Welcome to the ultimate resource for enhancing your Excel experience with the powerful Solver plugin, crafted by Frontline Systems. Recognized for its robust capability to tackle optimization problems across finance, marketing, manufacturing, logistics, and human resources, Solver is an essential tool for professionals seeking to streamline complex mathematical analysis and optimize outcomes. As a versatile and user-friendly add-in, it's designed to save time and improve precision in decision-making processes. On this page, we will delve into what Solver is, explore the seamless integration of Solver plugins with Excel, highlight common use cases in various industries, and address frequently asked questions to equip you with the knowledge to unlock its full potential.
Solver is a cloud-based Corporate Performance Management (CPM) solution that aids businesses in various financial processes. It serves as a comprehensive tool for budgeting, forecasting, reporting, consolidation, analysis, and planning. As a multifaceted tool, Solver also functions as a data warehouse and data integration tool, which allows for the storage and management of company data from different sources in one centralized location.
In addition to its core functions, Solver natively integrates with Excel, enhancing the user experience by leveraging familiar spreadsheet functionalities. It offers quick and efficient deployment options, including a 1-day deployment, and comes equipped with over 100 pre-built reports, forms, and dashboards, facilitating a rapid start. Solver's automated integrations further streamline the data management processes, saving time by migrating reports from other report writers.
Solver enhances decision-making and strategic planning by providing a user-friendly interface and tools such as its ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool, which automates data loading, thus eliminating manual steps. The integration capabilities extend to platforms like Acumatica, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Quickbooks Online, and Salesforce. Additionally, Solver's Power BI connector allows for seamless transfer of data to Power BI for creating professional dashboards, and its menu-driven configuration simplifies the customization of accounts, dimensions, and other financial data structures.
The Solver Data Warehouse is a next-generation solution based on the Microsoft SQL Azure platform designed to streamline the data storage and analysis processes for business users. It can reconcile multi-company financials and bring together data sources for comprehensive analyses. With its business-friendly approach, the Solver Data Warehouse enables team members to access and manage all of a company's business data in one place, with a variety of easy-to-use features and pre-configured modules to enhance productivity.
The Solver Add-in is a program included with Microsoft Office Excel, which is accessible upon installation of Microsoft Office or Excel. Developed by Frontline Systems, this add-in is free and can be downloaded from the Office Store. It is compatible with versions of Excel from 2013 with SP1 onwards. As a powerful tool, Solver is pre-installed and ready to assist users in defining and solving optimization problems within Excel.
Solver is a valuable add-in used for what-if analysis in Excel. It is designed to identify the maximum or minimum value of a formula within a target cell, referred to as the optimal cell value, which is essential in scenarios like maximizing profits. For Solver to function correctly, the objective cell, or target cell, must contain a formula, and the variable cells need to be connected to it. Solver offers three algorithms to cater to different types of problems: GRG Nonlinear, LP Simplex, and Evolutionary. The GRG method is the default and most commonly used for Excel functions, while the Simplex LP method addresses linear programming issues, and the Evolutionary method suits models with complex functions such as IF, CHOOSE, or LOOKUP that depend on the decision variable cells.
Solver is versatile and works efficiently with the majority of Excel functions, enhancing its capability as an optimization tool. Additionally, Solver's functionality is complemented by compatibility with other Excel add-ins like PowerPivot, allowing for more advanced data analysis and optimization tasks. By integrating Solver with these powerful Excel features, users can significantly extend their data analysis and problem-solving capabilities.
Solver is an add-in program used for what-if analysis that helps users with optimization problems by finding an optimal value for a formula in one cell, subject to constraints on decision variable cells.
To activate Solver, it must be loaded in Excel. Once installed, the Solver command appears in the Analysis group on the Data tab. Solver must be activated as an add-in within Excel.
Yes, Solver can handle a variety of optimization problem types including linear programming, quadratic programming, mixed-integer programming, and more.
Up to 200 variable cells can be specified in Solver for optimization problems.
Information about Solver can be found in the Office Store or provided by Frontline Systems, which offers detailed help for Solver.
The Solver Add-in, provided by Frontline Systems, is an integral tool for Microsoft Office Excel that enhances the capabilities of spreadsheets by offering what-if analysis, optimization for finding maximum or minimum values, and decision variable adjustments. Available from Excel 2010 and onwards, including Excel 2013 with SP1, this powerful add-in supports linear and nonlinear problem-solving, and is adept at handling models with complex functions like IF, CHOOSE, or LOOKUP. While the Solver Add-in is not supported in Excel for the web, it is a robust solution for the desktop application and is essential for users looking to perform advanced data analysis. However, for an even more streamlined and efficient data handling experience, consider using Sourcetable to import data directly into your spreadsheets. Sign up for Sourcetable today and get started on transforming your data management without the need for additional plugins.