Spring 2015 Course Syllabus

MIS6334 OW1-S15 (27282)

Advanced Business Intelligence
University of Texas at Dallas
Course Info | Tech Requirements | Access & Navigation | Communications | Resources
Assessments | Academic Calendar | Scholastic Honesty | Course Evaluation | UTD Policies

Course Information
Course
Course Number Section
Course Title
Term and Dates

MIS6334 OW1, 27282

Advanced Business Intelligence
Spring 2015

Professor and TA Contact Information

Professor
Office Phone
Email Address
Office Location
Other Information

Eric Zheng
972-883-5914
ericz@utdallas.edu
SOM 3.404
http://www.utdallas.edu/~ericz

TA Contact Information: Lusi Li (Lusi.Li@utdallas.edu)

About the Instructor
Eric Zheng is a professor in information systems. He joined UT Dallas in 2006 and developed
business intelligence (MIS6324) and advanced business intelligence (MIS6334). Recently he
mainly teaches MIS6334. His research is in the area of applied business analytics including
healthcare analytics, social media analytics and financial analytics. He has published a series of
papers on business analytics in premier journals such as Management Science, Information
Systems Research and MIS Quarterly. He holds a Ph.D degree from the Wharton School on
Information Systems with a specialization on data mining.
Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions
MIS6324 and OPRE 6302
Course Description
MIS6334 focuses on how to analyze business data to enhance firms competencies. The
ability to understand, analyze and interpret businesses from data has become increasingly
more important in any businesses. This class aims to equip you with highly coveted business
analytics skills in the current job market. As part of the 4-course curriculum for the SAS
business intelligence and data mining certificate program, the objective of this class is twofolded: 1) learn SAS basics to fulfill the requirements by SAS and 2) learn advanced topics in
business analytics. Well cover the topics as required by the SAS certificate program including
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data manipulation, imputation, variable selection, SAS/STA, SAS/ETS, SAS/QC (DOE) and
various SAS stat modules. Advanced business analytics 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.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

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

imputation (for missing data), active learning.
Model analytics advanced models, model selection, model enhancement and
model combination.
Customer analytics - consumer choice, counting & timing, loyalty, life-time value,
profitability, survival etc.
Advanced Web intelligence analytics - web text analytics, social network analysis,
social media analytics etc.
Special topics healthcare analytics, financial analytics, time-series data analysis,
optimization, survival analysis, fraud detection, risk analysis, firm efficiency analysis,
design of experiments etc.

Tools to be used: Excel (spreadsheet modeling), SAS 9.3/9.4, SAS Enterprise Miner, SAS Text
Miner, Weka, and UCINET.
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
1) Become proficient in SAS
2) Obtain advanced skills in business analytics
3) Learn various software tools in Business Analytics
Required Textbooks and Materials
Required Texts
The little SAS book, a Primer, 5th Edition (2012) By: Lora Delwiche, Susan Slaughter ISBN:
1612903436 or 978-1612903439Publisher: SAS Press

Required Materials

Software: SAS 9.3 or 9.4 (with EnterpriseMiner), TextMiner, Weka, UCINET, and Excel Solver.

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Suggested Course Materials

Suggested Readings/Texts
Additional Readings to be posted at e-learning each week
Suggested Materials

SAS STAT Manual 9.2 (to be available at elearning)

Textbooks and some other bookstore materials can be ordered online through Off-Campus
Books or the UTD Bookstore. They are also available in stock at both bookstores.
Course Policies
Make-up exams
In principal there will be no make-up exam. The final exam will be proctored in a batch and we
cannot arrange make-up exam for individual students.
Extra Credit
Extra credit will be considered if a student makes significant contribution to the class, for
example, being exceptionally helpful in our discussion board or work out some special
assignments (see academic calendar for the topics).
Late Work
In principle, we will not accept late submissions as you have control on your progress in an
online class. But I have to warn you that this class is known for being heavy-loaded. You are
supposed to plan well in advance for assignments. I will typically give you two weeks for each
assignment.
Special Assignments
There will be a few special assignments that are optional. Students can make some extra
credits if interested. These special assignments will be on timely topics such as Big Data
Analytics, Streaming Analytics, SoLoMo, Gamification, Wearable Device etc. I will announce
such topics in e-learning. Check out some planned topics in the academic calendar. These
special assignments can be done either individually or in a group. I expect at least one group
will volunteer to work on each assignment. You are supposed to write a report or slides and
share with us through discussion board.
Class Participation
Students are required to login regularly to the online class site. The instructor will use the
tracking feature in eLearning to monitor student activity. Students are also required to
participate in all class activities such as discussion board, chat or conference sessions and
group projects.

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Virtual Classroom Citizenship

The same guidelines that apply to traditional classes should be observed in the virtual
classroom environment. Please use proper netiquette when interacting with class members and
the professor.
Policy on Server Unavailability or Other Technical Difficulties
The university is committed to providing a reliable online course system to all users. However, in
the event of any unexpected server outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents
students from completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the instructor will extend the time
windows and provide an appropriate accommodation based on the situation. Students should
immediately report any problems to the instructor and also contact the UTD eLearning Help
Desk: http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp, 1-866-588-3192. The instructor and the UTD
eLearning Help Desk will work with the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible
time.
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Technical Requirements
In addition to a confident level of computer and Internet literacy, certain minimum technical
requirements must be met to enable a successful learning experience. Please review the
important technical requirements on the Getting Started with eLearning webpage.
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Course Access and Navigation

This course was developed using a web course tool called eLearning. It is to be delivered
entirely online. Students will use their UTD NetID account to login
at: http://elearning.utdallas.edu. Please see more details on course access and navigation
information.
To get familiar with the eLearning tool, please see the Student eLearning Tutorials.
UTD provides eLearning technical support 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The services include
a toll free telephone number for immediate assistance (1-866-588-3192), email request service,
and an online chat service. Please use this link to access the UTD eLearning Support
Center: http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp.
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Communications
This eLearning course has built-in communication tools which will be used for interaction and
communication. Some external communication tools such as regular email and a web
conferencing tool may also be used during the semester. For more details, please visit
the eLearning Tutorials webpage for video demonstrations on numerous tools in eLearning.
Interaction with Instructor
The instructor will communicate with students mainly using the Announcements and
Discussions tools. Students may send personal concerns or questions to the instructor using the
course email tool (rather than my personal e-mail). The instructor will reply to student emails or
Discussion board messages within 3 working days under normal circumstances.
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Student Resources
The following university resources are available to students:
UTD Distance Learning:
http://www.utdallas.edu/elearning/students/cstudents.htm
McDermott Library:
Distance Learners (UTD students who live outside the boundaries of Collin, Dallas, Denton,
Rockwall, or Tarrant counties) will need a UTD-ID number to access all of the librarys electronic
resources (reserves, journal articles, ebooks, interlibrary loan) from off campus. For UTD
students living within those counties who are taking online courses, a Comet Card is required to
check out materials at the McDermott Library. For more information on library resources go
to http://www.utdallas.edu/library/distance.html.
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Student Assessments
Grading Information
Weights
Components

Grades

Participation

5%

Assignments
SAS HW 1
SAS HW 2
SAS HW 3
Project 1
Project 2
Final Exam

50%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%
45%

Total

100%

Grading Scale
Scaled Score

Letter Equivalent

95-100

A+

92 95

90-92

A-

87-90

B+

83-87

80-83

B-

70 - 80

C+

60- 70

Less than 60

Grading Policy
The grading distributions may change as necessary. The professor may need to make
necessary adjustments and curve the grades based on the size of the class and the
performance of the class. Roughly 35% will receive A- above, another 35-40% will receive B
(B+, B and B-), and the rest 20% will receive C or below.

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Accessing Grades
Students can check their grades by clicking My Grades on the course menu after the grade for
each assessment task is released.
Assignments
There will be three individual SAS assignments and two group projects.
1. SAS HW1 (10 points). Through this SAS homework, you learn some SAS basic skills on
data manipulation.
2. SAS HW2 (10 points). You will practice with some basic SAS procedures and SAS
simulations.
3. SAS HW3 (10 points). You will practice with several advanced SAS procedures.
Group Projects
There will be two group projects.
1. Project 1 (10 points). You will use Weka and SAS EM to process data and build
advanced models to solve some business problems.
2. Project 2 (10 points). You will use SAS, Excel Solver and UCINET for customer analytics
and social network analysis.
You will form a group of 3-4 members. A sign-up sheet will be provided in e-learning. Professor
and the TA will help you if you cannot find a group. All members are expected to contribute. We
will allow regrouping between the two group projects. To prevent free-riding, we will ask each
member to evaluate other members on a scale of 0-100 in the end (100 means the student has
done 100% of what he is supposed to do). We will penalize the member who receives less than
75 in peer evaluation for his/her group project. Those who receive between 50 and 75 in peer
evaluation will receive 75% of their scores of the group projects; those who receive 25-50 will
only receive 50% of their scores; and those who receive less than 25 will only receive 25% of
their scores.
Groups will be assigned at the beginning of the class and will be announced under
Announcements. If you have trouble finding a group, the instructor may also use a group signup sheet to form groups for group assignments or projects. Each group can use the available
group tools under its own group area in the course to communicate and collaborate within the
group. A web conference system is available for use. Teams can schedule a live web
conference for team work. Please see the Web Conferencing page for instructions on making a
reservation and other web conference information.
Assignment submission instructions
Locate the assignment in your eLearning course. You will submit your assignments in the
required file format with a simple file name and a file extension. To submit your assignment,
click the assignment name link and follow the on-screen instructions to upload and submit your
file(s). For additional information on how to submit assignments, view the Submitting An
Assignment video tutorial.
Please Note: Each assignment link will be deactivated after the assignment due time. After your
submission is graded, you may go to My Grades on the course menu and click the score link to
check the results and feedback.

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For any group assignments, one group member will submit the assignment for the group and all
group members will be able to view the results and feedback once its been graded.
Participation/Discussions
I allocated 5% to participation. Every student will need to at least contribute to two grade-worthy
posts at our discussion board (e.g. I will not consider those questions asking about assignment
due date as grade-worthy). Professor will reward those extremely active (and helpful) students
in our discussion board with extra participation points. Volunteering to do special assignments
and sharing with us your work will also be counted towards participation. Students may make
more than 5% in participation for exemplary work.
Online Tests/Quizzes
None.
Final Examination
The final will be comprehensive. There will be 15-20 true or false questions, 20-25 multiple
choice questions and 4-5 short answer questions. The exam will be for 150 minutes. No
scantron is needed and it will be a proctored exam.
Proctored Final Exam Information
This course requires a proctored final examination. Local students can now take their exams oncampus at the UTD Student Success Center - Testing Center (no fee charge) during (Date
Date). Please see the UTD Student Success Center - Testing Center Website for more
information and check the hours of operation and testing center policies. Please be sure to view
and follow the Test Center Student Guidelines. Students can just walk in to the UTD Testing
Center to take the exam during the required exam test window as specified. There is no need to
submit any paper work in advance. The UTD Testing Center is located at the McDermott Library
basement (Room MC 1.304). When you arrive to take your exam, you will sign in with your
Comet Card (or a photo ID & UTD ID number if you do not have a Comet Card). The testing
center seats are available on a first come, first served basis. You're encouraged to take the
exam at early part of the test window to avoid any possible time/seat unavailability.
Students who find UTD geographically inconvenient may use a testing service of their choice at
a convenient location to have the exam proctored. All exams must be completed within this
required exam time window: (Date - Date). All students must inform the instructor. A proctored
exam application must be completed before (Date). Please go to the Proctored Exam
Information page to check out Procedures for Arranging an Individual Proctored Exam and
to access and complete the Online Proctored Exam application. Please note students are
responsible for any fee charge of their testing services. All completed exams must be received
by (Date) to allow timely grade reporting to the UTD Registrar.
The UTD Testing Center requests all students strictly follow the proctored exam scheduling
deadlines. If any student needs special accommodations, please seek the instructors approval
in advance. If you have any questions about using either UTD or outside testing center service,
please email TestingCenter@utdallas.edu.

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Academic Calendar
MODULES/
DATES

0&1
01/12- 01/18

TOPIC/LECTURE

Course Access and

Self-Orientation
Module 1, Unit1-3
on Business
analytics and class
organization

2
01/19- 01/26

Module 2, unit1-4
on SAS data
manipulation

READING

Syllabus
Read HBR13 Analytics
3.0 by Davenport

Read Chapter 2, 3, 4
and skim Ch 1 of your
SAS Textbook. Skim
the article Accenture
technology vision 2014

DUE
DATE

ASSESSMENT / ACTIVITY

Purchase SAS if you

dont have one and your
Textbook

01/18

Introduce yourself &

Discuss Race with the
Machine

01/18

Start working on SAS

HW1

02/02

Start forming groups (of

size 3-4 members) due
by 01/27
Discuss problems and
solutions

3
01/27- 02/01

4
02/02- 02/08

5
02/09- 02/15

Course Syllabus

Module 3, Unit 1-2

on Big data
analytics

Module 4, Unit 1-4

on data analytics
and Weka

Read Ch6 and skim Ch

5 of the SAS book;
Skim Harness the
power of big data at
IBM

Special research
assignment on Big Data
analytics (optional)

Skim the Weka manual

Finish SAS HW1 by

02/02,

Discuss Big Data

Analytics

Download Weka , Start

working on Project 1

Module 5, unit 1-4

on Three advanced
models

02/08

02/23

Special assignment on
IBM Modeler (optional)

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02/26

Page 9

Module 6, unit1-4
on model
enhancements and
EM demo

Subbagging for credit

scoring at IBM

Module 7, Unit1-2
on SAS
Programming

Read Ch 7, skim Ch8

and 10

Module 8, Unit 1-4

on SAS simulation
and procedures

Read Ch 9, Skim Ch 11
and Ch12.

Start working on SAS

HW2

Module 9, Unit 1-4

on Customer
Analytics

Read Why It Fumbles

Analytics

Finish SAS HW2 by

03/23.

03/16-03/22

Spring Break

No Class

11

Module 10, Unit 1-3

on advanced
customer analytics

Skim customer life

time value and
customer profitability

Start project 2

Module 11, Unit1-4

on social network
analytics and Proc
IML

Skim UCINet
documentations skim
CACM 14 Power of
social media analytics

Install UCINet (trial

version)

Module 12, Unit 1-2

on Advanced SAS
Procedures; Unit 34 (optional) special
topic on Text
Analytics

Skim relevant
procedures in the
SAS/STAT Manual

Finish project 2 by
04/06,

02/16- 02/22

7
02/23- 03/01

8
03/02- 03/08

9
03/09- 03/15

Finish Project 1 by
02/23
Discuss your experience
with RapidMiner, IBM
Modeler or R.
Special assignment on
SoLoMo (optional)

03/09

Continue: Discuss your

experience with
RapidMiner, IBM
Modeler, & R.
03/23

10

03/23- 03/29

12
03/30- 04/05

13
04/06- 04/12

Course Syllabus

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04/06

Enter the social network

data for this class (for Q9
of P2)

Special assignment on
SAS social media
analytics (optional)

Start working on SAS

HW3

04/09

04/20

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14
04/13- 04/19

15
04/20- 04/26

16
04/27- 05/03

17
05/04-05/10

Module 13, Unit 1-3

on Financial
analytics with time
series data and
healthcare analytics

Skim "Accenture
Gamification"

Module 14, Unit 12, class wrapup and

final review

Special assignment on
wearable device for
analytics (optional)

Finish SAS HW3 by

04/20

Self-study for final

and the Final Exam

Read all lecture notes,

your assignments and
corresponding book
chapters

Proctored Final
exam

Tentative Final exam

dates: May 5th and
6th.

Peer evaluation for your

group assignment by
05/03.

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Scholastic Honesty
The University has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty. Detailed
information is available on the UTD Judicial Affairs 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.
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Course Evaluation
As required by UTD academic regulations, every student must complete an evaluation for each
enrolled course at the end of the semester. A link to an online instructional assessment form will
be emailed to you for your confidential use.
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04/23

University Policies
The information contained in the following link constitutes the Universitys policies and
procedures segment of the course syllabus.
Please go to http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies for these policies.
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the professor.

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