Microsoft® Excel® 2010: Data Analysis and Business Modeling

Chapter 28. An Introduction to Optimization with Excel Solver

In many situations, you want to find the best way to do something. More formally, you want to find the values of certain cells in a worksheet that optimize (maximize or minimize) a certain objective. The Microsoft Excel Solver helps you answer optimization problems such as the following:

• How can a large drug company determine the monthly product mix at its Indianapolis plant that maximizes corporate profitability?

• If Microsoft produces Xbox consoles at three different locations, how can it minimize the cost of meeting demand for them?

• What price for Xbox consoles and games will maximize Microsoft’s profit from Xbox sales?

• Microsoft would like to undertake 20 strategic initiatives that ...