Office X for Macintosh: The Missing Manual

552 office x for macintosh: the missing manual

Note: This command appears in the Data menu only if you’ve installed it using the Value Pack installer

described on page 681. Install Solver from the Excel Add-ins category and Solver Examples from the

Programmability category.

To use the Solver, choose Tools→Solver. In the Solver Parameters dialog box (Figure

14-20), you can tell the Solver what its target solution is, what cells it can change,

and some rules to adhere to while it’s working toward its solution. By entering the

right cell references and clicking the buttons, you can have Excel tweak your work-

sheet to reflect a reality that you hope (or fear) will come true. Here are the func-

tions of each field; go through the first few fields from top to bottom to enter your

information.

•Set Target Cell. This cell contains the value that you want to solve for. Type in the

cell reference, or click it to enter it automatically.

• Equal To. These three radio buttons let you set a goal for the solver. This is the

value that you want to end up in the target cell after the solver has done its work.

• By Changing Cells. This is where you tell Excel which cells are fair game to change

while looking for a solution. You can also click Guess, which will tell Excel to

examine the spreadsheet and take its best guess as to which cells to change.

• Subject to the Constraints. This field, with Add, Change, and Delete ...