ISYE 6644 Midterm 2 Questions and Answers(A+ Solution guide)

ISYE 6644 Midterm 2
• What are attributes? - ✔️✔️Each customer passing through the system has
various properties (attributes).

• What are variables? - ✔️✔️Unlike attributes, whose values are specific to each
customer, variables are global. If changed, it gets changed everywhere e.g. WIP

• What can you do with an Assign module? - ✔️✔️You can change attributes and
variables e.g. entity pictures


• What are some "blocks"/modules in the top half of the Basic Process Template? -
✔️✔️Create, Process, Dispose, Decide, Batch, Separate, Assign, Record

• How do you add more advanced templates in Arena? - ✔️✔️File > Template
Panel > Attach

• What items are available in the bottom half of the Basic Process panel? What do
they do? - ✔️✔️Attribute, Entity, Queue, Resource, Variable, Schedule, Set

• They are spreadsheets that are both informational and allow us to change certain
system parameters e.g. the Variable s/s defines global quantities such as WIP

• Briefly explain the Create-Process-Dispose trio - ✔️✔️Create: Periodically
generate customer arrivals
• Process: Have work performed on the customers; maybe have to wait in line
• Dispose: Customers leave the system after service

• What fields are in the Create module? - ✔️✔️Name, Entity (Customer) Type,
Time Between Arrivals, Entities per Arrival, Max Arrivals, First Creation

• What fields are in the Process Module? - ✔️✔️Name, Type, Logic, Delay Type

• What actions can you take in the Process module and what options can you set
within these actions? - ✔️✔️Delay
• Seize-Delay-Release
• Seize-Delay
• Delay-Release

, • You can set how many resources (workers) to Seize or Release

• What is the Resource spreadsheet? - ✔️✔️A spreadsheet with a list of
resources that the model is using. Can set capacity, which is the number of
resource on duty. A resource is regarded as identical and interchangeable. Can
create a new resource in the process module or the resource spreadsheet.


• What is process interaction? - ✔️✔️Consider a generic customer (entity) and the
sequence of events and activities (processes) it undergoes as it moves through
the system. At any time the system may have many entities interacting with each
other as they compete for resources.

• What is the template panel in Arena? - ✔️✔️Where you get your "stuff" i.e.
blocks, processes.

• Which options in the toolbar help with various visualization aids? - ✔️✔️Arrange,
Object, Window

• What does the Tools option in the toolbar have? - ✔️✔️Lots of cool toys,
including Input Analyzer, OptQuest, AVI capture, macros, etc


• What is the Schedule spreadsheet? - ✔️✔️Can set schedules for servers. Enter
schedule into duration box.

• Can also set schedule for arrivals e.g. in Create change Time Between Arrivals
to schedule.

• What can an entity do at a Decide module? - ✔️✔️2-way by Chance
• N-way by Chance
• 2-way by Condition
• N-way by Condition

• What is the Attribute Spreadsheet? - ✔️✔️Keeps track of existing attributes that
you might define in an Assign module

• What is the Variable Spreadsheet? - ✔️✔️Pretty much the same as Attribute
spreadsheet

• What is the Entity spreadsheet? - ✔️✔️Allows you to set initial picture

• What are internal variables - ✔️✔️Arena keeps track of and continuously
updates lots of stuff as the simulation runs