Xpress Solver Engine: Unmatched Speed for Large-Scale Models

A Lightning-Fast Linear / Quadratic / Mixed-Integer Solver for Risk Solver Platform and Solver SDK Platform

Frontline Systems is pleased to offer the XPRESS Solver Engine, for use inside and outside Microsoft Excel. The XPRESS Solver is an extraordinarily powerful, field-installable Solver Engine that "plugs into" Risk Solver Platform and Premium Solver Platform for Excel, and takes advantage of its new Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter. You can also use it with our Solver SDK Platform to develop applications in a programming language, for one license price!

Based on the latest version of XPRESS-MP from Dash Optimization (now a subsidiary of FICO Inc.), it extends the power of our Solver Platform products to handle linear programming problems with up to millions of variables and constraints, with no fixed limits on problem size.

It solves mixed-integer linear (LP/MIP) problems with astonishing speed.  And with the Newton Barrier Solver option, it solves large, challenging quadratic programming (QP) and mixed-integer quadratic (QP/MIP) problems with extraordinary speed.

Fully Compatible

Risk Solver Platform and Premium Solver Platform are 100% upwardly compatible from the standard Excel Solver. Your existing models can be solved with no changes, faster and more easily than before.  And your VBA code designed to control the standard Solver will work as-is with Risk Solver Platform or Premium Solver Platform and the XPRESS Solver Engine -- just select the XPRESS Solver interactively or in your VBA code.

Virtually Unlimited Capacity, Lightning Speed

You'll be able to solve linear programming problems ten thousand times larger than the standard Excel Solver -- with no fixed limits on variables and constraints -- using the XPRESS Solver Engine.  And you'll be amazed at the lightning-fast solution times you can obtain: Problems with tens of thousands of variables and constraints often solve in just seconds!  You'll typically solve problems much faster than Risk Solver Platform's built-in linear programming Solver.

Breakthrough Performance on Mixed-Integer Problems

The XPRESS Solver Engine is lightning-fast on linear programming problems, but its performance on mixed-integer linear programming problems is breathtaking.  MIP problems that take prohibitively long -- hours or even days -- to solve with other Solver Engines, will often solve remarkably quickly with the XPRESS Solver Engine.

Fast Problem Setup

Large linear and quadratic programming models often spend most of their time in problem setup, then reach a solution quickly. With some work in designing your model to use certain common functions (like SUM and SUMPRODUCT), the XPRESS Solver Engine can give you a really awesome speedup -- as much as 100 times faster!

But since the XPRESS Solver Engine can use the new Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter in Risk Solver Platform and Premium Solver Platform to extract the LP and QP coefficients of your model, you may get most of this speed benefit without redesigning your model at all!  What's more, the coefficients are up to twice as accurate as they were without the Polymorphic Spreadsheet Interpreter.

Comprehensive User Guide

In addition to the User Guide that comes with Risk Solver Platform, you'll receive our Solver Engine User Guide that describes several field-installable Solver engines, including the XPRESS Solver Engine.  This guide provides complete information on XPRESS Solver options, the various messages which the XPRESS Solver can return, how to diagnose problems, and how to control the XPRESS Solver from VBA in Excel, or from our Solver SDK Platform.

Order or Upgrade Today!

Prices.  The XPRESS Solver Engine solves problems with no fixed limits on variables and constraints.  It's available in an LP/MIP version with primal and dual Simplex LP/MIP Solvers, or in an LP/QP/MIP version with both primal and dual Simplex Solvers and the Newton Barrier Solver (for mixed-integer quadratic programming problems).  For pricing information for all Solver Engines, please see our Product Catalog.  If you are ordering for several users, ask us about quantity discounts and Flexible Use Licenses.

What's Included.  The XPRESS Solver Engine supports Excel 2013 Preview (32-bit and 64-bit), Excel 2010 (32-bit and 64-bit), Excel 2007, and Excel 2003 on Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2008.  It comes with a comprehensive User Guide and extensive online Help.  And, like all Frontline Systems products, it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Annual Support Contracts.  An Annual Support Contract for the XPRESS Solver Engine is required for the first year, and at all times in order to obtain software upgrades and technical support beyond basic installation assistance.  An Annual Support Contract includes:

  • A limited warranty for the functionality and performance of the software product 
  • All software upgrades for the product released during the contract term
  • Access to protected support pages of our Website
  • Technical support by phone and email during normal business hours
  • Up to 15 minutes of consulting assistance arising during the contract term

Product Upgrades.  If you own an older version of the Risk Solver Platform, Premium Solver Platform or Solver SDK Platform and the XPRESS Solver Engine, you'll receive an automatic upgrade to our latest version at no extra charge if you have a current Annual Support Contract (if you aren't current, see our instructions for "catching up" on annual support and paying the difference in price).

Evaluation Versions.  If you want to "try before you buy," simply fill out the form below to register, then download and run the EngineSetup program. (If you're already registered, just login; if you're already logged in, just click the Download button.)  If you don't already own Risk Solver Platform or Premium Solver Platform (which is required to use the XPRESS Solver Engine in Excel), you can also download and run the SolverSetup program.  You'll receive an evaluation license code which will allow you to use a full featured, full capacity, full speed version of Risk Solver Platform and the XPRESS Solver Engine for 15 days, free of charge.  You can also download and run the SDKSetup program, and use Solver SDK Platform with the XPRESS Solver Engine for 15 days.