Larry O'Brien (Knowing.net) test drives Inference for .NET in his latest column for the SDTimes.

 

John Udell compares Inference for .NET with Resolver Systems' ResolverOne for creating IronPython-powered spreadsheets.

 

 

 

Computational analysis libraries power thousands of programs and applications in industries such as finance, science, engineering, academia, and research. Inference for .NET enables computational analysis libraries to be easily encapsulated in Word and Excel documents, along with high level scripting commands, data, and explanatory text. The resulting dynamic Inference documents can be distributed to team members for iterative analysis and executed to create comprehensive reports (Inference results documents).

 

With these capabilities at hand, Inference for .NET users can rapidly create tailored solutions aimed at solving complex data analysis problems. The following examples show tailored solutions leveraging .NET libraries in real world application scenarios:

 

Visual Numerics’ computational analysis libraries offer algorithms for use in science, technical, and business environments.  In this example a team of R&D scientists, tasked with implementing Quality by Design practices for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, uses Inference for .NET and Visual Numerics’ IMSL C# Numerical Library to perform a complex analysis of manufacturing data and document the results.

 

Numerical Algorithms Group's Numerical C Library
With over 1000 functions covering a wide range of mathematical and statistical areas, the Numerical Algorithms Group’s (NAG) Numerical C Library is the largest collection of algorithms for C and C++ programmers of its kind.  These examples describe how a manufacturing analyst can use Inference for .NET to encapsulate NAG C Library functions in Word documents; turning them into applications for analyzing the reliability of carbon fiber products.

 

WebCab Components’ Options and Futures .NET library contains a collection of complex financial calculation implementations. This example shows how an Inference document is assembled to calculate the present value of European call options for time to maturity, measured in years.

 

Performing data analysis is one of the core applications of dynamic scripting. The combination of dynamic scripting and computational analysis libraries allows users to rapidly prototype and implement data analysis solutions. NMath, a collection of software components from Centerspace Software that provides numerical components for mathematical, financial, engineering, and scientific applications on the .NET platform. This example is based on CenterSpace’s own DataFrameExample, which demonstrates how to load sample data into a vector-based data storage object (called a data frame) and perform some simple data manipulations and statistical calculations.