RISKOptimizer for Excel ReadMe

Version 5.7
September 2010
Palisade Corporation
All Rights Reserved

Contents
About This Product
Release Notes
System Requirements
Installation
Technical Support Information
Software Activation/License Transfer
Student Version Information

About This Product

RISKOptimizer is a simulation optimization package designed as an add-in for Microsoft Excel
2000 or higher. RISKOptimizer integrates the intuitive interface of Evolver, Palisade's genetic
optimization add-in, with the power of @RISK spreadsheet functions. For a version history of the
RISKOptimizer for Excel application, please see the Version History.rtf file in the main
RISKOptimizer program directory.

Release Notes
Compatibility with Excel 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit editions)
RISKOptimizer 5.7 can be used with both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Microsoft Excel 2010.

Compatibility with Excel 2007

RISKOptimizer 5.7 is fully compatible with Excel 2007. However, we highly recommend you
upgrade Excel 2007 to the latest service releases available from Microsoft. The original release
of Excel 2007 is significantly slower than its later service releases.

Code Page Settings

Non-English editions of Palisade products require the correct Windows code page. For example,
to use the Japanese version of RISKOptimizer, you must be on a computer with the active code
page set to Japanese. If you are running on Japanese windows, this will automatically be set by
default. However, if you are running Japanese RISKOptimizer on a non-Japanese machine, you
will need to change the default Windows setting, which can be found on the “Advanced Tab” of
the “Regional and Language Options” control panel.

Installing Side-by-Side with RISKOptimizer 1.0:

RISKOptimizer 5.7 and RISKOptimizer 1.0 may be installed on the same computer. The two
products, however, can not be running simultaneously, even on two different copies of Excel.
NOTE: RISKOptimizer 5.7 is an update to RISKOptimizer 5.0 and not an entirely new
version. Thus, it is not possible to have RISKOptimizer 5.0, RISKOptimizer 5.5, or
RISKOptimizer 5.7 simultaneously installed on the same machine.

File Compatibility:
RISKOptimizer 5.0, 5.5, and 5.7 can perform simulations on all spreadsheet models created with
any earlier version of RISKOptimizer. However, if you define a model using certain
RISKOptimizer options that are new to version 5.0, you will not be able to use these models in
earlier versions of RISKOptimizer. These options include:
 using Excel ranges for Adjustable Cell Range Minimum or Maximum
 using Excel ranges to define constraint limits
 specifying Group Names range with the Grouping solving method
 specifying "All Groups Must be Used" as False with the Grouping solving
method

System Requirements
Access Privileges:
To run this installer, you must have local administrative rights. After you install the program, no
special permissions are required to run the program.

Operating Systems:
RISKOptimizer 5.7 for Excel requires Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP, or later. RISKOptimizer
5.7 for Excel will not run under Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0,
Windows NT 3.5.1, or Windows 3.1. RISKOptimizer 5.7 for Excel will not run on the OS/2,
Macintosh, or UNIX platforms.

Spreadsheets:
You must have an installed copy of Microsoft Excel 2000 or higher. RISKOptimizer for Excel will
not run with Microsoft Excel 97 or earlier. RISKOptimizer is not compatible with non-Microsoft
spreadsheet packages such as Lotus 1-2-3.

Help Files:
Palisade help files are in Microsoft HTML-Help format. Microsoft requires you to have Internet
Explorer 4.0 or later installed on your machine to view this file, although you are not required to
specify Internet Explorer as your default browser.

Online Manuals:
To view Palisade's online manuals, you must have version 4.0 or higher of Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your machine. Adobe Acrobat Reader is available without charge from
www.adobe.com.

System Applications:
RISKOptimizer 5.7 for Excel requires the installation of the following Microsoft system
applications, which are installed along with the RISKOptimizer 5.5 for Excel application if not
found on the installation system. They will be seen in the add/remove programs following
installation.
 Windows Installer 3.1
 Microsoft C++ 8.0 Runtimes
 Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
Installation

Directory Structure:
By default, this installer creates a main Palisade program directory located at Program
Files\Palisade (on 32-bit systems) or Program Files (x86)/Palisade (on 64-bit systems). The
product itself is installed as a subdirectory of the main Palisade program directory. This is similar
to how Excel is often installed into a subdirectory of a main “Microsoft Office” directory.

Installed Files:
The installer places several files into the main program directory. All of these files are needed for
the software to run properly. In addition, this directory includes example files and help files.
Several files which are shared among several Palisade products are copied into the Program
Files\Palisade\System directory. The installer also copies several Windows support files into your
Windows\System directory. A list of all the installed files is written into a .log file (Risk5Std.log,
RISK5Pro.log, or Risk5Ind.log for @RISK stand-alone installation, or DTools5Pro.log or
Dtools5Ind.log if this product was installed as part of the DecisionTools Suite), which is written to
the system’s temporary directory.

Registry Keys
Palisade products store system-wide settings in the registry in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Palisade. All user-specific settings are stored in the registry
in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. If you need a more complete description of registry usage, contact
Palisade’s technical support department.

Uninstallation:
To uninstall your product, double click the Add-Remove Programs icon in the control panel and
click the ‘Remove’ button for the product from the list shown.

Technical Support Information

Palisade is dedicated to providing quality technical support for our customers. If requesting
technical support via our website, fax, email, or post, please be sure to supply the following
information:
1. Your name, serial number, and a return email address, phone number, or fax number.
2. The Palisade product and version number you are using (e.g. RISKOptimizer 5.7).
3. The version of the Windows operating system you are using (e.g. Windows XP).
4. If relevant, the version of Office software you are using (e.g. Office 2003).
5. A description of the problem. Please be as specific as possible.

World Wide Web:

Palisade’s web site is www.palisade.com. The site contains a technical support knowledgebase
(a searchable database of technical support questions and answers) as well as information on
how to obtain the latest software upgrades and patches. The site also contains all the latest
product information, news, and software demos.

Email:
Palisade technical support can be reached at support@palisade.com For general sales
questions contact:
in the United States and Canada: sales@palisade.com
in South America and Latin America: ventas@palisade-lta.com
in Europe: sales@palisade-europe.com
in the Asia/Pacific region: sales@palisade.com.au

Fax:
Palisade’s fax number is (607)-277-8001 in the USA, +44 1895 425051 in Europe, and +61 2
9252 2820 in Australia.

Phone:
Palisade technical support can be reached via phone at (607)-277-8000, Monday through Friday
8:30am-5:00pm Eastern Time in the USA. In Europe, technical support is available at +44 1895
425050, Monday through Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm GMT. Asia-Pacific customers may call our
Australia office at +61 2 9252 5922 from 0900h to 1700h AEST.
Please note: telephone technical support is not available for student versions of Palisade
products.

Post:
Palisade technical support can be reached via mail at

Palisade Corporation
Department of Technical Support
798 Cascadilla Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
USA

Or

Palisade Europe UK Ltd.

31 The Green
West Drayton
Middlesex
UB7 7PN
United Kingdom

Or

Palisade Asia-Pacific Pty Limited

Department of Technical Support
Suite 404, Level 4
20 Lotus Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Software Activation/License Transfer

See corresponding section of @RISK for Excel ReadMe file.
Student Version Information
If you are using the student version of RISKOptimizer, please read this section.

Student License Agreement

The student version of RISKOptimizer is for academic use only. Any non-academic use of the
student version of RISKOptimizer is strictly forbidden and represents a violation of the terms of
the student license agreement.

Limitations of the Student Version (for Student Versions Included in Textbooks Only)
RISKOptimizer student version models are limited to 4 worksheets, each with 300 rows by 100
columns in a single Excel workbook. In addition, you must have at most 100 @RISK input
functions and at most 10 adjustable cells in your model. Any model that exceeds these limitations
can not be optimized. These restrictions only apply to student versions included with textbooks.

Watermarks on Graphs
All graphs created with the student version of RISKOptimizer are “watermarked” with the text
“RISKOptimizer Student Version, For Academic Use Only”. It is considered a violation of your
license agreement to attempt to remove or alter this watermark.

Expiration
The student version of RISKOptimizer will expire after a fixed period of time. Student versions
obtained directly from Palisade Corporation typically expire after one year. Student versions
bundled with textbooks typically expire after two years.