Walkthrough: Binding Data to Parameters
When you create a model, you can bind data to parameters so that the model can be performed over a range. In this supply chain example, you can add the capacity of different aircraft over different routes to a model.
To add data to an Excel spreadsheet
In the Solver Foundation ribbon, click Model to display the Modeling Pane.
In the Excel worksheet, enter the following data. The following table lists the carrying capacity per month for each type of plane for each route (in thousands).
Capacity
NY-LA
NY-SF
NY-Dallas
NY-Houston
NY-Boston
Boeing 777
16
15
28
23
81
Boeing 737
0
10
14
15
57
Airbus A320
0
5
0
7
29
Airbus A330
9
11
22
17
55
Unallocated
1
1
1
1
1
To bind data to a parameter
Select all the data, not the column and row names.
In the Sets tab, click New, and then click Set.
For the Name, type Aircraft.
In the Domain drop-down menu, select Nonnegative Real.
In the Sets tab, click New, and then click Set.
For the Name, type Routes.
In the Domain drop-down menu, select Nonnegative Real.
In the Parameters tab, click New, and then click Parameter.
For the Name, type Capacity.
In the Domain drop-down menu, select Nonnegative Real.
Next to Binding, click the […] ellipsis button.
The Binding Editor appears.
Verify that the range in the Table/Range text box is correct.
Clear the Range Includes Column Headers checkbox.
When you clear the checkbox, the Columns and Value Field options are disabled. The selected data in the Table/Range text box must be a matrix of values, as in this example, with no column headings.
In the Set column, select Aircraft.
In the Set column, select Routes, and then click OK.
The members of the Aircraft and Routes sets, a matrix of values, are inferred based on the selected range. The first set, Aircraft, represents the row data, and the second set, Routes, represents the column data.
For an example that shows how to use data binding in an OML model, see Walkthrough: Creating and Solving a Nonlinear Model.