Generators Procedures

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Generators introduce transactions into a process at designated Start Points during a simulation and may also set the initial value of defined attributes. A generator can only introduce transactions at one start point in your process, but you can add generators to introduce transactions at different rates and at different points in your process.

Generators can set the rate at which transactions enter the process. For example, each generated transaction can represent a customer submitting an order.

The Generators dialog box displays all existing generators and their settings. On the Model menu, choose Generators or, on the Model toolbar, click the toolbar button.

To introduce transactions at multiple points, use the Properties dialog box - Inputs page to define start points, and use the Generators dialog box- Setup tab to define a generator for each start point.

Task	Procedure
Add a new generator	In the Generators dialog box, click the Add button. Select the start point and generator type (see Generator Reference). Based on the generator type, set the appropriate options.
Delete a generator	In the Generators dialog box, select a generator and click the Delete button.
Modify a generator	In the Generators dialog box, select a generator and change the generator options.
Rename a generator	In the Generators dialog box, select a generator and click the Rename button.
Duplicate a generator	In the Document Components window, double-click the scenario that contains the generator you want to duplicate. Expand the Generators section and select the generator you want to duplicate. On the Edit menu, choose Copy. On the Edit menu, choose Paste. The duplicated generator appears below the original generator.
Find generator start points in a diagram	On the View menu, More Windows menu, choose Generators. In the table of generators, select the generator you want to find. Click the Find button. All activities with that generator appear selected in the diagram.
Set attributes with a generator	In the Generators dialog box, select a generator. Click the Attribute Initialization tab. Click the button to define a new attribute. For information on defining attributes, see Attributes. In the Attribute Initialization tab on Generators dialog box, click the Add button. In the Location cell, select an attribute location. In the Name cell, select an attribute name. In the Value cell, type a value or Select a value from the drop-down list or Click the tool and use the Expression Builder to define an expression.