Frontline Solvers Version 11.5

The Easiest to Use and Most Powerful Versions of Frontline Solvers Ever

As an existing customer, you already know that we’ve consistently enhanced the capacity, speed and range of problems Frontline Solvers can handle, helping you get better solutions, more quickly, with our very affordable tools. For V11.5 we’ve continued that tradition, but we've used requests from users like you and our own usability testing to focus on enhancements that will enable you to get more value, more easily, from our Solvers.

Read on to see the many enhancements we’ve made for you in V11.5. You can also click on the following links to jump directly, on this page, to the enhancements for a particular product:

• Risk Solver Platform
• Premium Solver Platform
• Risk Solver Pro
• Premium Solver Pro
• Large Scale Plug-in Engines
  

Risk Solver Platform Enhancements

For V11.5 we focused on increasing overall ease of use and the ability to solve larger versions of the hardest problem types.

1. New Distribution and Constraint Wizards — The main task in building optimization models is specifying the constraints, and the key challenge in building simulation models is choosing the right probability distribution and parameters for each uncertain variable. To help, we've included two new step by step wizards. Try them yourself by selecting either Distributions - Distribution Wizard or Constraints - Constraint Wizard on the Risk Solver Platform Ribbon.
   
2. Faster Solutions for Large Quadratic and Nonlinear Models — We've speeded up the PSI Interpreter, both when it is analyzing your model and when it is being used by a Solver Engine to compute rate of change and curvature information to guide the Solver to an optimal solution. For large quadratic and non-linear models, the speedup can be quite dramatic.
3. Next Generation Methods in Evolutionary Solver — To help you solve non-smooth Excel models with IF, CHOOSE, LOOKUP and similar functions, we've greatly enhanced the methods in our popular Evolutionary Solver to find high-quality solutions faster on many models, and much faster on some models. To try these new algorithms, select the Evolutionary engine on the Engine tab of the Task Pane and set the Legacy Mode option to False.
   
4. New Visualization of Solution Values for Recourse Decision Variables and Chance Constraints — Stochastic Optimization models with recourse decision variables can more accurately describe many real-world plans and decisions. But each recourse decision variable has many solutions, corresponding to different realizations of the uncertainty. In V11.5 we've added built-in charting and statistics for recourse decision variables and chance constraints, so you can visualize them much like uncertain variables. This helps you more easily understand and explore the properties of the optimal solution.
5. Faster and More Flexible Distribution Fitting — Now you can use our new PsiFit() function which fits distributions dynamically when your model changes. Also, if you fit distributions to large amounts of data, you'll find that fitting a distribution is much faster in this release. Try it yourself using Fit in the Tools section of the Risk Solver Pro Ribbon.
6. Improved Guided Mode Dialogs — Guided Mode gives you great insight into why your model may be easy or difficult to solve and what to do when you run into a problem. But when you're in a hurry, it's easy to overlook the messages. To help, we've re-worded and formatted nearly all of the Guided Mode Dialogs to make them easier to read at a glance. You can turn Guided Mode on or off by going to Help - Guided Mode.
7. More Example Models, Easier to Find — We've expanded the set of example models, made it easier to find models you are interested in, and added additional useful information in each model to help you build your own. You can see them yourself by going to Help - Examples.
   

You can learn more on our Risk Solver Platform product page or download an update.

Premium Solver Platform Enhancements

For V11.5 we focused on increasing overall ease of use and the ability to get optimal answers for larger and harder problem types in less time.

1. New Constraint Wizard — The main task in building optimization models is specifying the constraints -- so we've created a step by step wizard to help. You can use it to define constraints on formula cells -- and find out whether your formulas are linear, non-linear or non-smooth, to place integer restrictions on variables, or for more advanced features like alldifferent and conic constraints. Try it by selecting Constraints - Constraint Wizard the Premium Solver Platform Ribbon.
2. Faster Solutions for Large Quadratic and Nonlinear Models — We've speeded up the PSI Interpreter, both when it is analyzing your model and when it is being used by a Solver Engine to compute rate of change and curvature information to guide the Solver to an optimal solution. For large quadratic and non-linear models, the speedup can be quite dramatic.
3. Next Generation Methods in Evolutionary Solver — To help you solve non-smooth Excel models with IF, CHOOSE, LOOKUP and similar functions, we've greatly enhanced the methods in our popular Evolutionary Solver to find high-quality solutions faster on many models, and much faster on some models. To try these new algorithms, select the Evolutionary engine on the Engine tab of the Task Pane and set the Legacy Mode option to False.
4. Improved Guided Mode Dialogs — Guided Mode gives you great insight into why your model may be easy or difficult to solve and what to do when you run into a problem. But when you're in a hurry, it's easy to overlook the messages. To help, we've re-worded and formatted nearly all of the Guided Mode Dialogs to make them easier to read at a glance. You can turn Guided Mode on or off by going to Help - Guided Mode.
5. More Example Models, Easier to Find — We've expanded the set of example models, made it easier to find models you are interested in, and added additional useful information in each model to help you build your own. You can see them yourself by going to Help - Examples.
   

You can learn more on our Premium Solver Platform product page or download an update.

Risk Solver Pro Enhancements

For V11.5, Risk Solver Pro is changed in several exciting ways that you'll want to explore.  We've not only made Monte Carlo simulation more powerful and easier to use -- we've combined simulation and risk analysis with decision tree analysis in one product (at a very attractive price), and made them easier to use together.  What's more, we've made it easy to use Risk Solver Pro and Premium Solver Pro together!

1. New Decision Tree Capability — Risk Solver Pro now includes decision tree features, formerly found only in Risk Solver Platform. Decision trees can be used alone to model risky, high-stakes decisions, but with Risk Solver Pro you can easily apply sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation to decision tree models, to gain much greater insight into the decisions and outcomes you are modeling. Click on Help - Examples and then the "Decision Tree Examples" button to see for yourself.
2. Works with Premium Solver Pro — If you'd like to expand your modeling beyond simulation, risk analysis and decision analysis to include both conventional optimization and simulation optimization, but you aren't quite ready for the far greater power (and price) of Risk Solver Platform, in V11.5 you can purchase both Risk Solver Pro and Premium Solver Pro, and use them together from the same Ribbon and Task Pane.  And you'll still be able to upgrade, with full upward compatibility, to Risk Solver Platform in the future.
3. New Distribution Wizard — A key challenge in building simulation models is choosing the right probability distribution and parameters for each uncertain variable -- so we've created a step by step wizard to help. You can use it to narrow down the 50+ choices of distributions available in the software to just the few appropriate for your problem, and learn to use advanced features like bounds, alternate parameters and distribution fitting.  Try it yourself by selecting Distributions - Distribution Wizard on the Risk Solver Pro Ribbon.
4. Faster and More Flexible Distribution Fitting — Now you can use our new PsiFit() function which fits distributions dynamically when your model changes. Also, if you fit distributions to large amounts of data, you'll find that fitting a distribution is much faster in this release. Try it yourself using Fit in the Tools section of the Risk Solver Pro Ribbon.
5. More Example Models, Easier to Find — We've expanded the set of example models, made it easier to find models you are interested in, and added additional useful information in each model to help you build your own. You can see them yourself by going to Help - Examples.

You can learn more about Risk Solver Pro on our Risk Solver Pro product page or download an update.

Premium Solver Pro Enhancements

For V11.5 we’ve added further guidance to help you understand and refine your model and choose the best Solver Engine to solve it.  We've also enhanced your ability to solve the most difficult kinds of models with IF, CHOOSE, LOOKUP and similar functions.

1. New Constraint Wizard — The main task in building optimization models is specifying the constraints -- so we've created a step by step wizard to help. You can use it to define constraints on formula cells -- and find out whether your formulas are linear, non-linear or non-smooth, to place integer restrictions on variables, or for more advanced features like alldifferent and conic constraints. Try it by selecting Constraints - Constraint Wizard the Premium Solver Pro Ribbon.
2. Next Generation Methods in Evolutionary Solver — To help you solve non-smooth Excel models with IF, CHOOSE, LOOKUP and similar functions, we've greatly enhanced the methods in our popular Evolutionary Solver to find high-quality solutions faster on many models, and much faster on some models. To try these new algorithms, select the Evolutionary engine on the Engine tab of the Task Pane and set the Legacy Mode option to False.
3. Works with Risk Solver Pro — If you'd like to expand your modeling to include risk analysis and Monte Carlo simulation as well as optimization, but you aren't quite ready for the far greater power (and price) of Risk Solver Platform, in V11.5 you can purchase Risk Solver Pro and use it with Premium Solver Pro, from the same Ribbon and Task Pane.  You'll have all the features of both products, and the ability to solve simulation optimization problems.  And you'll still be able to upgrade, with full upward compatibility, to Risk Solver Platform in the future.
4. Improved Guided Mode Dialogs — Guided Mode gives you great insight into why your model may be easy or difficult to solve and what to do when you run into a problem. However, when you're in a hurry, it's easy to overlook the messages. To help, we've re-worded and formatted nearly all of the Guided Mode Dialogs to make them easier to read at a glance. You can turn Guided Mode on or off by going to Help - Guided Mode.
5. More Example Models, Easier to Find — We've expanded the set of example models, made it easier to find models you are interested in, and added additional useful information in each model to help you build your own. You can see them yourself by going to Help - Examples.

You can learn more on our Premium Solver Pro product page or download an update.

Large Scale Plug-In Solver Engines Feature Best-Ever Performance

Several of our plug-in large-scale Solver engines have major enhancements in V11.5 - notably the KNITRO Solver, Large-Scale SQP Solver (on non-smooth models), Gurobi Solver, and XPRESS Solver. If you have a large model, or one that is difficult to solve, be sure to download and try the V11.5 plug-in Solver Engines.

Tip on choosing the best engine for your model: After installing a free trial of the plug-in engines, in the Task Pane on the Engine Tab, check "Automatically Select Engine" at the top. After solving your model, click on the Output tab and you can quickly see which engine was identified as best for your model.

Solver SDK Platform users: These upgraded V11.5 engines will work as-is with your V11.0 Solver SDK Platform product. Feel free to upgrade any plug-in engines you own even though there isn't an update for the SDK being released at this time.

Get your free upgrade to V11.5 today

If you are an existing customer and need to catch up on support, simply contact us today at 775-831-0300 or email sales@solver.com. We’ll explain the easy steps to catch up on support at the lowest available pricing. You can download V11.5 for yourself here.