When you run a simulation, you can store the results in two different file formats:
• Binary
• ASCII
If all or most of the analysis of the results is done using DynRisk, you should choose the “Binary” format. DynRisk reads the “Binary” format much faster than the “ASCII” format.
However, if you choose this file format, the results cannot be viewed directly by other applications. You may, however, convert a “Binary” file into an “ASCII” file. This is done by using the “Export…” command in the “File” menu.
If all or most of the analysis of the results is done using some other application like a spreadsheet or a statistical package, you should choose the “ASCII” format. This way the results will immediately be available to any application that can read text files.
The “Background simulation” checkbox is used to enable background processing. If this checkbox is checked, then it is possible to do other work on the machine while DynRisk runs a simulation as long as you do not modify the model which is being simulated.
If on the other hand, the checkbox is unchecked, then it is not possible to do other work on the machine while DynRisk runs a simulation.
However, switching off background processing speeds up the calculations.
Finally, the “#runs between counter updates” field is used to specify how often DynRisk should update the counter in the simulation view. If you e.g., insert “1” into this field, the counter will be updated after each simulation. On the other hand if you enter “20” into this field, the counter will be updated only once for every 20. simulation.
By specifying a large value, you can speed up the calculations a little bit. At the same time you can make the counter easier to read by avoiding too fast updates.
If you are working on very large and complex models, however, you should choose a small number. In such cases, counter updates do not have much impact on the simulation speed, and you will probably want to monitor the progress more closely.
