15-09-2021

Solver Table For Mac

Starting with Excel 2011 Service Pack 1 (Version 14.1.0), Solver is once again bundled with Microsoft Excel for Mac. You do not have to download and install Solver from this page - simply ensure that you have the latest update of Excel 2011 (use Help - Check for Updates on the Excel menu). To enable Solver, click ‘Tools’ then ‘Addins’. To use Solver Table, make a table on the spreadsheet, with headings as shown below. In the first column of the table (cells B19:B28), list the trial values for the data cell (the unit profit for doors), except leave the first row blank. The headings of the next columns specify which output will be evaluated. Identification Table of the Cubic Equation Solver for Mac. By reading this table you will get an overall idea of the Cubic Equation Solver. Also, this table will show you, either your Mac device is capable of installing the Cubic Equation Solver on Mac or not. Microsoft Math Solver. Solve Practice Download.

Free Downloads

Watch this page for free downloads as they become available.

·DADM_Tools add-in: For various reasons, some users of our DADM and PMS books prefer not to use the Palisade add-ins discussed in these books. To provide another alternative, I created my own add-in called DADM_Tools that provides much of the basic functionality of the Palisade software. This add-in, written in Excel’s VBA language, is not used in the books but it is available here for free. Because it is totally free, no support is available. However, it is very easy to use, and it is compatible with Excel for Windows and Excel for Mac. Here is a link to instructions: DADM_Tools Help.docx. Here is a link to the add-in: DADM_Tools.xlam.

·Random Functions Add-Ins: The DADM_Tools add-in mentioned in the previous bullet includes, among other things, a simulation program. For technical reasons, the custom functions I developed to generate random numbers from various probability distributions are not included in the DADM_Tools add-in. However,…

oFor Windows users, the random functions are contained in a special type of add-in (an XLL that works only with Excel for Windows 2010 or higher). First read the following: RandGen Add-In.docx (updated 1/24/2019). Then install the add-in by running the Setup file in: RandGenSetup.zip.

Solver Table Add In

oFor Mac users, the random functions are in the following add-in: Random Functions for the Mac.xlam.

·Excel tutorial: Here is a free version of my Excel tutorial: Excel Tutorial for Windows.xlsx. It provides information for upgrading to a more complete version called ExcelNow!. You can also download a version of the tutorial for the Mac: Excel Tutorial for the Mac.xlsx. By comparing these, you can see which features in Excel for Windows are not included in Excel for Mac.

·Analysis ToolPak Guide: This is a supplement to our books for those of you who would like to use Excel’s built-in Analysis ToolPak add-in for statistical analysis. The zip file contains a pdf version of the guide and accompanying data files: Analysis ToolPak Guide.zip

·SolverTable Add-in: Each version below has a corresponding Help file (a Word file) that you should read before contacting me about problems. Each zip file below contains only two files: the .xla or .xlam add-in file and the Word help file. You should unzip both to the same folder (any folder of your choice) and then read the help file for more instructions.

oSolverTable tip for international users: A user from outside the US discovered why his SolverTable wasn’t working. The problem was in the numerical settings (decimal symbols and list separators), and the fix was to change these in Windows settings, making sure the separator is a period, not a comma. I’m not sure how common this problem might be, but if you’re outside the US and your SolverTable isn’t working, this is worth a try.

oFor Solver that ships with Excel for Mac: SolverTable for Mac.zip

¨(Note: If you downloaded this zip before 10/30/2020, download this version instead. The previous version didn’t recognize when a model has no feasible solutions. This version corrects the problem.) This version of SolverTable was created for the Mac in October 2020. The essence of SolverTable has always been that it makes multiple uninterrupted Solver runs. For technical reasons, this is not possible in Excel for Mac, which explains why a version of SolverTable had never been available for the Mac. However, this new version gets around the problem by making interrupted Solver runs. Specifically, before each run, you are prompted whether you want to make the next run. (This is explained more fully in the help file that is part of this zip file.) Admittedly, the interruptions slow down the process to some extent (besides the fact that Solver for the Mac is just plain slow), but it is much better than making multiple Solver runs manually, each with new input values. Fortunately, the user interface and the results sheets are exactly the same as those for the Windows version of SolverTable.

oFor Solver that ships with Excel 2019 or Office 365: There is no “new” SolverTable add-in for either of these. As far as I’m aware, SolverTable for Excel 2016 should work fine with either of them. I’m currently using it with Office 365 and haven’t run into any problems.

For

oFor Solver that ships with Excel 2016: SolverTable 2016.zip

¨This version is basically the same as the 2013 version.

oFor Solver that ships with Excel 2013: SolverTable 2013.zip

¨This version wasn’t created because SolverTable 2010 wouldn’t work with Excel 2013. Rather, I made some technical changes in the software. Probably the main change is that this version now starts each Solver run from the original solution in the decision variable cells. (In previous versions, it started each Solver run from the previous Solver solution.)

¨Modified on 10/5/2015 to open the Help file in a simpler manner (less possibility of an error occurring).

oFor Solver that ships with Excel 2010:SolverTable 2010.zip

¨Modified on 10/5/2015 to open the Help file in a simpler manner (less possibility of an error occurring).

¨Modified on 4/26/2012 to fix a problem with long worksheet names. Basically, Excel allows worksheet names to be no longer than 31 characters. SolverTable creates a hidden sheet with its settings, and the name of the sheet is the model sheet name plus the suffix “_STS”. So if the name of your model sheet has from 28 to 31 characters, this would create an error. SolverTable now warns you before the error occurs.

¨Modified on 12/5/2011 to fix a potential sheet-naming problem.

¨Modified on 11/8/2011 to fix a potential problem where a user mistakenly selects the Simplex LP method on a nonlinear model. The previous code could get into an infinite loop in this case. A similar fix was made (see below) to the 2007 and 2003 versions. However, this 2010 version might not work correctly in 2007 or 2003 because of a subtle code change Frontline Systems made in its 2010 version of Solver.

Solver Table For Mac

¨Modified on 10/7/2010 to fix a bug that occurred when a user mistakenly ran SolverTable from an STS sheet (not a model sheet)

¨Modified on 9/24/2010 to make it compatible with the GRG Nonlinear Multistart option

¨Modified on 9/3/2010 to be compatible with 64-bit Office 2010.

oFor Solver that ships with Excel 2007:SolverTable 2007.zip

¨Modified on 4/26/2012 – see point 2 above for the 2010 version

¨Modified on 12/5/2011 – see point 3 above for the 2010 version

¨Modified on 11/8/2011 – see point 4 above for the 2010 version

¨Modified on 10/7/2010 to fix a bug that occurred when a user mistakenly ran SolverTable from an STS sheet (not a model sheet)

oSolverTable fix: For those of you who have problems with SolverTable, here are instructions for a possible fix: Fixing SolverTable.docx.

oMissing Solver Reference: Here is another possible fix for SolverTable: Missing Solver Reference.docx

oA strange SolverTable problem: Reynold Byers and his students at Arizona State discovered that in a straightforward integer-constrained model, SolverTable gave slightly suboptimal solutions. I originally thought this had to do with the Integer Optimality setting, but that wasn’t it. They found that the decimal input being varied, something like from 0 to 0.6 in increments of 0.1, was not being set to exactly 0.4, say, but instead to something like 0.400025 – a slight roundoff – and this was enough to cause the suboptimal solutions. Great detective work on their part, but I’m not sure how to fix the problem. Anyway, be aware!

Function table solver

oAn interesting use of SolverTable: One way to use SolverTable is to let the Input cell(s) (for a one-way or two-way table) be the initial value(s) of decision variable cell(s). For a linear model, the only point in doing this would be to check that Solver indeed gets to the optimal solution regardless of the initial values. For a nonlinear model, this could be used to check whether there are local optima that Solver might get to, depending on the initial values it starts from. For example, for problem 7.48 of PMS 3e, which has exactly two decision variable cells, it is easy to show that Solver gets to the global optimum only for some initial values of the decision variable cells. (Thanks to Tom Schriber for this suggestion.)

·StatPro and StatBasics Add-Ins

oStatPro for Excel 2007 and later: Although I no longer support StatPro, I tinker with it from time to time, and this version is the result: StatPro New.zip. It doesn’t have all the options from the original StatPro (e.g., stepwise regression is missing), but it has some new features and a slightly different interface. It is contained in a single .xla file, and it works with Excel 2007 and later versions. To load it, just double-click the .xla file.

oStatPro for the Mac: Some of you have requested a version of StatPro for the Mac, that is, for the Mac version of Excel. This was originally impossible because early version of Excel for Mac didn’t even have VBA, the programming language. That changed in Excel 2011, but the VBA interface is quite different from the one in Excel for Windows. Anyway, I gave it a shot, and you can try out this version: StatPro for Mac.zip. However, you’re completely on your own; I provide no support for this version. VBA programming for the Mac is no fun!

For

oStatBasics for Excel 2007: StatBasics for Excel 2007.zip. This is a mini version of StatPro I created, mostly to practice my programming skills. It provides only the basics: summary measures and useful statistical charts. Installation instructions are in the zip file. Try it out, but keep in mind that I do not provide any support for it.

  • NCAA March Madness simulation: Here is the simulation for 2019: March Madness 2019 with Data Table.xlsx. Also, here is a version that calculates the probability of a perfect bracket, i.e., successfully predicting the winner of each game: March Madness Probabilities 2013.xlsx. (I didn’t update this file after 2013, but you can if you like. The probability of picking all winners will still be infinitesimally small.)
  • Transient queueing analysis: Transient Queue.xlsm Did you know that you can analyze queues with time-varying behavior (e.g., arrival rates that increase during peak periods of the day) with spreadsheets, using analytical approximations, not simulation or steady-state analysis? This is indeed possible, as Wayne Winston described in the 4th edition of his Operations Research book. Although Wayne's approach is to use Excel formulas, this file uses a VBA program to perform the calculations. Enjoy!
  • Automating Sudoku with VBA: Sudoku.xlsm (or Sudoku16.xlsm) If you love the laborious effort of working Sudoku puzzles—the pencil marks, the erasing, etc.—then you should not open these files. But if you want to see how powerful VBA programs can be, check out the Sudoku.xlsm file. (You can even view the VBA code to see how it works.) And if you want to go a step farther, with 16x16 grids instead of the usual 9x9 grids, check out the Sudoku16.xlsm file. (Note: I changed these files slightly in April 2016. Specifically, the Sudoku.xlsm file now has an Algorithm sheet that walks you through the algorithm implemented in the VBA code. The VBA code is a bit hard to follow – a lot of nested loops – but the algorithm, i.e., the plan of attack, itself is quite straightforward.)

Visit the Cengagesite for our books.

Send e-mail to albright@indiana.edu

Albright and Winston are both retired from the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington.

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Updated: 12/2/2020

Excel Solver Table Add In

Excel spreadsheet tools such as Goal Seek that change a single variable are useful, but unfortunately most problems in business are not so easy. You’ll usually face formulas with at least two and sometimes dozens of variables. Often, a problem will have more than one solution, and your challenge will be using Excel to find the optimal solution (that is, the one that maximizes profit, or minimizes costs, or matches other criteria). For these bigger challenges, you need a more muscular tool. Excel has just the answer: Solver. Excel Solver is a sophisticated optimization program that enables you to find the solutions to complex problems that would otherwise require high-level mathematical analysis.

Understanding Excel Solver

Solvertable For Mac

Solver, like Goal Seek, uses an iterative method to perform its calculations. Using iteration means that Excel Solver tries a solution, analyzes the results, tries another solution, and so on. However, this cyclic iteration isn’t just guesswork on Solver’s part. That would be silly. No, Excel Solver examines how the results change with each new iteration and, through some sophisticated mathematical processes (which, thankfully, happen way in the background and can be ignored), can usually tell in what direction it should head for the solution.

The advantages of the Excel Solver

Yes, Goal Seek and Solver are both iterative, but that doesn’t make them equal. In fact, Excel Solver brings a number of advantages to the table:

  • Excel Solver enables you to specify multiple adjustable cells. You can use up to 200 adjustable cells in all.
  • Excel Solver enables you to set up constraints on the adjustable cells. For example, you can tell Solver to find a solution that not only maximizes profit, but also satisfies certain conditions, such as achieving a gross margin between 20 and 30 percent, or keeping expenses less than $100,000. These conditions are said to be constraints on the solution.
  • Excel Solver seeks not only a desired result (the “goal” in Goal Seek) but also the optimal one. For example, looking for an optimal result might mean that you can find a solution that’s the maximum or minimum possible.
  • For complex problems, Solver can generate multiple solutions. You can then save these different solutions under different scenarios.

When should you use Excel Solver?

Okay, let’s shoot straight here: Excel Solver is a powerful tool that most Excel users don’t need. It would be overkill, for example, to use Solver to compute net profit given fixed revenue and cost figures. Many problems, however, require nothing less than the Solver approach. These problems cover many different fields and situations, but they all have the following characteristics in common:

  • They have a single objective cell (also called the target cell) that contains a formula you want to maximize, minimize, or set to a specific value. This formula could be a calculation such as total transportation expenses or net profit.
  • The objective cell formula contains references to one or more variable cells (also called unknowns or changing cells). Solver adjusts these cells to find the optimal solution for the objective cell formula. These variable cells might include items such as units sold, shipping costs, or advertising expenses.
  • Optionally, there are one or more constraint cells that must satisfy certain criteria. For example, you might require that advertising be less than 10 percent of total expenses, or that the discount to customers be an amount between 40 and 60 percent.

For example, the image below shows a worksheet data model that’s all set up for Excel Solver. The model shows revenue (price times units sold) and costs for two products, the profit produced by each products, and the total profit. The question to be answered here is this: How many units of each product must be sold to get a total profit of $0? This is known in business as a break-even analysis.

That sounds like a straightforward Goal Seek task, but this model has a tricky aspect: the variable costs. Normally, the variable costs of a product are its unit cost times the number of units sold. If it costs $10 to produce product A, and you sell 10,000 units, the variable costs for that product are $100,000. However, in the real world, such costs are often mixed up among multiple products. For example, if you run a joint advertising campaign for two products, those costs are borne by both products. Therefore, this model assumes that the costs of one product are related to the units sold of the other. Here, for example, is the formula used to calculate the costs of the Inflatable Dartboard (cell B8):

In other words, the variable costs for the Inflatable Dartboard are reduced by one dollar for every unit sold of the Dog Polisher. The latter’s variable costs use a similar formula (in cell C8):

Having the variable costs related to multiple products puts this data model outside of what Goal Seek can do, but Solver is up to the challenge. Here are the special cells in the model that Solver will use:

  • The objective cell is C14; the total profit and the target solution for this formula is 0 (that is, the break-even point).
  • The changing cells are B4 and C4, which hold the number of units sold for each product.
  • For constraints, you might want to add that both the product profit cells (B12 and C12) should also be 0.

Loading the Excel Solver add-in

An add-in is software that adds one or more features to Excel. Installing add-ins gives you additional Excel features that aren’t available in the Ribbon by default. Bundled add-in software is included with Excel but isn’t automatically installed when you install Excel. Several add-ins come standard with Excel, including Solver, which enables you to solve optimization problems.

You install the bundled add-ins by using the Excel Options dialog box; you can find them in the Add-Ins section. After they’re installed, add-ins are available right away. They usually appear on a tab related to their function. For example, Solver appears on the Data tab.

Solver Table For Mac Download

Here are the steps to follow to load the Excel Solver add-in:

Solvertable For Mac

  1. Choose File→ Options.
    The Excel Options dialog box appears.
  2. Choose Add-Ins.
  3. In the Manage list, select Excel Add-Ins and then select Go.
    Excel displays the Add-Ins dialog box.
  4. Select the Solver Add-In check box
  5. Click OK.
    Excel adds a Solver button to the Data tab’s Analyze group.

Excel Solver Table Download

Take a look to find out how to use the Excel Solver.