Printer Friendly
The Free Library
6,672,335 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Premium Solver Platform V7.0 and Solver Engines V7.0 Support Excel 2007, Huge Models, Simulation Optimization.


INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. -- Frontline Systems is shipping Version 7.0 of its Premium Solver Platform for Excel, the market leader for spreadsheet optimization, and seven large-scale Solver Engines V7.0 that "plug into" both the Premium Solver Platform and the Solver Platform SDK (Software Developer's Kit) See developer's toolkit and Windows SDK.

SDK - Software Developers Kit (or "Software Development Kit").
 V7.0. Frontline's products are upward compatible See forward compatible.  with the Solver in Excel and offer a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking to better allocate scarce resources using optimization technology. Trial versions are available for download from www.solver.com.

"Premium Solver Platform V7.0 is the first optimization software Free and Open Source software
  • ASCEND — mathematical modelling system
  • OpenOpt (license: BSD) — toolbox with connections to lots of solvers, for Python language programmers
  • COIN-OR SYMPHONY — integer programming, Common Public License
 with full support for the new features of Excel 2007, including worksheets of 16 thousand columns and 1 million rows," said Daniel Fylstra, president of Frontline Systems. "But it also delivers new capacity, speed, ease of use, and multiple solutions for users of Excel 2003, XP and 2000."

"Using Frontline Systems' Premium Solver Platform and their Extended Large-Scale LP Solver Engine V6.5, I was able to solve several very large linear optimization problems. The largest contained 2.4 million variables," said Christian Peters from Cornell University Cornell University, mainly at Ithaca, N.Y.; with land-grant, state, and private support; coeducational; chartered 1865, opened 1868. It was named for Ezra Cornell, who donated $500,000 and a tract of land. With the help of state senator Andrew D. . "I will continue to push the bounds to see if it can solve even larger problems."

New Support for Large, Multi-Worksheet Models

The Premium Solver Platform V7.0 supports Solver models spread across multiple worksheets in a workbook, with decision variables and constraints on any worksheet. Different models may be defined on each worksheet, and each model can include variables and constraints on any sheet in a workbook. In Excel 2007, the Platform V7.0 supports Solver models with 16,384 columns and 1,048,576 rows -- far beyond the 256 column and 65,536 row limits in previous Excel releases.

Solution reports, previously limited to 65,536 rows, are now automatically "wrapped" and may be of virtually unlimited size, even in Excel 2000-2003. Report generation is typically 5-7 times faster for models of a few thousand variables, and many times faster for larger models.

The Polymorphic polymorphic - polymorphism  Spreadsheet Interpreter (PSI Technology) in the Premium Solver Platform V7.0 is faster than ever in model analysis, especially for multi-worksheet models, and supports more Excel features than ever, such as the new built-in functions in Excel 2007.

New Simulation Optimization Capabilities

When used with Frontline Systems' new Risk Solver Engine V7.0, the Premium Solver Platform V7.0 can solve simulation optimization problems with unprecedented speed. This is Frontline's first step in a long-term effort to support optimal decision-making under uncertainty, using quantitative models in Excel.

Models can include random variables, defined by probability distributions Many probability distributions are so important in theory or applications that they have been given specific names. Discrete distributions
With finite support
  • The Bernoulli distribution, which takes value 1 with probability p
, and formulas that depend on these random variables. Risk Solver Engine performs Monte Carlo simulation Monte Carlo Simulation

A problem solving technique used to approximate the probability of certain outcomes by running multiple trial runs, called simulations, using random variables.
, with thousands of trials, on each change to the spreadsheet. Statistics for any uncertain formula, such as its mean and variance, Value at Risk, and percentiles, are available on the spreadsheet and can be used in the objective and constraints of a V7.0 optimization model.

The potent combination of the Premium Solver Platform V7.0 and its multiple Solver Engines with Risk Solver Engine V7.0 for simulation optimization is frequently ten to a hundred times faster than competitive products for Excel. This means that users can find solutions for much larger, more challenging simulation optimization models in Excel than has been possible with any software before the Premium Solver Platform V7.0.

Multiple Solutions for Integer Programming Integer programming

Variant of linear programming in which the solution values must be integers.
 and Global Optimization Global optimization is a branch of applied mathematics and numerical analysis that deals with the optimization of a function or a set of functions to some criteria. General
The most common form is the minimization of one real-valued function
 Problems

The Premium Solver Platform V7.0 and Solver Engines V7.0 can now deliver multiple solutions, not just a single best solution, for integer programming and global optimization problems. The best integer solutions ("incumbents") for MIP MIP

See: Monthly income preferred security
 problems, locally optimal solutions for global optimization problems, or best "final population" members for non-smooth problems solved with the Evolutionary and OptQuest Solvers can be viewed in a worksheet report, or easily accessed in user VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) A subset of Visual Basic that provides a common language for customizing Microsoft applications. VBA supports COM, which allows a VBA script to invoke internal functions within Excel, Word and other COM-based programs or to make use of  programs via the Platform's new object-oriented API.

New Function-Based Models and Interactive Optimization

Also new in the Premium Solver Platform V7.0 are optimization models defined via functions on the worksheet, and Interactive Optimization.

Users can move easily between the traditional interactive modeling style and the new functions such as PsiVar(), PsiObj() and PsiCon(), or between the new V7.0 functions for optimization and Risk Solver Engine's functions for simulation.

Interactive Optimization enables the Solver to re-optimize the model each time the user changes a number on the spreadsheet. This interactive process goes far beyond traditional "sensitivity analysis," enabling users to quickly gain insights about their models and decisions they can make.

New Object-Oriented Programming object-oriented programming, a modular approach to computer program (software) design. Each module, or object, combines data and procedures (sequences of instructions) that act on the data; in traditional, or procedural, programming the data are separated from the  API

The Premium Solver Platform V7.0 also features a new, object-oriented API (application programming interface), accessible from Excel VBA, that matches the object-oriented API of the Solver Platform SDK V7.0, Frontline's very popular tool for optimization and simulation using modern programming languages such as C#, C++, VB.NET (Visual Basic .NET) An object-oriented programming language from Microsoft. It is the .NET version of the Visual Basic (VB) programming language. Like all .NET languages, VB.NET uses the Common Language Runtime (CLR) for program execution. VB. , Java and MATLAB (MATrix LABoratory) A programming language for technical computing from The MathWorks, Natick, MA (www.mathworks.com). Used for a wide variety of scientific and engineering calculations, especially for automatic control and signal processing, MATLAB runs on Windows, Mac and . The new API makes it much easier to develop powerful custom applications in Excel, and to move applications from Excel to a programming language.

Pricing, Upgrades, Academic Versions, and Free Evaluations

The Premium Solver Platform V7.0 is priced at $1,495 for a single user license in the United States, and EUR EUR

In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Euro.

Notes:
The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion.
 1,725 and GBP GBP

In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the British Pound.

Notes:
The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion.
 1,145 in Europe, plus required first-year annual support. Existing users of the Premium Solver Platform V6.5 with current annual support subscriptions will receive free upgrades to the new product version. For a limited time, special pricing on Risk Solver Engine V7.0 is available to users who are purchasing or upgrading to the Premium Solver Platform V7.0.

Prospective users can download a fully functional, full capacity and speed, free trial version of the Premium Solver Platform V7.0 (limited to 15 days) at Frontline's Web site www.solver.com.

About Frontline Systems Inc.

Frontline Systems Inc. (www.solver.com) is a leading developer of optimization and simulation software, and the leader in spreadsheet optimization software that helps analysts and managers optimally allocate scarce resources -- money, equipment, and people -- to realize substantial cost savings. Frontline developed the solvers/optimizers in Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro Pro, distributed to more than 400 million spreadsheet users. Founded in 1987, Frontline is headquartered in Incline Village, Nev. (775-831-0300).
COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Publication:Business Wire
Date:Sep 6, 2006
Words:1024
Previous Article:FreedomVOICE Systems Unveils Instant Vanity; User Interface Allows Prospects and Customers to Find and Reserve Their Vanity Toll-Free Number...
Next Article:Mertech Data Releases BTR2SQL 3.0 - Plug-in Middle-ware for Switching from Btrieve(R) & Pervasive.SQL(R); Offers Quick Adoption of Oracle(R)10g or MS...



Related Articles
Boost profits with Excel: Solver calculates the most cost-effective and profitable product mix.
High-frequency CAD.(off the shelf)
Chip-to-PCB simulation.(off the Shelf)
Design modeling checks and balances: should you use 3D field solvers or measurement-based modeling methods for high-speed modeling? Actually, they...
Latest in 3D simulation highlighted at Moldflow's international user conference.(Injection Molding)
Simulation software.(Others Of Note)
Improving analysis with better physical fidelity: a look at the latest LMS Virtual.Lab.(DIGITAL DOMAIN)(Product/Service Evaluation)
Fujitsu announces the availability of Interstage Contentbiz version 7.(Fujitsu Software Corp.)
Indosat uses Intec's InterconnecT v7 to enhance growth and profitability.(Intec Telecom Systems PLC, Indonesian Satellite Corporation Tbk P.T.)
Optics design software.(OTHERS OF NOTE)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles