If you load a model built in Crystal Ball 4.x or 2000.x (5.x), this version of Crystal Ball converts it the first time it is loaded and run.
Note: If you open a workbook created in Crystal Ball 2000.x (5.x) in Microsoft Excel 2007 or later with Crystal Ball loaded and either load the Crystal Ball data (for example, with the Define, then Select... command) or attempt to save the workbook, the data is converted to the current Crystal Ball format. To preserve the Crystal Ball data in 5.x format, avoid opening the workbook in Microsoft Excel 2007 or later. |
Every effort will be made to convert data into an equivalent form. Where this is not possible, an error message is displayed stating that data in the specified worksheet could not be converted. An error log is written to the same folder where the model is stored. The log is named worksheet name.xls.CB.txt. The log file can be opened in a text editor for review.
The following are some potential causes of incompatibility:
Models are protected and must be unprotected with a Crystal Ball Developer Kit macro: CB.WorksheetProtection(ByVal aPassword As String, ByVal aTurnOn As Boolean). Instead, you could be sure the worksheet is unprotected by selecting Tools, then Protection, then Unprotect Sheet before you load it into Crystal Ball or run a simulation.
Forecasts can no longer be defined in the same cell as assumptions and decision variables and will be discarded when converting data.
Some distributions have different input parameters or are otherwise changed: the beta distribution Scale parameter is changed to the Minimum and Maximum parameters, the hypergeometric distribution Probability parameter is changed to the Success parameter, the extreme distribution is split into the minimum extreme and maximum extreme distributions, and the lognormal distribution has an additional parameter, Location.
Note: | The Location parameter was added to the lognormal distribution in Crystal Ball version 11.1.1.x, so compatibility issues with this distribution can occur with all Crystal Ball 7.x versions as well as earlier versions. If a Crystal Ball model with a non-zero lognormal distribution Location parameter is opened in a Crystal Ball version prior to 11.1.1.x, the Location is handled as if it were zero. |
Some Developer Kit calls or constants are obsolete, have changed data types, or are not implemented for this release.
Some Crystal Ball spreadsheet functions are not implemented for this release.
In addition, models might not run because they reference CB.xla or CB7.xla instead of cbdevkit.xla in VBA. For details, see Developer Kit Issues. If you still want to use the model in an earlier version of Crystal Ball, save it in this version of Crystal Ball with a different name and check the reference to CB.xla before you load it back into the earlier version.
Be aware also that models created or saved in the current version of Crystal Ball cannot be opened and used in versions of Crystal Ball earlier than Crystal Ball 7.0. Also, preferences saved in Crystal Ball 11.1.x or later will not be applied to Crystal Ball 7.3.x and earlier versions. |
If you are using Crystal Ball with Microsoft Excel 2007 or later and share files with users of earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, there can be other file compatibility issues. You must remember to save files in .xls format for use with Microsoft Excel 2003 and earlier.