VBA for Modelers: Developing Decision Support Systems Using Microsoft® Excel [Paperback]

S. Christian Albright (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534380123 | ISBN-13: 978-0534380120 | Publication Date: December 12, 2000 | Edition: 1

This handbook helps students learn to use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA - a programming environment within Microsoft® Office) as a means to automate methods and models and create special applications. With VBA, sophisticated management science techniques work behind a simple and nice interface. Gaining valuable experience, students will develop applications that are user friendly and tailored to a specific problem while the "number crunching" takes place behind the scenes of Microsoft® Excel. This book is for professional models or to complement a course in Management Science, or Operations Research thta includes survey of optimization, decision analysis, simulation, and other mathematical methods applied to business.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Albright received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Stanford in 1968 and his Ph.D. in Operations Research from Stanford in 1972. Since then, he has been teaching in the Operations and Decision Technologies Department in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He has taught courses in management science, computer simulation, and statistics to all levels of business students: undergraduates, MBAs, and doctoral students. He has published over 20 articles in leading operations research journals in the area of applied probability, and he has authored other successful South-Western titles including DATA ANALYSIS AND DECISION MAKING, DATA ANALYSIS FOR MANAGERS, VBA FOR MODELERS, and SPREADSHEET MODELING AND APPLICATIONS. His current interest is in spreadsheet modeling, including development of VBA applications in Excel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: South-Western College Pub; 1 edition (December 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534380123
• ISBN-13: 978-0534380120
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Computers & Technology > Business & Culture > Technical Support
  • #99 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Development > VBA

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A VBA for Excel Jewel, March 17, 2002

By 

TONY WINGLER (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: VBA for Modelers: Developing Decision Support Systems Using Microsoft® Excel (Paperback)

VBA for Modelers by Albright is a jewel. The author, who's other books include Practical Management Science: Spreadsheet Modeling and Applications and Data Analysis & Decision Making with Microsoft Excel among others, targets this book for those with little or no programming experience. Forget the Excel VBA coverage in books like Benninga's Financial Modeling or Advanced Modeling in Finance Using Excel and VBA by Jackson and Staunton. Each of these books has strengths but their coverages of VBA is considerably more disjointed and sketchy. At best, Benninga and Jackson and Staunton can be said to "demonstrate" how VBA can enhance financial modeling in Excel, while providing little in the way of quality instruction on VBA.

Albright's strength is concise, effective language supplemented with numerous examples and an ample number of extended exercises which enable readers to solidify and extend understanding. Chapters 1-13 are a quality VBA primer for readers with little or no programming experience. A distinguishing feature of the book is the coverage in Chapters 14-30 where specific applications are demonstrated and extended. The real strength of this book is that it is written by a fine educator who develops understanding in a systematic and effective fashion. With some work on the reader's part this book provides rewarding results.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gets your creative juices flowing!, April 14, 2005

By 

B. W. Holcomb (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: VBA for Modelers: Developing Decision Support Systems Using Microsoft® Excel (Paperback)

The biggest problem that I see with learning VBA is not trying to figure out topics such as object hierarchy, syntax, or "if" statements (there are plenty of excellent VBA guides for that!) No, figuring out what to do with all of the "stuff" you just learned is the bigger challenge.

That is where Mr. Albright's book really stands out. While the first few chapters do provide some basic treatment of VBA, it's the other half of this book that really shines! Here you will find 16 full-blown programs that cover everything from industrial applications (process blending, product mix, production scheduling, etc.) to financial analysis programs (stock trading, portfolio optimization, etc) and much more.

In these 16 chapters is where you will learn to use all that "stuff." And not only use it, but get creative with it. Mr. Albright has done a brilliant job at not only walking through the code step-by-step, but also imparting to the reader the all important "why component." After spending some time with this book, you will undoubtedly be a better technical, and equally important, creative programmer.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the Excel user, October 13, 2003

By 

Sara "Sara" (Illinois, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: VBA for Modelers: Developing Decision Support Systems Using Microsoft® Excel (Paperback)

I started reading this book because I was interested in creating decision support systems for Microsoft Excel. Because of time constraints, i did not get to read the whole book. However, the first 6 or 7 chapters of this book have helped me grasp the basics of VBA perfectly. I have saved a great many hours (spent previously doing repetitive mind-numbing tasks in excel) by writing a few simple lines of code (and remember, I have very little programming experience). I hope to learn even more by reading the whole book, but trust me, this book is worth its price, just for the first few chapters