Microsoft Excel includes a workbook, Solvsamp.xls in the Office\Samples folder, that demonstrates the types of problems you can solve.
You can use the sample worksheets in Solvsamp.xls to help you set up your problems. To use any of the six worksheets— Product Mix, Shipping Routes, Staff Scheduling, Maximizing Income, Portfolio of Securities, and Engineering Design— open the workbook, switch to the worksheet you want to use, and then click Solver in the Analysis group on the Data tab. The objective cell, constraint cells, and decision variable cells for each Solver model are already specified:
Worksheet
Objective
Constraints
Decision Variables
Quick Tour
Profit (Max)
Advertising budget
Ad spending by quarter
Product Mix
Profit (Max)
Parts inventory on hand
Number of products to build
Shipping Routes
Shipping Cost (Min)
Supplies at plants, demands at warehouses
Number of products to ship on each route
Staff Scheduling
Payroll Cost (Min)
Employees needed each day of the week
Number of employees on each of 7 weekly schedules
Maximizing Income
Interest Earned (Max)
Cash balance at end of each month
Amount to invest in 1-, 3- and 6-month CDs
Portfolio of Securities
Portfolio Return (Max)
Portfolio total and risk (variance)
Percentage to invest in each of 4 stocks plus T-bills
Engineering Design
Charge (Value Of)
None
Resistor value in circuit
Comments on each worksheet explain more about each Solver model. To find an optimal solution, click Solve.