After you define assumption, forecast, and decision variable cells in the spreadsheet model, you are ready to run the simulation. Crystal Ball uses a technique called Monte Carlo simulation to forecast the entire range of results most likely to occur in the model scenario. For more information on Monte Carlo simulation, see Monte Carlo Simulation and Crystal Ball.
Crystal Ball provides statistics that describe the forecast results. For more information on forecast results and statistics, see Analyzing Forecast Charts,and the "Statistical Definitions" chapter of the Oracle Crystal Ball Statistical Guide.
To run simulations in Crystal Ball, follow these basic steps:
Define assumptions (Entering Assumptions), forecasts (Defining Forecasts), and decision variable cells if appropriate (Defining Decision Variable Cells).
If you want, customize the appearance of each cell as described in Setting Cell Preferences.
Set run preferences as described in the next section, Setting Run Preferences.
Optionally, exclude certain data cells from the simulation by “freezing” them, described in Freezing Crystal Ball Data Cells.
Run the simulation as described in Running Simulations.