Microsoft Office

Analyzing Data Using Goal Seek and Solver 37
FIGURE 37.8
You can control many aspects of how Solver solves a problem.
This list describes Solver’s options:
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Max Time: Specify the maximum amount of time (in seconds) that you want Solver to spend on
a problem. If Solver reports that it exceeded the time limit, you can increase the amount of time
that it spends searching for a solution.
Iterations: Enter the maximum number of trial solutions that you want Solver to perform.
Precision: Specify how close the Cell Reference and Constraint formulas must be to satisfy a constraint.
Excel may solve the problem more quickly if you specify less precision.
Tolerance: Designate the maximum percentage of error allowed for integer solutions (relevant
only if an integer constraint is used).
Convergence: Enter a value between 0 and 1 that specifies the amount of change to allow before
Solver stops. This setting is relevant only for nonlinear problems.
Assume Linear Model: Choose this option to speed the solution process, but you can use it only
if all the relationships in the model are linear. You can’t use this option if the adjustable cells are
multiplied or divided, or if the problem uses exponents.
Assume Non-Negative: If checked, Solver assumes a lower limit of 0 for all adjustable cells that
don’t have a specified lower-limit constraint.
Use Automatic Scaling: Use when the problem involves large differences in magnitude — when
you attempt to maximize a percentage, for example, by varying cells that are very large.
Show Iteration Results: Instruct Solver to pause and display the results after each iteration by
checking this box.
Estimates, Derivatives, and Search group boxes: Use these options to control some technical
aspects of the solution. In most cases, you don’t need to change these settings.
Load Model: Click this button to make Excel display the Load Model dialog box, in which you
specify a range containing the set of Solver parameters that you want to load.
Save Model: Click this button to make Excel display the Save Model dialog box, in which you
specify a range where Excel should save the model parameters.
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