Office 2013 In Depth

Using Goal Seek and Solver

As mentioned earlier in this chapter, Excel also provides two other analysis tools: Goal Seek and Solver. Goal Seek is designed to work backward from a desired outcome. Goal Seek determines that value that is required for a particular input cell to get a specific result in a dependent formula or function. Goal Seek is designed to help you determine the value of only one input cell involved in the calculation, so although it can be extremely useful, it is also fairly limited.

Solver, which is an Excel add-in, provides you with the ability to find the required value for a number of input cells involved in a predetermined calculation result. So, Solver can be used in situations where you want to determine the value for ...