Contents of User Guide

Analytica User Guide

Introduction: About Analytica

• If you don’t read manuals
• Hardware and software requirements
• Installation and licenses
• Editions of Analytica
• Help menu and documentation
• Normally, usually, and defaults
• Typographic conventions in this guide
• User guide Examples folder
• What’s new? Releases of Analytica: What’s new?

Examining a Model

• To open or exit a model
• Diagram window
• Classes of variables and other objects
• Selecting nodes
• Toolbar
• User input nodes and user output nodes
• Object window
• Attribute panel
• Values in Object Window
• Printing

Result Tables and Graphs

• Result window
• Table view of a result
• Graph view of a result
• Uncertainty view of a result
• Comparing results

Create and edit a model

• Create and save a model
• Create and edit nodes
• Draw arrows
• Draw arrows between modules
• Alias nodes
• To edit an attribute
• Change class of an object
• Preferences dialog

Building Effective Models

• Create a model
• Test and debug your model
• Expand your model

Creating Lucid Influence Diagrams

• About influence diagrams
• Guidelines for creating lucid models
• Arranging nodes to make clear diagrams
• Organizing a module hierarchy
• Color in influence diagrams
• Diagram Style dialog
• Node Style dialog
• Taking screenshots of diagrams

Formatting Numbers, Tables, and Graphs

• Number formats
• Date formats
• Display of constraint results
• Multiple formats in one table
• Graphing roles
• Graph setup dialog
• Changing Series Colors
• Graph templates
• XY Comparison

Creating and Editing Definitions

• Creating or editing a definition
• The Expression popup menu
• Expression Assist
• Object Finder dialog
• Definition menu
• The domain of possible values
• Check attribute

Creating Interfaces for End Users

• User interfaces
• User Input nodes
• Choice menu user input
• Checkbox user input
• User output nodes
• User inputs and outputs as aliases
• Onchange attribute
• Button creation
• Form modules
• Icon images in a node
• Graphics, frames, and text in a diagram
• Links or URL in model attributes
• Sharing your model
• Analytica Free 101
• Analytica Cloud Player (ACP)

Using Expressions

• Numbers
• Date and Time Values
• Boolean or truth values
• Text values
• Operators
• IF a THEN b ELSE c
• Function calls and parameters
• Math functions
• Numbers and text
• INF, NAN, and NULL - Exception values
• Warnings
• Datatype functions

Arrays and Indexes

• Intelligent Arrays
• Indexes and arrays: An introduction
• IF a THEN b ELSE c with arrays
• Creating an index
• Functions that create indexes
• To make an edit table
• To edit a table
• Splice a table when computed indexes change
• Subscript and slice of a subarray
• Choice menus and Checkboxes in an edit table
• Shortcuts to navigate and edit a table

More Array Functions

• Array Function Example Variables
• Functions that create arrays
• Array-reducing functions
• Transforming functions
• Relational tables and multiD arrays
• Interpolation functions
• Fourier Transform
• Sets - collections of unique elements
• Other array functions
• DetermTable: Deterministic tables
• Subtable: Editable part of an array
• MultiTable: Combining editable and computed arrays
• Matrix functions

Other Functions

• Text functions
• Date functions
• Advanced math functions
• Complex number functions
• Financial functions
• Financial library functions
• Advanced probability functions

Expressing Uncertainty

• Choosing an appropriate distribution
• Defining a variable as a distribution
• Including a distribution in a definition
• Probabilistic calculation
• Uncertainty Setup dialog

Probability Distributions

• Probability distributions
• Parametric discrete distributions
• Probability density and mass graphs
• The domain attribute and discrete variables
• Custom discrete probabilities
• Parametric continuous distributions
• Custom continuous distributions
• Special probabilistic functions
• Multivariate distributions
• Importance weights

Statistics, Sensitivity, and Uncertainty Analysis

• Statistical functions
• Weighted statistics and w parameter
• Importance analysis
• Sensitivity analysis functions
• Tornado charts
• X-Y plots
• Scatter plots
• Regression analysis
• Uncertainty in regression results
• Logistic regression functions
• Stochastic Information Packets (SIPs)

Dynamic Simulation

• Time index
• Dynamic function
• Time index details
• Dynamic initial values
• Dynamic using arrays
• Dynamic dependencies
• Dynamic and uncertainty
• Dynamic on non-Time Indexes
• Reverse Dynamic

Importing, Exporting, and OLE Linking Data

• Using the Standard Copy and Paste Commands
• Using OLE linking
• Read from and write to Excel spreadsheets
• Using the Import and Export Commands

Working with Large Models

• Show module hierarchy
• Outline window
• Find variables and other objects
• Manage attributes
• Invalid variables
• Filed modules and libraries
• Import a module or library
• Combining models into an integrated model
• Managing windows
• Memory usage and management

Building Functions and Libraries

• Example function
• Call a function
• Define a function
• Attributes of a function
• Parameter qualifiers
• User Libraries

Procedural Programming

• Procedural Programming Example
• Summary of Programming Constructs
• Begin-End for Grouping Expressions
• Local Variables
• For and While Loops
• Recursion
• Local Indexes
• Ensuring Array Abstraction
• References and Data Structures
• Handles to Objects
• Dialog Functions
• Other Procedural Functions

Analytica Enterprise

• Database access
• Database functions
• Read and write text files
• Read data from URL on internet
• Making a browse-only model and hiding definitions
• Huge Arrays
• Performance Profiler library
• RunConsoleProcess - call other applications
• COM Automation Objects

Appendices

• Selecting the Sample Size: What sample size should you use for modeling uncertainties?
• Analytica Specifications: Requirements and specifications, including range and precision of numbers.
• Identifiers Already Used: A list of all identifiers used for system functions, variables, attributes, and control words.
• Error Message Types: Types of error message
• Forward and Backward Compatibility: Compatibility for Analytica releases for running models created with earlier or later releases.
• Bibliography: Books and links for useful background information.