Adequate methodologies for supporting the development of software have been the object of much research. Identifying the perceptions of the people involved, both developers and users, is an important aspect of quality software construction. This paper presents a study aimed at identifying how information system developers and users perceive Decision Support Systems. The survey was carried out with subjects from the Society of Computer Science and Telecommunications Users (SUCESU) and the Society for the Promotion of Excellence in Brazilian Software (SOFTEX), in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. The study contains both a descriptive and a factual data analysis with respect to the professional activity of the subject, in order to distinguish the most important characteristics of SAD in each group under study. The result of this evaluation is that the chief factors to be considered in methodologies directed at the development of SAD have been identified.
Decision support systems; Factorial analysis; Descriptive analysis; Decision maker; Information Technology developer
