If
the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean‟s decision, the student may make a written
appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and
convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final.
The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed
at the semester‟s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete
grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long
semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is
not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a
grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. It is the student‟s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for
such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to
faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during
office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities
for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship
are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused,
will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the
absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A
student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be
penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the
prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given below.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

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 These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the
Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 10