Aware™ Technology
Menu Commands
for Polymorphic Modeling
Conventional Spreadsheets and Modeling Applications
Don't have Permutation Controls
A conventional spreadsheet or modeling application does not support model permutations, they only support what-if analysis.
In what-if analysis the user edits inputs in order to calculate results.
What-if analysis essentially requires a data structure which stores text, values, and
formulas somewhere in the model. However, these conventional data structures do not
support and do not enable model permutations nor polymorphic modeling.
In contrast, what-if modeling requires that the model be permutated into an alternate form
before the what-if analysis is performed. In order to support model permutations an
enhanced set of capabilities must be integrated into the data structure and processes of
the model, i.e., the Patented permutation control and permutation processes need to
be implemented in the modeling environment, be it a spreadsheet or a C++ model, or other
modeling application environment.
Model Permutation require Controls
A model in the Aware Technology has an enhanced data structure which replaces the
formula attribute with a permutation control. Model, sheet and cell (field or row) level
permutation controls are then used by the permutation process to change the model from one
form into another form before it performs the what-if analysis. Thus, the model, sheets
and cells (fields or rows) in an implementation using the Aware technology contains not
only information used to calculate the formulas, but also information used to derive and
control model permutations.
Menu Commands, Toolbar Speedbuttons, Edit Fields and Edit Dialog Screens provide the
interface for users to interact with the permutation controls in order to statically
assign permutation processes that will be used during model permutations or to dynamically
interact and select permutation processes that it will use during the model permutation
process in real time, as the permutation occurs.
The following table provides a brief outline which describes a majority of the permutation
control interface menu commands. Users can interact with menu commands and speedbuttons in
order to control and select among model permutation behaviors. These controls and
interfaces, when taken in combination, provide an almost unlimited diversity of model
permutations.
These interface commands are categorized and grouped according to their function.
It is significant to note that some terms, such as "undo" have a
different meaning when used in a standard spreadsheet context from that in the polymoprhic
modeling context. For example, undo in a spreadsheet means to reset the data values to
their previous value. Undo in a polymorphic modeling context means to reset the model's
permutation control to a prior set of contents. Undo in a conventional spreadsheet deals
only with data or edits, undo in a polymorphic model can apply to data, to the permutation
control contents, or to both.
The advanced capabilities of permutation enabled modeling give rise to a new context,
i.e., a polymorphic context where the model changes independently of the data and
permutation controls are required to administer the permutation process.
Here is a table of permutation controls and a brief description of their
function organized by function.
These are different from the undo of edits which affect calculated values and input
values, i.e. Solely data values . These are operations that affect only the model
permutation controls (equations, next, triggers) and only selectively the data values.
eset and Undo of Options:
Controls|Reset|For Cell|No Reset/Reset Prev/Reset Orig
Controls|Reset Model to Original formulas
Controls|Reset Model to Previous formulas
Controls|No Model Reset
Controls|Reset|For Model|No Reset/Reset Prev/Reset Orig
Controls|Reset Model to Original formulas
Controls|Reset Model to Previous formulas
Controls|No Model Reset
Menu Commands -- Permutation Controls
In a standard spreadsheet a formula cell can be overwritten and the formula lost. This
cannot happen in a permutation enabled model. A value entered will trigger a model
permutation. But what if you don't want the model to be permutated, or a value to be
changed, i.e., a constant value may not be the appropriate target for a model permutation
process nor for a direct edit after the value is permanently set. Therefore, a permutation
enabled spreadsheet requires a new kind of cell protection paradigm. An individual cell
can be locked so that no model permutations that affect this cell can occur. The cell can
be protected so that the model will not be permutated unless the user confirms that this
is a desired outcome. Or the cell can be unprotected and a permutation will occur
automatically. Keep in mind that this protection is from model permutations and
edits.
In addition, a sheet can be permutation locked or unlocked. A model may also be permutation locked, protected, or enabled.
Here is a list of menu commands to assign the different forms of protection to a cell, sheet or model:
Controls|Cells|Lock/Protect/Permute
· Lock - Total protection.
No model permutations can be made to this cell. If a model permutation process
encounters this cell, it will have the effect of cancelling the entire model permutation,
because a permutation that affects this cell is not permitted.
· Protect - Prompts the user
to determine if the permutation should continue.
· Permute- Allows model
permutations to proceed unimpeded.
Controls|Sheet|Lock/Unlock
· Controls|Sheet|Lock - Edits
and permutations are not permitted.
· Controls|Sheet|Unlock - Edits
and permutations permitted
Controls|Model|Lock/Protect/Permute
· Lock - model edits and
permutations are not permitted.
· Protect - protects formulas
from erasures, and allows inputs for what-if analysis while prompting the user to
determine if a model permutation should be allowed to occur.
· Permute - Allows model
permutations to proceed unimpeded.
Static/Automatic Model Reset Options: are settings triggered at the cell, sheet or model
level as an integral part of the automatic/automated model permutation process.
... Reset to Previous Model Snap Shot - Dynamic
Vocabulary: "Model" is used to mean
all of the permutation controls (equations, next, trigger) in the model excluding
data values.
Dynamic Real Time Controls are controls or independent triggers which affect the model's
permutation control used to control model permutations.
· Controls|Snapshot|Take a model snapshot
· Controls|Snapshot|Reset to Snapshot formulas
only
· Controls|Snapshot|Reset to Snapshot formulas
and data
· 
· Controls|Original|Cell|Save formula - this
cell only
· Controls|Original|Model|Save formulas -
entire model
· Controls|Original|Model|Save formulas and
data - entire model
· Controls|Original|Model||Reset to original
formulas
· Controls|Original|Model|Reset to original
formulas and data
· Edit|Undo|Original formulas
· Edit|Undo|Original formulas and data
· Edit|Undo|Previous formulas
· Edit|Undo|Previous formulas and data
·
· File|Save Version(Can be applied to a range
selection!)
· File|Load Version
· Edit|Version List
·
· Toolbars and Buttons
· Impact Bar
· Toggle Precedent
· Impact Display Field
·
Permutation Flow Controls - Control the flow/path of permutation
· Permute Siblings First
· Permute Precedents First
New Version Size/Speed Controls
· Proceed without undo for size
· Reverse the permutation technique
Other Cool Controls
· Type|Interactive Controls|Cell Scope/ModelScope -- when one or more cells have been set to the interactive or prompting permutation type, it is useful to be able to toggle this behavior on or off at will. This control allows the user to control when the prompt appears. It can be annoying if the prompt dialog appears repeatedly and this control allows you to suppress this behavior temporarily for a given cell or for the entire model.
· Edit|Cursor down/right/none -- when an entry is made
the cursor can remain in place or move to the right or left. This is very useful when
entering a series of entries by row or by column.
· Edit|Cursor to Last Change -- when a model
permutation takes place, the cursor can end up on the last cell in the chain reaction of
the model permutation, or on the current cell that triggered the permutation. It is often
helpful to know which is the last cell in the chain reaction.
· File|Convert standard spreadsheet to polymorphic -- some Microsoft Excel files can be loaded into the Aware Technology and an attempt can be made to convert it to a permutation enabled model. In general these attempts will perform some useful time saving conversions, but for some kinds of contents the conversion will be incomplete. The user must take time to inspect the conversion in detail to determine if a conversion was successful or incomplete on a cell by cell basis. In general, although we make this capability available for loading older spreadsheets, we recommend that users do their model writing directly in the Aware Technology.
· View|Type Markers -- type markets let you know if a cell is currently an input cell or a formula cell. This is very useful when working with model permutations, because the cells that are inputs and the cells that are calculated can change.
· Iteration Settings -- iteration settings are used
for circular equations. In the Aware technology we have a special called a model
permutation loop, which is analogous to a calculation loop, however, it results from a
calculation loop that leads to a permutation loop. The Aware technology automatically
detects a permutation loop and resubmits the permutation to iterate the model into a
dependable form.