Solver for Excel 2008

To use Solver, first start Excel 2008, create or open your workbook, and make any changes you want.  When you're ready to use Solver, click the Solver icon in your Dock (or double-click the Solver icon in your /Applications folder).

The Solver Parameters dialog should appear. If you're using English, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, or Swedish, Solver dialogs, messages and reports should appear in your language; however, Solver Help is available only in English.

Use the Solver Parameters dialog to select your objective (Target Cell), decision variables (Changing Cells), and Constraints. Then click the Solve button.  Solver will seek the optimal solution to the problem. 

When it's finished, the Solver Results dialog will appear, and the final values of the Changing Cells will appear in your workbook in Excel. To pause or stop Solver while it's solving, press the ESC key, and click Stop (or Continue) when the Trial Solution dialog appears.

The most important consequence is that it's possible -- but certainly not advisable -- to make changes in Excel or your workbook while Solver is running.  Because Solver is trying to talk to Excel at the same time, the results will be unpredictable -- including crashes in Solver or Excel.

Don't make changes yourself in Excel or your workbook while Solver is solving.  And don't leave the Solver Parameters dialog open while you are making changes in Excel.  Start Solver and use the Solver Parameters dialog only when you need it to solve a problem, then click Solve.

Another consequence of Solver running as a separate application is that it cannot be as fast as Solver would be running as an add-in.  Solver must "talk" intensively to Excel while it is running, and this communication occurs through AppleScript across process boundaries, which is slower than communication between Excel and an add-in running in the same process.

The speed difference is most noticeable for nonlinear optimization problems, which demand the most intensive communication.  On the other hand, you may find that Solver in Excel 2008 is faster than Solver in Excel 2004 on linear mixed-integer (LP/MIP) optimization problems, because it uses updated methods for these problems.

NOTE: To be able to download Solver for Excel 2008 you will have to register on the developer's website.

Requirements:

· Excel 12.1.2 or later