Feature Article: Optimization for simulation: Theory vs. Practice

Probably one of the most successful interfaces between operations research and computer science has been the development of discrete-event simulation software. The recent integration of optimization techniques into simulation practice, specically into commercial software, has become nearly ubiquitous, as most discrete-event simulation packages now include some form of “optimization” routine. The main thesis of this article, how-ever,is that there is a disconnect between research in simulation optimization—which has addressed the stochastic nature of discrete-event simulation by concentratingon theoretical results of convergence and specialized algorithms that are mathematically elegant—and the recent software…