Advanced GAMS: Improved Use, Model Debugging and New Features - a workshop designed for users acquainted with GAMS who wish to improve their skills in terms of GAMS usage and in model debugging

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Instructor Background

Bruce A. McCarl is a Regents Professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas specializing in Mathematical Programming applications in Agricultural Economics. He has wide teaching, research, consulting and applied analysis experience in the application of mathematical programming to industry, and government.( Read about some projects he has done ). He has been on the Texas A&M faculty since 1985 and previously taught at Oregon State University, Purdue University and Pennsylvania State University. Dr. McCarl is a winner of awards from USDA, and USEPA for his optimization applications. He was Associate Editor of Water Resources Research and the Associate Editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. He was a participant the IPCC 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He earned a B.A. in Business Statistics from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in Management Science from the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. McCarl taught his first GAMS short course in 1986 and has been a GAMS user since 1985. He has written the GAMSCHK modeling assistance product and the Expanded User Guide which is being freely distributed with releases of GAMS. He has consulted on optimization and GAMS use with employees of First National Bank of Maryland, Tasmanian Hydropower, Neodyme, USCOE, American Express, USAID, Government of Egypt, International Harvester, World Bank, Department of Energy, Bonneville Power, Electric Power Research Institute, USDA, and USEPA among others.

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What will the course help you learn?

You will learn advanced techniques for better using the professional's choice in modeling software -- GAMS. The 4-day course will provide you with learning experiences regarding the following questions:

Have you ever had a model which was infeasible, unbounded or worse yet optimal but nonsensical? Learn approaches that reveal where problems are in models so you can fix them.
Does it take you a long time to construct , verify, use for comparative studies and convert output into meaningful reports? Learn techniques which increase the efficiency with which you use GAMS.
Do you have a GAMS implementation that takes a long time to compute, generate or solve? Learn ways to find out the cause of extensive solution time and ways that have, in cases, reduced execution times by an order of magnitude or more.
Have you ever talked to an experienced modeler and found out there are powerful things GAMS can do that you don't know about because of hidden features or a lack of treatment in the documentation? Learn a number of such features.
Have you heard about GAMSIDE, GAMSCHK and wonder how they work? Learn about them from the developer of GAMSCHK who has used and taught the IDE since early 1998.
Did you know GAMS has features that can cause you to find variable values for variables you have eliminated or that allow you to alter your data without any reaction from the model. Learn to protect yourself against these difficulties.
Do you find yourself modeling large problems? Learn techniques to facilitate your and others understanding, documentation, ease of use and level of comfort with such models.
Do you want to link GAMS to a spreadsheet either just using and returning data? Or do you even want to run GAMS in the background in a manner transparent to the user? Learn techniques to allow this.
Do you want to build a library of models that is readily available to a user group or a class? Learn techniques to allow this.

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Brief Course Description

Topics covered

Fixing models which misbehave
Using GAMSCHK
Using GAMSIDE
Increasing the efficiency with which you use GAMS
Reducing computer time and memory requirements
Enhancing the usefulness of GAMS output
Links with other programs
Things you may not know GAMS can do - tips
Using an advanced basis
Problems you should watch out for

See a more detailed outline

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Assumed Background and Motivation of Participants

The course will be instructed assuming those present have already built GAMS models. Participants should wish to receive practical instruction on topics that will increase the efficiency and accuracy with which they use GAMS in existing and future modeling settings.

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Course Objectives

To teach workshop participants techniques allowing them to
- Better diagnose causes of improperly solving models
- Enhance computer and human efficiency when using GAMS particularly when dealing with large models
- Enhance the usefulness of GAMS output.
- Use undocumented and or new GAMS features.
- Teach users how to use GAMSCHK , GAMSIDE and the GAMS library builder
To carry out this instruction in a practical GAMS application setting exposing students to a variety of modeling issues and techniques

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Course Presentation Method

The class will mix hands on computing sessions with computer based lectures. The hands on sessions will involve participants working in groups of 2-3 throughout the workshop. The groups will be provided with PCs loaded with the latest available GAMS versions and all class examples. There will be no fewer than one PC available per three students. (Participants may bring their own laptops capable of having 20 or so megabytes of software loaded on them from their own CD-ROM). During the hands on sessions the instructor will interact with the groups on class topics, questions and general GAMS usage.

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By taking this course you will

Receive advanced training on the topics above
Be exposed to others attending the class learning about their GAMS usage
Interact with the instructor who is a very experienced GAMS modeler
Be trained in the use of software and receive copies for your use of

GAMSCHK	analyzes GAMS models and assists in their use
PUT_TOEXCEL.gms, PUT_TOHTML.gms	Code that allows greater control of output ordering plus sending of sets or parameters to either an HTML file or EXCEL.
GAMS-IDE	PC editing, execution and debugging environment
GAMS 2.50	The latest GAMS release

Receive manuals on GAMS usage, and class notes including

So Your GAMS Model Didn't Work Right A Guide to Model Repair by McCarl and Meeraus

GAMS Users Guide version 2.50 - a through update

McCarl's GAMSCHK, REFREADER, PUT_TOHTML, PUT_TOEXCEL, and GNUPLTXY writeups

The latest Solver Manuals from GAMS

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Things to Do Before the Class

The class will be conducted using PCs, Students will have available an Editor which resides in the GAMS-IDE integrated development environment. Students wishing to use other editors or their own laptops should feel free to bring such. Note course software will be distributed on CD-ROM.

Students wishing to do reading before the class can download (using the Adobe pdf Reader)
Download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

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Course History and past Participants

This course has been taught in Oct 1998 1nd Oct 1999 with some material taught in the Muenster summer GAMS school in July 1998. Also the course has been taught to Dr. McCarl's students at Texas A&M.
Prior participants in this training include among others individuals employed in

Paint Manufacture
Electrical Generation
Military Planning at the Pentagon
European Economic Commission
Air Force Space Command
Oil Refining
Insurance
Banking
Telecommunications
U.S., and Canadian Governments
Forest Products Management and Manufacture
Academic industrial and chemical engineering
Academic Economists and Agricultural Economists

Course training has greatly contributed to the efficency and effectiveness of their GAMS efforts including aiding in subsequent efforts to develop and debug models, making models operate in 1/50 the time, and develop spreadsheet links.

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Need More Information?

Additional course and related material is available in the web pages linked to this one giving the

Related material is on

Other questions may be addressed by email to

brucemccarl@gmail.com or courses@gams.com,

or to

Bruce McCarl
2100 Fawn Court
College Station , TX , 77845
979-693-5694(phone) 979-696-2263(fax)

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