Analytica User FAQs/Reference Materials and Additional Reading

What reference materials exist for Analytica?

(see http://lumina.com/ana/support/download.htm to be sure you have links the latest versions )

• The Analytica User Guide. (comes installed with Analytica)
• The Analytica Tutorial. (comes installed with Analytica)
• The Analytica Optimizer Guide. (comes installed with Analytica).
• The Analytica Wiki (which you are currently viewing)
• The Analytica Scripting Guide

What reference materials exist for ADE?

• The ADE Developers Guide (comes installed with ADE, includes both a tutorial and a reference)
• The Analytica Scripting Guide (comes installed with ADE)

Are there training materials aimed at Excel-heads?

As for everyone, we recommend starting with the Analytica Tutorial, downloading the Trial if you haven't already.

If you have an existing spreadsheet that you rely on, having it translated into Analytica is often a great way to get started. Lumina's consulting services can help you do that. This gives you a starting point that feels familiar to you, and when done by experienced Analytica professionals, you'll have a very well-structured starting point.

As you create your own models, if you find yourself continually thinking in Excel terms, you should find the Excel to Analytica Mappings reference useful.

Where can I find overviews of Analytica?

Here are a few articles that overview Analytica:

• Morgan & Henrion, "Uncertainty", 2^nd ed., chapter 10.

Although not an overview per-se, this is a very good motivating article:

• Henrion (2004), "What's wrong with Spreadsheets - and how to fix them"

Where can I find published third-party reviews of Analytica?

• Robert D. Brown III (June 2008), Software Review: Analytica 4.1, OR/MS TOday

• Barry Grushkin (March 2005), Business Modeling: No Spreadsheets Required, Intelligent Enterprise.

• Jim Ericson (6 Oct 2003), "A Better Spreadsheet: Twenty-five years after Excel, Lumina Decision Systems analytic tool is visual, powerful and flexible", Line56: The E-Business Daily

• DM Review (Oct 2003), Lumina Decision Systems Launches New Business Analytics Tool, DMReview.com

• Henry Morris (Sept 2003), "Group VP for Applications and Information Access", IDC Conference 2003.

Brief quotes from numerous other reviews are summarized at [1].

Where can I find published articles that utilized Analytica?

See Articles that refer to Analytica.

What are some good books or articles on Decision Analytic modeling?

• Morgan & Henrion, "Uncertainty", Cambridge University Press. Note: Best to get the second edition.

• Virine & Trumper (2007), "Project Decisions: The Art and Science".