solver.com

Frontline Systems is pleased to offer the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine Version 8.0 for Microsoft Excel. The Large-Scale LP/QP Solver is a field-installable Solver Engine that "plugs into" the Premium Solver Platform for Excel, and takes advantage of its new Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter. You can also use it with our Solver Platform SDK to develop applications in a programming language, for one license price!  It extends the power of both Platforms to handle linear programming and quadratic programming problems of up to 32,000 variables and 32,000 constraints in its Standard version, or with no fixed limits on variables and constraints in its Extended version. It also supports integer variables and  "alldifferent" constraints in both Platforms.

Fully Compatible

The Premium Solver Platform is 100% upwardly compatible with the standard Excel Solver. It appears when you select the Tools Premium Solver... menu choice; you'll see a familiar Solver Parameters and Solver Options dialog with many new features. Your existing models can be solved with no changes, faster and more easily than before -- with any appropriate Solver engine for the Premium Solver Platform, including the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine! And your VBA code designed to control the standard Solver will work as-is with the Premium Solver Platform.

Greater Speed and Capacity

You'll be able to solve linear and quadratic programming problems a thousand times larger than the standard Excel Solver -- up to 32,000 variables and 32,000 constraints in the Standard version, or with no fixed limits on variables and constraints in the Extended version of the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine. (Please note: Speed and maximum practical problem size may be less for QP problems than for LP problems with this Solver Engine.)

To handle such large problems, this Solver Engine uses sparse matrix storage methods and advanced methods for matrix factorization. Solution times are often hundreds of times faster than the standard Excel Solver, and many times faster than the Premium Solver.

Fast Problem Setup

Large linear programming models often spend most of their time in problem setup, then reach a solution quickly. With some work in designing your model to use certain common functions (like SUM and SUMPRODUCT), the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine can give you a really awesome speedup -- as much as 100 times faster!

But since the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver can use the new Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter in the Premium Solver Platform to extract the LP coefficients of your model, you may get most of this speed benefit without redesigning your model at all!  What's more, the coefficients are up to twice as accurate as they were without the Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter.

New Options and Tolerances

The Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine lets you adjust the most critical tolerances in the Simplex method -- the Primal Tolerance and Dual Tolerance.  Other tolerances are determined automatically.  And you can also select a variety of Cut Generation options, and set limits on the number of subproblems and feasible solutions in mixed-integer linear programming problems.

Comprehensive User Guide

In addition to the User Guide that comes with the Premium Solver Platform, you'll receive our Solver Engine User Guide that describes several field-installable Solver engines, including the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver.  This guide provides complete information on Large-Scale LP/QP Solver options, the various messages that this Solver Engine can return, how to diagnose problems, and how to control the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver from VBA in Excel, or from our Solver Platform SDK.

Order or Upgrade Today!

Prices.  The Standard version of the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine V8.0 solves LP/QP problems of up to 32,000 variables and 32,000 constraints. The Extended version solves LP/QP problems with no fixed limits on variables and constraints.  For pricing information, click on Excel Software and Support Prices.  If you are ordering for several users, ask us about quantity discounts and Flexible Use Licenses.

What's Included.  The Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine supports all recent versions of Excel (Excel 2007, Excel 2003, Excel XP and Excel 2000) on Windows NT / 2000 / XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista.  It comes with a comprehensive User Guide (covering several field-installable Solver engines) and extensive online Help.  You can order today with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Annual Support Contracts.  An Annual Support Contract for the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver V8.0 is required for the first year, and at all times in order to obtain software upgrades and technical support beyond basic installation assistance.  An Annual Support Contract includes:

Evaluation Versions.  If you want to "try before you buy," simply register by filling out a simple form, then download and run the V8.0 Engine Setup program.  If you don't already own the Premium Solver Platform V8.0 (which is required in order to run the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine), you can also download and run the V8.0 PSP Setup program.  You'll receive an evaluation license code which will allow you to use a full featured, full capacity, full speed version of the Premium Solver Platform and the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine 15 days, free of charge.  You can also download and run the V7.2 SDK Setup program, and use the Solver Platform SDK with the Large-Scale LP/QP Solver Engine for 15 days.

Product Upgrades.  If you own an older version of the Premium Solver Platform or the Solver Platform SDK and the Large-Scale LP Solver Engine, you'll receive an automatic upgrade to V8.0 -- with the new QP capabilities -- at no extra charge if you have a current Annual Support Contract (if you aren't current, see our instructions for "catching up" on annual support and paying the difference in price).

Competitive Upgrades.  If you own another "Solver" product for Microsoft Excel, click here for Competitive Upgrade Prices!

Contact Us Today:  Display or print our Order Form in PDF format, send us email at info@solver.com, call us at (775) 831-0300, or send a fax to (775) 831-0314.