How do I import a vector of data in Vensim P.L.E. 8.0.4. x64

Question

I am a user of Vensim P.L.E. 8.0.4. x64. This is the Personal Learning Edition, that is freely available for 60 days.

I am trying to get familiar with it.

I tried to replicate some examples available online, such as these two:

first video

second video

and I was successful.

Now I would like to include in my simulations not only a scalar, but an array or a vector of numbers. This is because I would like to use a set of real world data I have for different municipalities and it would be of little informative to do it for each of them separately.

I followed the indications provided here:

Link for the use of the function tabbed array

which substantially provides what I would need. Yet, at the very same page I read "Availability: Professional and DSS only." I am thus inclined to think that this is not a function I can have access to.

I tried to specify an equation for one of my variables by making use of TABBED ARRAY, but I got the error message "Expecting an operator" in the relevant section of the window, as reported below.

I would be very grateful if anyone could help me to understand if the error is related to my sintax, or to the Versim version I am using or to other possible reasons.

I understood, but correct me if I am wrong, that there is a way to work with Vensim by coding but I am not sure this possibility is open to the version I am using.

I do thank you very much for your help.

Marco

Answer 1

I think that error message really comes from the version PLE you are using.
You also could try import the constants from Excel using the GET XLS DATA('file','tab','row or col','cell') function [1]. But this function don't work into PLE version too.

So I advise you use Insight Maker in the first steps of modelling, that is general-purpose simulation and modeling tool, open source and that run in your web browser [2]. On this platform you could import data manually using converters objects [3].

Below we see a print screen from the Insight Maker workspace with a converter object to data import.