Workshop: Optimization Modeling with MPL

Integrating Optimization in Real-World Business Applications

Maximal Software will be hosting a half-day workshop, Optimization Modeling with MPL: Integrating Optimization in Real-World Business Applications , the day before the INFORMS 2008 Washington D.C. conference, Saturday October 11th, 2008. The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants with an insightful overview and give step-by-step instructions for successfully building optimization applications.

The speaker for the workshop, Bjarni Kristjansson has decades of experience in the field. He will take you through all the steps of an optimization project using optimization software tools from Maximal Software, ILOG, COIN, ARKI Consulting, and Pinter Consulting.

Optimization technologies have become key tools in making important business decisions that increase competitive advantage. Optimization, through the use of advanced mathematics and computer science techniques, is used to assist organizations with solving their complex business problems in areas such as manufacturing, distribution, finance, and scheduling. The success of optimization projects depends on many different factors such as which modeling tools are used, integration with corporate data, and the selection of the most efficient solution algorithms available for the problem.

Software Used
The workshop is designed to give the participants hands-on experience with industrial-strength optimization and modeling tools.
The software used in the workshop will include:

• MPL Modeling System and OptiMax 2000 from Maximal Software
• CPLEX mixed integer solver from ILOG
• CoinMP open source solver from the Coin-OR project
• CONOPT nonlinear solver from ARKI Consulting
• LGO global solver for Pinter Consulting
• Microsoft ACCESS and EXCEL

Benefits
The purpose of the workshop is to show how optimization models can be brought together into business applications. At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to develop their own optimization models, link them to data sources and solve the models using state-of-the-art industrial-strength solvers. Participants will also acquire a good working knowledge on how to embed optimization models into applications.

By attending this workshop you will learn how to:

• Identify the best use of optimization techniques & how to deploy them
• Prepare and import data from different sources for optimization
• Identify which solvers works best for your optimization problem
• Gain a realistic view on the use of optimization for business
• Build your own embedded optimization applications.

Attendance is free for registered conference participants. To register, please send an email to info@maximalsoftware.com. Please register early as seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Workshop Schedule - Optimization Modeling in MPL

11:45 - 12:00 Registration, software installation and coffee

12:00 - 12:40 Introduction to Optimization Modeling and Solving

• Current state-of-the-art in optimization and modeling
• Fundamental modeling techniques and model development
• Formulating models with the MPL Modeling Language
• Solving models with CPLEX, CONOPT, and LGO
• Tuning solvers for better performance
• Formulating logical conditions with binary variables

12:40 - 13:00 Real-World Optimization Applications

• Production facilities and distribution centers placement
• Large-scale manpower forcasting system
• Mortage Backed Securities trading application

13:00 - 13:20 Coffee break

13:20 - 13:40 Connecting to Databases and Spreadsheets

• Advanced data modeling techniques
• Connecting MPL to Databases and Excel Spreadsheets
• Scalability and speed issues for models with very large data sets

13:40 - 14:00 Introduction to Open-Source Coin-OR and CoinMP

• Overview of the Coin-OR open-source project
• Windows and Linux versions of CoinMP
• Solving models with CoinMP in MPL

14:00 - 14:50 Embedding Optimization in Applications

• Tools and methods for embedding optimization in applications
• Demonstration of embedded optimization applications
• Introduction to OptiMax 2000 Component Library with Excel VBA
• Creating your own embedded optimization application step-by-step
• Optimization on the Internet and Web services

14:50 - 15:00 Discussion and Questions

Workshop Presenter

Bjarni Kristjansson, Maximal Software, Inc.

Bjarni Kristjansson is the president and founder of Maximal Software, Inc., a leading vendor of optimization modeling software. Maximal Software is the developer of the MPL Modeling System; an algebraic modeling language that allows the user to formulate complicated optimization models quickly and easily. Maximal Software also provides the OptiMax 2000 Component Library, which allows MPL models to be easily embedded into end-user applications. Bjarni Kristjansson has many years of practical experience providing innovative solutions, especially in regards to integrating optimization with wide range of information technologies and business applications.