Exel Solver (Solver Add-In/Toolpak) - Algorithms and options

Hi,

does anyone have any overview of the excel solver algorithms, or, any resources that justify which one should be used in which scenario?

Also, does anyone have an overview of the options one can use to configure the solvers.

For example, I want to run a solver, in order to find the possible max value of, say, Cell A, based, on the values in two other, say Cell B and Cell C.

I use constraints, to limit the values in Cell B and Cell C to (-2.0,+2.0), which seems to work ok. However, I would like to know where I can set the "increment" that is added/subtracted to or from the cell value in each iteration. I would like to use an increment of, say, 0.01. How can I set this.

So far, I have used the "evolutionary" algorithm (because it sounds "best" ()). The options I see are:

Under "All Methods":
"Constraint precision": I am GUESSING, that this means how close the values in Cells B and C can come to the constraint (i.e. if I have a constraint saying Cell B SMALLER 2 (i.e. <, NOT <=), AND the constraint precision is 0.000001, then it could come up to 1.999999, but NOT up to 1.9999990001, etc.)
Is this guess somewhere in the near truth?


Under "Evolutionary":

"Convergence": Is this the value I am looking for? Where I can set the increment added/subtracted in each iteration to the cell values of Cells B and C? If not, what does this mean/do?

"Mutation Rate": This could ALSO be the increment/decrement setting? If not, what does IT do?

"Populations size": I don't know what this does. Ideas?

"Random seed": ???


Also, the options under the GRG Non-Linear algorithm are not ALWAYS self-explanatory.

Does anyone have some resources for this, OR, is able to help me themselves, somehow??


Thanks for any and all help!!!

Thanks! C

And perhaps this one as well.

http://www.solver.com/excel-solver-help

Alf

Thanks, shg, and Alf! I am now (have been away, for a few days) taking a look at those references. Thanks!

However, I would like to know where I can set the "increment" that is added/subtracted to or from the cell value in each iteration. I would like to use an increment of, say, 0.01. How can I set this.

I would probably run solver in a loop something like

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and then add

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after each loop.

Alf

Hmm. Yes, but, that requires VBA. Not really a problem, but, if possible, I would like to stay with "native" excel, if that is possible.

I am still reading http://www.utexas.edu/courses/lasdon/design3.htm, i.e. "Design and Use of the Microsoft Excel Solver", which I, assume, will, at some point, discuss the possibilities of "setting" this "increment" within the excel "solver" interface, as I do assume, that it is possible to do this from within its interface.

Thanks, for your suggestion, though!