Decision support systems (DSS) are computer applications that analyze business data and present it in a way to help users make business decisions more easily. A DSS has three main components - a database or knowledge base, a model representing the decision context and user criteria, and a user interface. It allows managers to perform what-if analysis, sensitivity analysis, goal-seeking analysis, and optimization analysis to evaluate different decisions and scenarios. The goal of a DSS is to improve decision making by providing a better understanding of the business and allowing more alternatives to be considered more quickly and effectively.