Analytic Solver is Frontline Systems’ new analytics platform for Excel. It is both evolutionary – a 100% compatible upgrade for users of all of Frontline’s previous Solver products (including Solver in Excel) – and revolutionary – a “cloud-first” platform rewritten from the ground up using JavaScript, new Microsoft APIs, and Frontline’s RASON cloud service.
Analytic Solver now comes in two versions: Analytic Solver Desktop, which runs on Excel for Windows (only) and solves models entirely on your PC, and Analytic Solver Cloud, which runs on Excel for Windows, Excel for Macintosh, and Excel for the Web, and solves models “in the cloud” – using Frontline’s RASON server on Microsoft Azure (or if desired on your company’s own RASON server).
Analytic Solver Desktop must be installed on your Windows PC by running our SolverSetup program. Analytic Solver Cloud needs no Setup program – you simply “insert” it once into your copy of Excel, a process that takes just a few seconds. You could walk up to a business center PC or borrow a friend’s Macintosh, login to Office 365 and Analytic Solver, immediately start working on your models (using desktop Excel or Excel Online), and finish with no files or programs left on that computer. Analytic Solver Cloud does require a constant Internet connection and an Office 365 subscription.
One license, for one price, gives you full access to both versions. The Ribbon and Task Pane user interface is nearly identical in both versions, and your models work the same way in both versions. Analytic Solver Cloud includes each of our “licensed subset” products: Analytic Solver Basic, Analytic Solver Upgrade, Analytic Solver Optimization, Analytic Solver Simulation, Analytic Solver Data Mining, and Analytic Solver Comprehensive. Your license gives you the same feature set and capacities in both Analytic Solver Desktop and Analytic Solver Cloud.
Our pricing for Analytic Solver Desktop + Cloud is the same as before – you get Analytic Solver Cloud at no extra cost! But solving large/complex models in Analytic Solver Cloud has CPU time limits, so you may well want to use Analytic Solver Desktop for long-running models.
|
Capability |
Analytic Solver Desktop |
Analytic Solver Cloud |
|
Operating System required |
Windows only |
Windows, MacOS, others via browser and Excel Online |
|
Office version required |
Office 2010-2019, Office 365 |
Office 365 (Win, Mac, browser) |
|
Analytic Solver Ribbon, Task Pane |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Data Mining Ribbon, Task Pane |
Yes |
Yes |
|
160+ Psi functions (e.g. PsiNormal) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
120+ Example models/datasets |
Yes |
Yes |
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Optimization – Solver upgrade |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Monte Carlo simulation |
Yes |
Yes except some chart controls |
|
Data/text mining, forecasting |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Data/text mining, forecasting |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Simulation optimization, robust |
Yes |
Yes |
|
5 Built-in Solver Engines |
Yes |
Yes |
|
8 Large-Scale Solver Engines |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Data Mining Workflows |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Guided Mode, Wizards |
Yes |
Yes except Constraint Wizard |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an Office 365 subscription to use Analytic Solver Cloud?
Yes – Analytic Solver Cloud relies on recently-added capabilities and JavaScript APIs that are present in the latest subscription versions of Excel – but not in older, non-subscription versions. Even Office 2019, which was finalized in mid to late 2018, does not have the necessary capabilities and JavaScript APIs.
I have a license for Analytic Solver from last year. Can I use Analytic Solver Cloud?
Yes – your license entitles you to use Analytic Solver current version, both Analytic Solver Desktop and Analytic Solver Cloud, at no extra charge. If you have less than Analytic Solver Comprehensive power in your current license, talk to us about an optional upgrade for optimization, simulation, or data mining!
Will Analytic Solver Cloud work in Excel for Macintosh, running under MacOS?
Yes – as long as you have the latest Excel version on an Office 365 subscription. Macs are “first-class citizens” for Analytic Solver Cloud. You can also use Analytic Solver Cloud in Excel Online through Safari.
Can Analytic Solver Cloud be used on a Linux computer?
Yes – using Excel Online through a web browser such as Chrome or Firefox. And Excel workbook models you create this way are fully usable in Analytic Solver Desktop and Cloud on Windows and Mac PCs.
Will my model created in Excel’s Solver work in Analytic Solver Cloud?
Yes – Analytic Solver Cloud will automatically recognize your Solver model when you click the Analytic Solver Ribbon tab and the Model button – just click the Optimize button! Note that since VBA is not available in the cloud, VBA macros like SolverOK and SolverSolve won’t work in Analytic Solver Cloud.
Can I create a model in Analytic Solver Cloud, then use in it Analytic Solver Desktop?
Yes – you can do this, and vice versa (create a model in Analytic Solver Desktop and use it in Analytic Solver Cloud). Both versions are equally capable, and models are fully inter-operable between them.
Can I use Analytic Solver Desktop and Analytic Solver Cloud on a Windows PC?
Yes – in this case, Analytic Solver Cloud will “defer to” Analytic Solver Desktop. You’ll see the Analytic Solver and Data Mining Ribbon tabs from Analytic Solver Desktop, and models will be solved on your PC.
My company restricts us from “using the cloud”. Is there a way I can use Analytic Solver Cloud?
Stay in touch with us – if/when Microsoft enhances Office add-ins for "offline use", your company can license our RASON Standalone Server, and run it on an on-premise Windows Server.
What are your future plans for Analytic Solver Desktop and Analytic Solver Cloud?
We plan to keep enhancing both versions for the foreseeable future. But like Microsoft, we’ve adopted a “cloud-first” strategy: Analytic Solver Cloud is likely to get more rapid enhancements than Analytic Solver Desktop. There may be “cloud-only features” that don’t apply to Analytic Solver Desktop.