FIXEDINPUT Subcommand (SIMPLAN command)

The FIXEDINPUT subcommand specifies input fields whose values are fixed. When the MODEL subcommand is used, each input in the model file must be specified as either simulated or fixed. Use the SIMINPUT subcommand to specify simulated inputs.

INPUT Keyword

The INPUT keyword specifies names and optional settings for one or more fixed inputs. The INPUT keyword is required. The specification for each input is the field name with an optional qualifier of the form (FORMAT=format), where the parentheses are required. Use a blank space to separate specifications for multiple inputs. The keywords TO and ALL are not supported for variable lists specified on the INPUT keyword. For example:

INPUT=fixed1(FORMAT=PCT)

  • FORMAT. Specifies the output format of the field. The format consists of a format type, such as F, optionally followed by a comma and the number of decimal places. If the number of decimal places is omitted then it is assumed that there are 0 decimal places. The following formats are supported:
Table 1. Format specifications
Format Specification Definition
F,d Numeric
E,d Scientific notation
N,d Restricted numeric
DOT,d Numeric with dots
COMMA,d Numeric with commas
DOLLAR,d Numeric with commas and dollar sign
PCT,d Numeric with percent sign
CCA,d Custom currency
CCB,d Custom currency
CCC,d Custom currency
CCD,d Custom currency
CCE,d Custom currency

If no format is specified, then the Numeric format F is used for numeric inputs.

VALUE. Specifies the fixed value for the fields listed on the INPUT keyword. Use separate FIXEDINPUT subcommands for fixed inputs that have different values. VALUE cannot be used with the ITERATIONS keyword. String values should be enclosed in quotation marks.

ITERATIONS keyword

The ITERATIONS keyword specifies a set of values for a fixed input. An independent set of simulated cases--effectively, a separate simulation--is generated for each specified value, allowing you to investigate the effect of varying the input. This is referred to as sensitivity analysis, and each set of simulated cases is referred to as an iteration.

  • ITERATIONS cannot be used with the VALUE keyword.
  • You can only iterate values for a single fixed input field. An error results if the ITERATIONS keyword is specified and there are multiple fields on the INPUT keyword.

VALUES(valuelist). Specifies an explicit set of values for the fixed input. Values should be separated by spaces and string values should be enclosed in quotation marks. The list cannot contain a mixture of string and numeric values.

RANGE(MIN=value MAX=value N=integer). Specifies a range of equally spaced discrete numeric values for the fixed input. The parameter N specifies the number of values, including the values specified for MIN and MAX. For example, to specify the list [20, 30, 40, 50], use RANGE(MIN=20 MAX=50 N=4).

LOCK = YES | NO. Specifies whether the fixed input will be locked. If you are creating a simulation plan for use in the Run Simulation dialog and you want to prevent users from changing the value of the fixed input then specify LOCK=YES. The default is LOCK=NO. Locked inputs can be modified in the Simulation Builder but not in the Run Simulation dialog.