OPIM 101
Introduction to the Computer
as an Analysis Tool
Home page & email:
http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~opim101/spring02/
opim101@opim.wharton.upenn.edu
Spring 2002
File: lecture01spring02.ppt
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Topics
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Staff
Syllabus and organization of the course
What’s new and different this semester
Problem solving with computers
Some URLs
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Staff
• Instructors
– Jan W. Buzydlowski janb@wharton.upenn.edu
– Steven O. Kimbrough sok@equity.wharton.upenn.edu
– Catherine Yang yiyang@wharton.upenn.edu ???
• Graduate assistants
– Karthik Balasubramaniam, Head TA
karthikb@seas.upenn.edu
phone: (215) 898-6806
– Ming and Hong, Graders ???
• Undergraduate assistants
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Course Objectives: Empowerment
• Develop analytical, quantitative, & problem-solving skills for
– using computer to model, analyze, and solve management problems
– communicating analyses, conclusions, and recommendations for
managerial action
• Master cutting-edge tools for
– other courses
– summer jobs
– professional career after college
• Gain insight on
– effective use of information and decision technology to solve problems
– operations and information management
• Not “a course on how to use Excel”!
– Education vs. training
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Texts
• Required:
– Kimbrough (2001). Information and Decision Technology: An
Introduction to Computer-Based Modeling and Analysis
» “IDT Book” Online in PDF from course homepage
– Non-Programmers Tutorial for Python by Josh Cogliati.
» “EasyTut” Online at
http://www.honors.montana.edu/~jjc/easytut/ and at
http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~sok/idtresources/python/easytut.pdf
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Course Pack #1
Walkenbach (1999). Excel 2000 Bible
MOUS Essentials: Excel 2000
MOUS Essentials: Access 2000
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Course Requirements
• Classroom sessions
• Homework assignments
– Reading materials
– Homework Exercises (not graded)
– Tutorials in Excel and Access
» http://trainassess.phgenit.com
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Final Grade Basis
• Semester Grade Points Based on:
– Cases
» Internet 10% ???
» Excel 10%
» Python/DB/LP 10% ???
– Midterm Exam (35%)
– Final Examination (35%)
• MOUS Exams
– Practice Exams in Excel and Access
– Two Exams
» May be taken twice within two week period
» Failure to achieve >= 75% may result in loss of 10% and/or
incomplete
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Grading Policies
• Grades curved per Wharton core-course
guidelines - approximately
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25% As
40% Bs
30% Cs
5% Ds and Fs
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Important Dates ???
(“chiseled in stone”)
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Friday, September 21, 2001: Last day to add classes.
Monday, September 24, 2001, 10:00 a.m.: Internet Case due.
Friday, October 12, 2001: Last day to drop classes.
Monday October 15, 2001, 10:00 a.m.: Excel Case due.
Wednesday , October 17, 2001 – Wednesday, October 31,
2001: MOUS Excel Exam open.
Thursday, November 1, 2001, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Midterm
examination.
Monday, December 10, 2001: 10:00 a.m. VBA and database
case due.
Monday, December 10, 2001: Last day of fall classes.
Wednesday, December 5, 2001 – Wednesday, December 19,
2001: MOUS Access Exam open.
Thursday, December 20, 2001, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.: Final
examination.
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Tips
• Learning is not a spectator sport!
– Hands-on essential to learning
• Do assigned work on time
– Do assignments and attend class
– Catching up in OPIM 101 is difficult
– Case and tutorials take time -- plan ahead
• Get help when you need it
– RTFM: read the manual
– online help (e.g. Office Assistant)
– opim101 newsgroup for questions of general interest (check
frequently)
– e-mail: opim101@opim.wharton.upenn.edu
– office hours (TAs, Graders, Faculty)
– for info re private tutor for any Wharton course, contact Anita
Henderson (215.898.7608)
• Check course newsgroup and homepage regularly
– upenn.wharton.opim101-spring ??
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Working with the Staff;
Etiquette
• OPIM 101 is demanding for the staff also, so please be
thoughtful.
• All questions about the grading of the case should be
directed to the grader for the case, not the TAs.
• Please prepare before coming to office hours to use TAs’
efficiently
– If your questions will require access to your file, please upload it to
your futures account for downloading during office hours.
• Use the newsgroup
– Pose your question there if the answer might help other students.
– Check it regularly
– TAs will try to respond within 24 hours.
• Maintain high standards of civility / protocol.
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Academic Integrity
• We strongly endorse the University of Pennsylvania’s
Academic Code of Integrity, and will report any violation for
official action.
• Each student must work independently on Case 1: Internet
and???? Case 2: Excel. Groups may cooperate for Case 3:
Database.
• Do not discuss the contents of MOUS Exams with others
until everyone has taken it.
• Otherwise, we encourage you to:
• discuss with other students the course materials –
readings, tutorials, and homework exercises
– create an effective study group
– form a project group for Case 3????
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Encouragements
Email from a recent OPIM student:
Profs Kimbrough/ Laing,
As much as I wish it weren't the case, all I've
been doing all summer is OPIM. As soon as my
boss heard I knew VBA, he got me a laptop and
said for the rest of the summer I'd be writing
code. It's like I never left your class.
I just wanted to write and let you know that you
were right when you said OPIM would be
extremely useful to me. I doubted it at the time,
hoped you were lying. I just realized though
that a lot of what you taught me actually sank
in, and it has been very useful to say the least.
So thanks for everything.
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Course’s Main Topics
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Internet (and the WWW)
Spreadsheet modeling
Scripting (Python, Visual Basic for Applications)
Linear programming
Database Management Systems
Decision analysis
Additional Topics…
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Monte Carlo simulation
Discrete event simulation
Behavioral decision making
Information retrieval
Genetic Algorithms
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What’s New and Different
This Semester?
• Greater emphasis on scripting (programming)
throughout the semester?
• Why?
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Former students recommend it
Will reduce anxiety and difficulties for you for case 3
Will give you an advantage in the job market
Will empower you even more
New programming (scripting) tools available that are both
easier to learn and more powerful
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What’s New and Different
This Semester?
• Four kinds of programming
– Systems programming
» Computer Science
– Applications programming
» Both business and engineering. OPIM MIS concentration
– Utility & analysis (U&A) programming
» Prototypically: with scripting languages
» Power users; analysts with jobs to do
– End-user programming
» Savvy with applications such as Excel, Access
• OPIM 101
– A start on end-user programming and U&A programming
– Highly valued in the market
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What’s New and Different
This Semester?
• Programming with Python
– Much reduced emphasis on VBA
• Why Python?
– An excellent, easy-to-learn scripting language
– Widely used; supported by a vibrant community
– Free; open-source; runs on all modern platforms (Windows,
Mac OS, Unix, Linux, etc.)
– Skills rapidly transfer to other languages
– VBA is in transition (to VB.NET) and will shortly be seriously
obsoleted by Microsoft
– Python makes it easy for you to do things which cannot be
done easily at all in VB/VBA (e.g., Case 1)
– Named after Monty Python
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Problem-Solving/
Decision-Making Life Cycle
• Organizing concept for the entire course
• Develop a concept for representing and solving the
problem
– Spreadsheet modeling, LP, decision analysis, programming, database,
IR
– How shall we think of solving the problem? What is our solution
concept?
• Implement the solution
– How can we actually solve the problem by gaining effective access to
the data, models, documents, etc. needed to implement our solution
concept?
• Analyze, interpret, and communicate the solution results
– How good is our solution? Metrics? What exactly does it mean? Are
the findings stable or do they rest on precarious assumptions?
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Example: Information Retrieval
• Recognition of a problematic situation
– The problem: find documents(here, Web pages) relevant to an
information-based task at hand.
• Problem representation or model
– Solution concept: Use search engines to find relevant
information
• Solution implementation
– Implementation: Use search engines available on the Internet,
using key word searching techniques, to find relevant
information
• Solution interpretation
– Interpretation: Explore cyberspace, looking for what you are
after. How effective is your search technique?
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Example: Investment Analysis
• Recognition of a problematic situation
– The problem: to decide whether to accept an investment opportunity.
• Problem representation or model
– Solution concept: Think of the cash inflows and outflows as timedependent, and make them time-equivalent by taking NPVs.
• Solution implementation
– Implementation: in Excel. Lay out the cash flows in a well-organized
spreadsheet and use available functions to make the calculations
needed to implement the solution concept.
• Solution interpretation
– Interpretation: perform sensitivity analysis, plot results and reflect
upon them.
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Example: Data Interpretation
• Recognition of problem
– The problem: to understand what is actually going on in a business and
to take actions that improve the profitability of the firm
• Problem representation or model
– Solution concept: The records of the firm’s business transactions contain
a great deal of useful information on how and how well the firm is
conducting its business. Explore those records.
• Solution implementation
– Implementation: in Access. Organize the transaction records in a welldesigned relational database. Use the database query facilities, especially
SQL and QBE, to make the calculations needed to reveal the essential
business patterns needed to understand what is going on.
• Solution interpretation
– Interpretation: Use the query facilities to explore beyond a fixed set of
reports. Perform what-if queries, plot data, etc.
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Some URLs
• OPIM 101 home page
http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/~opim101/spring02/
• IDT Resources
– http://grace.wharton.upenn.edu/~sok/idtresources/
• Homepages??
http://faculty.cis.drexel.edu/~jbuzydlo/
http://grace.wharton.upenn.edu/~sok/
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Readings for Today
• IDT book
– Chapter 1: “Introduction and Overview”
– Chapter 5: “Why Program?”
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