View Settings

Figure 1 - Simulation Settings Window - View Tab

The View tab of the Simulation Settings window (Figure 1, right) contains two options groups:

  • Automatic Results Display - Settings for configuring what is displayed while a simulation is running, or immediately after a simulation completes.
  • View Options - Settings for how @RISK and Excel will behave during a simulation run.

Automatic Results Display Options

This selection determines what @RISK will display immediately after a simulation run completes.

The option Update Results Windows During Simulation (see below) controls whether the Browse Results or Results Summary windows are displayed during a simulation or after it completes. If Update Results Windows During Simulation is checked, the window selected will open and update while the simulation runs. If it is unchecked, the selected window will open when the simulation run completes.

  • Show Output Graph - Open the Browse Results window.

  • If an element (an input or an output) is selected in the worksheet when the simulation begins, the Browse Results window will display the results for the selected element; if no element is selected, the first output @RISK finds, starting from the first cell of the worksheet, will be selected.

  • Show Results Summary Window - Open only the Results Summary window.
  • Demo Mode - Selecting this option will disable the Options panel in the View tab. Execute the simulation with the Progress window and the Browse Results window open. See below for more details.

  • Please note: Demo Mode will greatly increase the amount of time for a simulation run to complete!

  • None - Do not open any window.

For the options above, unless specifically configured by selecting Show Results Summary Window, only the Browse Window will open unless convergence monitoring is turned on. If a simulation is run with convergence monitoring, the Results Summary window will always open so that progress towards convergence can be displayed.

Demo Mode

Demo Mode is a powerful tool for demonstrating the results of a simulation "as they happen". When this mode is selected, the Options panel is disabled, as effectively all options are enabled except for the option to minimize Excel during a simulation. While in Demo Mode, @RISK will do the following during a simulation:

  • The Browse Results windows will both be opened.
  • All graphs and statistics in all windows will be updated continuously throughout the simulation.
  • All @RISK Inputs and Outputs will update incrementally (several times every second) to show recalculations.

View Options

The Options panel include settings to configure how @RISK and Excel will behave during a simulation run.

Figure 2 - Simulation Progress Window

  • Minimize Excel at Start of Simulation - When the Simulate button is clicked, automatically minimize Excel to the Taskbar.

  • This will minimize all Excel and @RISK windows except the Progress Window. This option is very useful for long-running simulations!

  • Show Simulation Progress Window - Open the Simulation Progress Window (Figure 2, right). See Simulation Progress Window.
  • Update Results Windows During Simulation - Visually update any results windows (e.g. the Browse Results window) that are configured to open during a simulation run. The windows, including graphs and statistics, will update every second to display the cumulative results of the simulation run.
  • Show Excel Recalculations - Show cell recalculations, including any @RISK inputs and outputs, during simulation.
  • Pause on Output Errors - If an @RISK Output encounters any Excel error (e.g. '#VALUE!'), pause the simulation at the iteration that caused the error. When a simulation pauses, the Progress Window will open, even if that option has not been enabled.

  • Using the Pause on Output errors option can be a powerful tool in debugging a model as it allows for viewing the results of an entire iteration anytime an error occurs in an output.