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Frontline Systems is pleased to offer the OptQuest Solver Engine Version 8.0 for Microsoft Excel. The OptQuest Solver is a new 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 employs metaheuristics such as tabu search and scatter search to solve nonsmooth optimization problems of up to 5,000 variables and 1,000 constraints. It also supports integer variables and "alldifferent" constraints in both Platforms.  The OptQuest Solver handles models with any Excel formulas and functions, yet it finds remarkably good solutions with unprecedented speed.
 

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 OptQuest Solver Engine! And your VBA code designed to control the standard Solver will work as-is with the Premium Solver Platform.

Solve New Kinds of Problems

The OptQuest Solver, like the Evolutionary Solver in the Premium Solver Platform, can solve nonsmooth optimization problems that cannot be handled effectively by the standard Excel Solver. Even if your model uses IF, CHOOSE, LOOKUP and similar functions that cause difficulty for the standard Solver, you can obtain good solutions with the OptQuest Solver. And where the standard Solver (using the nonlinear GRG Solver engine) can find only a locally optimal solution, the OptQuest Solver is much more likely to find a globally optimal (or near-optimal) solution.

Greater Speed and Capacity

You'll be able to solve nonsmooth optimization problems as much as ten times larger than the Evolutionary Solver included with the Premium Solver Platform -- up to 5,000 variables and 1,000 constraints.  (Please note: The practicality of solving large problems with the OptQuest Solver, and the time required to find "good" solutions is highly dependent on the model. But the OptQuest Solver is highly effective on many kinds of problems with structure that can be discovered and exploited by the methods that it employs.)

Integer Variables and "Alldifferent" Constraints

The OptQuest Solver handles nonsmooth problems that include general integer and binary integer variables, and variables subject to the "alldifferent" constraint, newly introduced in the Premium Solver Platform. Alldifferent constraints can be used to model ordering or permutation of choices, such as the order of cities to visit in the Traveling Salesman Problem.

Where other Solvers may have difficulty finding any feasible solutions to nonlinear or nonsmooth problems that include both integer (or alldifferent) variables and other constraints, the OptQuest Solver will often find not only feasible, but close to optimal solutions.  Note:  At present, the OptQuest Solver Engine allows only one alldifferent constraint in a model, whereas the Premium Solver Platform allows you to define any number of (non-overlapping) alldifferent constraints.

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 OptQuest Solver.  This guide provides complete information on OptQuest Solver options, the various messages which the OptQuest Solver can return, how to diagnose problems, and how to control the OptQuest Solver from VBA in Excel, or from our Solver Platform SDK.

Order or Upgrade Today!

Prices.  The OptQuest Solver Engine V8.0 solves nonsmooth optimization problems of up to 5,000 variables and 1,000 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 OptQuest 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 OptQuest 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 OptQuest 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 OptQuest 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 KNITRO 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 OptQuest Solver Engine, you'll receive an automatic upgrade to V8.0 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.