In the example model, this constraint tells Solver to find a solution such that the product profit of the Inflatable Dartboard (cell B12) is equal to 0.

You use the Set Objective box to specify the objective cell, and you use the To group to tell Excel Solver what you want from the objective cell: the maximum possible value; the minimum possible value; or a specific value.

Finally, you use the By Changing Variable Cells box to specify the cells that Solver can use to plug in values to optimize the result.

If you choose Keep Solver Solution, Excel permanently changes the worksheet.

Note that if you click the cell to enter it, Solver automatically enters an absolute cell address (for example, B14 instead of B14 ).

The following image shows the completed Solver Parameters dialog box.

As Solver works on the problem, you might see the Show Trial Solution dialog boxes show up one or more times.

When the optimization is complete, Excel displays the Solver Results dialog box.

If you dont want to accept the result, select the Restore Original Values option instead.

In the Solver Results dialog box, use the Reports list to select each report you want to view.

For the objective cell and variable cells, Solver shows the original and final values.

The layout of the Sensitivity report depends on the type of model youre using.

In the simplest possible terms, a linear model is one in which the variables are not raised to any powers and none of the so-called transcendent functions such as SIN and COS are used.

In general terms, a smooth model is one in which a graph of the equation used doesnt show sharp edges or breaks.

Excel Solver defaults to using GRG Nonlinear, and that should work for almost anything you do with Solver.

A factory might have a maximum capacity of 10,000 units a day, the number of employees in a company cant be a negative number, and your advertising costs might be restricted to 10 percent of total expenses.

If you run the optimization without any restrictions, Solver might reach a total profit of 0 by setting one product at a slight loss and the other at a slight profit, where the loss and profit cancel each other out.

To get a true break-even solution, you might prefer to see both product profit values as 0.

Adding constraints tells Solver to find a solution so that these conditions are not violated.

You can type the address or select the cell on the worksheet.

Most of the time, you use a comparison operator, such as equal to ( ) or greater than ( ).

Use the int (integer) operator when you need a constraint, such as total employees, to be an integer value instead of a real number (that is, a number with a decimal component; you cant have 10.5 employees).

Use the bin (binary) operator when you have a constraint that must be either TRUE or FALSE (or 1 or 0).

This image shows an example of a completed Add Constraint dialog box.

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