Solver SDK Platform

All-In-One Optimization and Simulation for C#, VB.NET, C++, Visual Basic, Java, and MATLAB

Solver SDK Platform is a powerful, comprehensive Software Development Kit that enables you to develop and deploy custom applications using optimization and Monte Carlo simulation, with today's most popular platforms and languages: Microsoft COM and .NET, Java and MATLAB, as well as C/C++, Visual Basic and other languages.  It's available for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows and 64-bit and 32-bit Linux.

SDK Product Feature and Comparison Chart (PDF)

If you want to know “Will I be able to solve my problem?” with Frontline Systems software, our Quick Problem Review can give you an answer, and acquaint you with our expert consulting services, at very modest cost.

Our flexible runtime licensing programs for independent software developers and for corporate / in-house developers make it easy to incorporate the Solver SDK Platform and our built-in Solver Engines or optional plug-in Solver Engines into your application, whether it's distributed to desktops, run on an Intranet or Web server, or made available as a Web service.

The best way to decide whether Solver SDK Platform is for you is to try it out.  If you register below (it's easy and free), you can:

• Download a free 15-day Trial Version of Solver SDK Platform, or our other software products
• Download our Solver User Guides -- learn about Solver SDK Platform
• Access protected Tech Support pages and downloadable example models

Develop It Now -- Integrate It Easily

Once your company decides they want an optimization or simulation capability in an application, they want it now - so, how long will it take you to develop it?  You can be the bottleneck, or you can be a hero -- with the right tools.

Build desktop, server, and Web service applications easily and quickly, with tools like Microsoft Visual Studio, Visual C++ and Visual Basic. IntelliSense helps you write correct code quickly instead of searching through manuals. You can read and write problems in standard MPS format, LP format, and new XML-based OSiL format files.

Unlike other optimization callable libraries that offer only a procedural API, the Solver SDK Platform offers a high-level object-oriented API that allows you to implicitly call upon the SDK's capabilities by simply defining your model, using the objects and properties provided by the SDK.  It reports errors by raising application-defined exceptions, so you don't have to write code to check every API call return value.

Download our User Guides and Quick Start guides to learn more.

Greater Speed and Capacity

The Solver SDK Platform combines Frontline Systems' latest performance improvements in Solver engines with the speed of compiled programs (versus interpreted Excel formulas).  Speed gains are especially notable for nonlinear and nonsmooth optimization problems -- solutions are often found 10 to 100 times faster.

Compared to the standard Excel Solver, you'll be able to solve linear programming problems with 40 times the number of variables and constraints, integer programming problems with 10 times the number of variables, and general nonlinear problems with 5 times the number of variables.  Compared to simulation add-ins for Excel, you'll be able to run Monte Carlo simulations hundreds to thousands of times faster!

Solve New Kinds of Problems

Solver SDK Platform does more than just high-performance linear programming and nonlinear optimization.  Its SOCP Barrier Solver -- one of the first and only commercial Solvers of its kind -- enables you to solve new second order cone programming (SOCP) problems -- the natural generalization of linear and quadratic programming -- to obtain robust solutions to problems in finance and engineering design.  And it also solves quadratically constrained (QCP) problems that go beyond conventional quadratic programming (QP).

The hybrid Evolutionary Solver in the Solver SDK Platform -- a unique combination of genetic algorithms and classical nonlinear optimization methods -- enables you to optimize models with any computations -- even table lookups -- for the objective and constraints.  This Solver outperforms other optimizers based on genetic algorithms, yet it is easier to use and fully compatible with existing models defined with the Solver SDK Platform.

The powerful Monte Carlo simulation engine in the Solver SDK Platform provides everything you need to define and solve risk analysis problems, with more than 35 probability distributions and more than 15 statistics and risk measures, plus percentiles.  With the SDK's Solvers for optimization plus its Monte Carlo simulation engine, you can easily define and solve simulation optimization problems with speeds far exceeding alternative software!

Plug-in Solver Engines for Large-Scale Problems

If your optimization problem is likely to exceed the size limits of the Solver SDK Platform for the type of problem you want to solve, then you'll want to choose a Solver Engine that handles larger-scale problems of that specific type.

Even if your problem fits within the size limits of Solver SDK Platform, you may find that you can obtain much faster solutions with one of our large-scale Solver Engines. It makes sense to choose a Solver Engine that uses algorithms or methods most efficient for your type of problem, especially if the problem is larger in size. We’re happy to help you determine which one may be best for you. Feel free to contact us to discuss your situation and goals.

For more information on Solver Engines you can visit our Plug-in Solver SDK Engines page for an overview of the engines or click on one of the following links to see which engines are best suited for each specific types of optimization problems:

• Linear and Quadratic Programming Problems
• Conic Optimization Problems
• Integer and Constraint Programming Problems
• Smooth Nonlinear Optimization Problems
• Global Optimization Problems
• Nonsmooth Optimization Problems
  

Note: Every Frontline Systems Solver product will handle problems with integer variables, including variables subject to the "alldifferent" constraint. If your problem involves many such variables, however, you may find much faster solutions using the Solver Engines found through the link "Integer and Constraint Programming Problems" above.

Supports Multiple Users Concurrently

The Solver SDK Platform is fully reentrant and suitable for multi-threaded applications, such as those on Intranet, Web server, or Web service applications that are designed to serve multiple users concurrently.  What's more, you can start by simply running a Microsoft-supplied Wizard in Visual Studio to create a Server or Web service application, then run a Solver SDK Platform Wizard to embed a working skeleton optimization or simulation model in that application!

Upward Compatible from Solver DLL

In addition to its new Object-Oriented API and matching Procedural API, the Solver SDK Platform includes a Legacy API that is fully upward compatible with the API supported by Frontline's former Solver DLL and Solver DLL Platform products.  Just link your Solver DLL application with the Solver SDK Platform's import library, and run with SolverSDK.dll instead of FrontDLL.dll or Frontmip.dll.  That's all it takes!  Contact us for details about the new, more flexible runtime licensing options available with the Solver SDK Platform.

Download a Free Trial Right Now

You can download and run the SDKSetup program that installs the full-power Solver SDK Platform with a free 15-day trial license. You can use every feature of the software, examine and solve 35 working examples -- in your favorite programming language -- illustrating various features of the SDK, solve real problems, examine the full User Guide and Help, and get expert technical support -- all without any obligation.

Just enter your name and email address, and optionally your company and phone, pick the closest "User Type," and click the Register for Download button.  You can download immediately after registering, or return later anytime -- just login with your email address.

User Type     Please Select Commercial User Consultant Corporate Developer Government/Military Professor Student VAR/ISV Developer Email Address First & Last Name Company or University Telephone We respect your privacy!  See our Privacy Policy Statement. Trial version passwords are sent to the above email address.

Ready to order, or just want to know more about prices, upgrades from previous versions, competitive upgrades, and annual support?  Click here for more information.