Platform enables low-code / no-code creation, deployment and management of analytics-powered decision services, combining business rules, forecasting, machine learning, optimization and simulation models; aims to be best in class for Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365, Office 365 and Azure.

INCLINE VILLAGE, NV – July 13, 2020 – Frontline Systems has released major new versions of both Analytic Solver®, its toolset for Excel for the Web, Windows and Macintosh, and RASON®, its cloud service on Azure, that enable companies to easily embed ‘decision intelligence’ in activities ranging from annual or quarterly planning to everyday business processes – yielding reduced costs and risks, in fields ranging from manufacturing and distribution to energy, pharmaceuticals, investment and insurance.

Analytic Solver works in Microsoft Excel to enable business analysts who aren’t data scientists to build and solve analytic models themselves.  It is upward compatible from the Solver in Excel, which Frontline originally developed for Microsoft.  RASON, an acronym for RESTful Analytic Solver Object Notation, is an Azure-hosted platform that enables users to ‘publish’, manage and govern analytic models as RESTful decision services, easily update them with new data and solve them, and easily use results in any application that can consume JSON or OData.

“We’re enabling organizations to ‘move beyond Excel’, easily deploy analytics in the cloud, and govern both data and models – while still leveraging their Excel modeling skills” said Daniel Fylstra, Frontline’s President and CEO.  “These analytics projects yield results and ROI much faster, with less cost and risk.”

Results from Analytics in Months, not Years

Analytic Solver plus RASON is a complete "decision management suite" that supports the full range of business rules, forecasting, machine learning, optimization and simulation methods, from small models to large, multi-stage analytics workflows.  But unlike other platforms that require extensive implementation consulting, six- to seven-figure budgets and year-long deployment schedules, Frontline’s tools enable a company’s own staff to get results in months, by leveraging what they already have: business expertise and Excel skills for model creation, modern low-code/no-code tools such as Power Apps and Power Automate for model deployment, and Office 365, Dynamics 365, Common Data Service, OneDrive, and CData’s Cloud Hub tools for data management.  By leveraging OData standards, RASON enables easy use of analytic model results as data – a key idea.

Embracing Open Standards

Designed to be usable by business analysts and domain experts, not just data scientists and IT pros, Analytic Solver and RASON offer easier model creation and deployment by embracing open standards:

  • Open XML, the file format for Excel, and the Excel formula language
  • DMN (Decision Model and Notation) and its FEEL (Friendly Enough Expression Language) from the Object Management Group – now a popular alternative to proprietary rules languages
  • JSON: JavaScript Object Notation, for both RASON models and analytic results
  • OData (Open Data Protocol), an ISO/IEC approved OASIS standard for RESTful data access – now a widely used alternative to the older, on-premise ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity).

By embracing the Excel formula language, DMN and FEEL, and JSON and OData within one unified modeling notation, RASON truly enables organizations to ‘move beyond Excel’, easily deploy analytics in the cloud, and govern both data and models – while still leveraging their Excel modeling skills.

Free Trials, Learning and Coaching Resources

Business analysts and developers can sign up for free trial accounts to evaluate Analytic Solver at https://www.solver.com, and RASON at https://rason.com. They can use tools to create and solve models in Excel and RASON, exercise the REST API, try out dozens of example models illustrating use of decision tables, predictive models and machine learning, optimization and simulation, and download the Analytic Solver and RASON User Guides and Reference Guides in PDF form.

These options make it easy to get started with Analytic Solver and RASON, at no cost or risk.  But Frontline Systems offers several kinds of help, from expert technical support to active “analytics coaching” for business analysts and developers new to this area, to complete “done for you” services through Frontline’s consulting partners. For information please contact sales@solver.com.

Frontline Systems Inc. (www.solver.com) is the alternative to analytics complexity, helping business analysts and managers gain insights and make better decisions for an uncertain future, without the cost, delays and risk of ‘big vendor’ tools.  Its products integrate forecasting and data mining for “predictive analytics,” Monte Carlo simulation for risk analysis, conventional and stochastic optimization for “prescriptive analytics,” and business rules and Excel calculations to make the best business decisions.  Founded in 1987, Frontline is based in Incline Village, Nevada (775-831-0300).

Microsoft Excel, Office 365, Dynamics 365, Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. CData Cloud Hub is a trademark of CData Software Inc.  RASON® and Analytic Solver® are registered trademarks of Frontline Systems Inc.