This low-cost modeling program helps developers build expert systems and simulation models
Richter Paradigm Corp.'s MindWizard 3.0 violates the old adage that you get what you pay for. At $149, MindWizard is by far the least expensive expert-system program available that provides full support for OLE Automation. Using MindWizard, developers and programmers can easily build compact expert systems ranging from simpler models that incorporate their business-decision rules to highly sophisticated models. The latter can include the rules that a bank uses to determine eligibility for a mortgage, complex shape identification programs that use fuzzy logic, or stock-market forecasting systems that incorporate Bayesian probability. And thanks to OLE Automation support, MindWizard models can process the data from a Microsoft Access or Excel form, return the results of this processing (size, interest rate, type of mortgage approved) to the OLE client application, and display it in numerous forms.
Despite the program's developer orientation, the first steps of building a simple model in MindWizard are straightforward, if somewhat burdened by MindWizard's unfamiliar interface. The interface doesn't conform with any Windows 95 or Microsoft Office design, nor does it make it obvious where to start. What you see when you first open the program is the Development mode, where you begin a process similar to drawing a flowchart in any flowchart modeling program. Just as in other modeling packages, you add new symbols to the workspace by clicking on the appropriate object, and then clicking wherever you want to place the element. MindWizard lets you add symbols for inputs and outputs as well as cells that add, multiply, or divide data they receive from other cells in the model. You can also add 35 math functions from a scrollable pick list when the Adding Function Objects dialog displays. The program provides support for logic cells and submodels as well. And defining the flow of data, by connecting any two elements with a line, is accomplished by selecting an input or reasoning cell and dragging the mouse to the reasoning or output cell that receives the data.
MindWizard's neural network terminology takes some getting used to as well; MindWizard uses terms like "Threshold Potential Stimulus" to describe actions that cause an element in its flowchart-like network to switch on.
As in a flowchart-based simulation program, it is generally recommended that you first create a model on paper by drawing a flowchart that incorporates the decision process you seek to model. You then translate the paper flowchart into a working model by creating a copy of it in MindWizard's model-building workspace, where each node in the MindWizard flowchart performs the function designated in the paper flowchart, and where the lines connecting nodes define the flow of data through the model.
The key to creating a MindWizard model, however, is figuring out how to supply the model with data. This is because MindWizard expects to receive data from the outside world via OLE Automation or batch files containing special codes (Richter Paradigm says that future releases will also support TCP/IP input and output for Internet/intranet use). You can also supply a model with data by typing it in from the keyboard, but this process is too slow and inefficient to be useful for more than demonstration, instructional, or debugging purposes.
Once you have defined the rules and relationships within a MindWizard model, the product's similarities with standard flowchart-like simulation programs melt away. Simulation programs such as the $700 Micrografx Optima 2.5 provide you with a rich array of tools for generating imaginary real-world data and help you experiment with ways of improving an existing business and manufacturing processes, seeing what efficiency gains occur (if any) when you change the model and probing your processes' ability to cope with real-world contingencies. MindWizard, however, lacks built-in tools for simplifying OLE Automation and batch-file creation (let alone generating data suitable for running simulations).
This places an extra burden on the documentation--and sadly, MindWizard's documentation doesn't rise to the challenge. The manual and online help's discussion of input/output topics presupposes considerable familiarity with OLE Automation and MindWizard's special batch-file language. The rest of MindWizard's documentation is often inaccurate or incomplete (the online help has a number of errors and omissions); the documentation seems geared to the needs of programmers, and to the rare power user blessed with the leisure time to learn a complex program by taking apart sample applications created in the product and studying them in detail. Power users short on time would benefit greatly from the kind of fine documentation that High Performance Systems provides for its $599 iThink 5.0 and $1,099 iThink Analyst 5.0 (neither of these programs, however, supports OLE Automation).
Aside from its lack of solid documentation, MindWizard does its job of fulfilling the needs of expert-system developers. What it lacks, like better built-in support for exchanging data with Excel and more extensive support for other OLE-compliant applications, Richter Paradigm intends to add with a forthcoming, more expensive version. Meantime, MindWizard 3.0's greatest strength remains expert systems. Therefore, it can be strongly recommended to companies that are willing to spend time and money on developers, or to individual Excel power users.
Advanced users can use batch files to simulate real-world events affecting process modeling outcomes in MindWizard.
MindWizard 3.0
Richter Paradigm Corp. 150 Almaden Blvd., Ste. 750 San Jose, CA 95113 888-366-4269; 408-278-0360 Fax: 408-278-0366 www.mindwizard.com
Support: Free live phone support, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays (PT)
Requires: P200 or faster recommended; 32MB RAM recommended; 15MB hard drive space; Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 or later
List Price: $149
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