The Joys of Discrete Event Simulation or How I Learned to Love Modeling

摘要

One of the issues for the mathematically challenged is how to build a model of their system and then analyze the results. The analytical approach to solving the model depends on queuing theory, and for all but the simplest models, there are a number of steps and iterations that have to be carried out to obtain the results. Discrete event simulation is an alternative to creating and analyzing a model. This paper will present my experiences with using discrete event simulation over the last 15 years and why it has helped me to understand systems better without having to remember a lot of equations, or create spreadsheets, or programs, that are built for a particular model. Discrete event simulation tools that provide comparable results to the analytical approach and allow the creation of models that are easier to understand and run "what if" scenarios are available.