Microsoft Excel Formulas and Functions (Office 2021 and Microsoft 365)

CHAPTER 20

Solving complex problems with Solver

In this chapter, you will:

• Learn some crucial background on what Solver can do for you

• Learn how to load Solver and use it to run basic optimizations

• Improve Solver results by adding one or more constraints

• Learn how to save a Solver solution as a scenario

• Work with Solver’s options, understand Solver’s messages, and display Solver’s reports

In Chapter 19, “Using Excel’s business modeling tools,” you learned how to use Goal Seek to find solutions to formulas by changing a single variable. Unfortunately, most problems in business aren’t so easy. You’ll usually face formulas with at least two and sometimes dozens of variables. Often, a problem will have more than one solution, and your challenge ...