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<sect1 id="sect-advanced-analysis-goalseek">
<title>Goal Seek Tool</title>
<para>Use Goal Seek Tool to search for a value of a single model
variable that yields a given desired value of another single
variable. For example, you can use the Goal Seek to find the
break-even value for sales (the break-even is the amount of sales
whose marginal revenue just covers the fixed costs and the profit is
thus zero).</para>
<sect2 id="sect-advanced-analysis-goalseek-tool">
<title>Using the Tool</title>
<para>First, select the ``Goal Seek...'' tool item from ``Tools''
menu. Specify the output variable cell (``Set Cell'') by typing
the cell reference into the entry or by clicking the worksheet
cell. If you are searching for the break-even point, for example,
you should specify the cell reference of the profit calculation
here.</para>
<para>Specify the desired result for the output variable cell into
the ``To Value'' cell. In the search for the break-even, specify
this to be zero.</para>
<para>Specify the input variable cell (``By changing cell'') by
typing the cell reference into the entry or by clicking the
worksheet cell. In the search for the break-even, specify the
cell reference of the sales here. When you have done this, you
may want to press the ``Apply'' button to start the tool.</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="sect-advanced-analysis-goalseek-results">
<title>Results</title>
<para>Gnumeric will systematically iterate the model by changing
the input value to achieve the desired result, if possible. If
goal seek was successful the tool displays the message ``Goal
Seeking with cell __ found a solution''.</para>
<para>It is possible that Gnumeric does not find a solution that
generates the desired result. There may not be such a solution
for the model, or, it may be too difficult to find. For example,
the mathematical function behind the calculation may have many
non-continuous points.</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="sect-advanced-analysis-goalseek-range">
<title>Desired Value in a Given Range</title>
<para>If Gnumeric did not find a solution that generates the
desired result, you may want to try to specify a range (minimum
and maximum) in which the value of the output variable should be.
To do this, specify the ``Minimum'' and ``Maximum''
entries.</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
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