Getting Started with Scenarios

Scenarios let you rapidly explore "what-if" questions against an existing Cosmic Frog model. Define one or more data changes (scenario items), run the scenarios, then compare outputs - all without altering your baseline input data.

Quick Start

Follow these five steps to run your first scenario:

1. Open the Scenarios module from the Module menu (top left).
2. Select an existing scenario (e.g., Baseline) or create a new one via right-click → New Scenario.
3. Add a scenario item: right-click the scenario → New Item. Choose a table, specify a column change in the Actions field, and optionally apply a filter.
4. Click the green Run button (top right) and configure technology parameters.
5. Analyze results in the output tables or charts - compare across scenarios side by side.

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What Is a Scenario?

A scenario defines one or more input-table changes to apply before running a solve. Common examples include:

1. Adding candidate locations to evaluate for network expansion
2. Adjusting demand quantities by a percentage for a customer or product subset
3. Modifying transportation or facility costs
4. Switching a set of customers / products between Include and Exclude status
5. Adding or removing limitations on flow, production, and inventory

In the context of this documentation, we mean the following with scenario and scenario item:

• Scenario: a runnable set of inputs based on the data in the input tables, modified with a set of changes (1 or multiple scenario items)
• Scenario item: makes a specific change to all records or a subset of the records in an input table

In other words: a scenario without any scenario items uses all the data in the input tables as is (often called Baseline); most scenarios will contain 1 or more scenario items to test certain changes as compared to a baseline.

The Scenarios Module

Open the Scenarios module from the Module menu. A freshly opened module looks like this:

1. Click the Module menu and select Scenarios.
2. The Unassigned Items folder holds scenario items not used by any scenario.
3. The Scenarios folder lists all scenarios. Expand or collapse it with the caret icon.
4. A Baseline scenario is created by default.
5. The icon to the right of each scenario shows its engine (technology). Use the Technology filter at the top to show only scenarios for (a) specific engine(s).

Scenario Drop-Down Menu

The Scenario drop-down (top of module) provides quick access to common actions:

1. Click on the Scenario drop-down menu to open it.
2. New Scenario - creates a new scenario without any scenario items.
3. New Item - creates a new scenario item in the currently selected scenario.
4. Duplicate - makes a copy of the currently selected scenario or currently selected scenario item:
   1. Scenario - the whole scenario is copied into a new scenario which can be named by the user or otherwise the name will be the original postfixed with (1), (2), etc. The copy contains all the same scenario items as the original.
   2. Scenario item - a copy of the scenario item is added to the current scenario. The copy can be named by the user or otherwise will have the original name postfixed with (1), (2), etc.
5. Rename - edit the name of the currently selected scenario or scenario item. When renaming a scenario that contains outputs, these outputs will be deleted.
6. Copy Name - copies the name of the currently selected scenario or scenario item to the clipboard.
7. Delete - removes the currently selected scenario(s) and/or scenario item(s). A confirmation message will come up prior to the actual removal. See also the Deleting Scenarios and Items section further down.
8. Delete Scenario Results - removes the results of the selected scenario(s) from all output tables, see also the Deleting Scenario Results section further down.

Switching a Scenario's Technology

Each scenario is associated with one engine. To change it, select the scenario and use the radio buttons in the central panel:

1. Click the scenario to select it.
2. In the central panel, select a different technology using the radio buttons.

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Creating Scenarios and Items

Creating a New Scenario

Right-click an existing scenario or the Scenarios folder and choose New Scenario, or use the New Scenario option from the Scenario drop-down menu. Enter a name when prompted:

Creating a Scenario Item

Select the target scenario, then right-click → New Item (or use the Scenario drop-down). Name the item - its configuration panel opens automatically:

1. The new item's configuration opens in the central panel.
2. Select the input table to modify from the Table Name drop-down.
3. A Search box can be used to filter the table list; the Sort icon toggles alphabetical order.
4. We select the Customers table.

After selecting the table, specify the change in the Actions field. Intelli-type suggests column names as you type:

1. Start typing a column name - intelli-type shows matching columns.
2. Use arrow keys to navigate and Tab to autocomplete.

Once the column to change has been typed in, we can set its new value. In our example we want to set the value of the status column to Exclude:

Intelli-type also validates syntax. Incorrect quote style (need to use single quotes, not double quotes):

Unrecognized column name:

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Filtering Which Records a Scenario Item Affects

By default, a scenario item's action applies to every record in the selected table. Add a filter to restrict which records are changed. Two methods are available:

Named Filters (Recommended)

If Named Filters exist for the selected table, you can apply one directly to the scenario item:

1. In the Conditions area, select Named Filters.
2. Open the Named Filters drop-down to see available filters for the table.
3. Use the Search box to filter the list of filters.
4. Use the Sort icon to change the order of the filters, options are:
   1. Default: sorted in the order they were added to the table.
   2. Name: sorted in (reverse) alphabetical order.
5. Check a filter to apply it. Only records matching that filter will be changed by the Actions field.

After selecting a filter, the Filter Grid Preview updates to show exactly which records will be affected:

1. The active filter name, "US Customers" here, appears at the top right of the preview. Click x to remove it; hover over it to bring up a tooltip with the entire filter name.
2. The row count shows how many records match - and will be updated.
3. The preview grid confirms the filtered subset (e.g., only US customers).

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Condition Builder

Use the Condition Builder when no applicable Named Filter exists, or for ad hoc conditions:

1. Select Condition Builder in the Conditions area.
2. Type the condition expression. Intelli-type column-name suggestions are available here too. The preview grid will again confirm the filtered subset (not shown here).

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Scenario Item Execution Order

When multiple items modify the same column in the same table, they execute top-to-bottom. Order matters. Consider the following 2 scenarios where both scenario items are applied to the Quantity column in the Customer Demand table:

1. This scenario contains 2 items: first the demand quantity is multiplied by 2 and then 10 units are added. If the original demand quantity is 100, this scenario changes it to: 2*100 + 10 = 210.
2. This scenario contains the same 2 items but in reverse order: first 10 units are added to the demand and then it is multiplied by 2. For original demand quantity of 100, this results in: (100+10) * 2 = 220.

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Item Assignments

A single scenario item can be shared across multiple scenarios. The Item Assignments panel (right side) appears automatically when an item is selected:

1. The selected item's configuration appears on the left.
2. The Item Assignments panel on the right lists all scenarios.
3. Use the Search box to filter the scenario list.
4. Use the top checkbox to select/deselect all scenarios at once.
5. Check or uncheck individual scenarios to add or remove the item.
6. The counts at the bottom show total scenarios (18 here), how many use this item (Selected: 12 here), and, when filtered by the Search box, how many are currently filtered.
7. Collapse the panel using the >> icon.

Switch to the Item Information tab on the same panel to edit the item's name or add a description:

1. Click on the second item of the 2 at the top of the pane to switch to the Item Information tab.
2. The Item Name is shown and can be edited if required.
3. Add a description for complex items or collaborative workflows - it appears alongside the item name.
4. Drag the corner of the description box to resize it.

Scenario Assignments

The Scenario Assignments panel (right side) appears when a scenario is selected, showing all available items and which are assigned:

1. The selected scenario's technology assignment is shown on the left.
2. The Scenario Assignments panel on the right lists all items.
3. Use the Search box to filter the item list.
4. Use the top checkbox for bulk selection/deselection.
5. Check or uncheck individual items to add or remove it.
6. The counts at the bottom show total items (8 here), how many are assigned (Selected: 3 here), and, when filtered by the Search box, how many are filtered.
7. Collapse the panel using the >> icon.

Switch to the Scenario Information tab to edit the scenario name or add a description:

1. Click on the second item of the 2 at the top of the pane to switch to the Scenario Information tab.
2. The Scenario Name is shown and can be edited if required.
3. A Scenario Description can be added here; especially useful for complex scenarios and/or when working collaboratively.
4. Drag the corner of the description box to resize it.

Scenario List Features

The scenarios list includes several navigation and status indicators that become useful as your model grows:

1. Use the Search box to quickly filter the list down to any scenarios and items containing the search text.
2. The Sort icon enables sorting the scenarios list in the order they were added ("Default") or alphabetically ("Name"). Choosing the same option again reverses the sort order.
3. Click on the Collapse/Expand All icon to either collapse all scenarios and the Unassigned Items folder or to expand them.
4. Users may initially set up scenario items which later on are no longer used by any of the scenarios. These are then shown in the Unassigned Items list. These can be deleted. However, they can also be kept if anticipating using them in future scenarios.
5. Use the caret icons to the left of the scenario names to expand/collapse individual scenarios, i.e. show all or none of its items.
6. A scenario can have anywhere from 0 to many scenario items. This one has 4.
7. If scenario results are available in the output tables, a blue report icon is shown to the left of the scenario's technology icon. The next screenshot shows the tooltip that comes up when hovering over this icon:

1. Hover over the blue report icon for the Results Information tooltip to come up.
2. The tooltip shows the engine used and when the run completed.
3. A link opens the relevant output summary table directly:
   • Neo → Optimization Network Summary
   • Hopper → Transportation Summary
   • Triad → Optimization Greenfield Network Summary
   • Throg → Simulation Network Summary Replication Detail
   • Dendro → Simulation Evolutionary Algorithm Summary
   • Cyclo → Inventory Network Summary

Running Scenarios

Click the green Run button (top right in Cosmic Frog), select the scenario(s) to solve, and configure technology parameters. See the Running Models & Scenarios in Cosmic Frog Help Center article for full details.

Sensitivity at Scale (S@S) Scenarios

Sensitivity @ Scale automates demand-quantity and transportation-cost sensitivity analysis with a single click. See the Sensitivity at Scale Scenarios Help Center article for more information.

In addition, there are three S@S-related utilities available in the Utilities module:

1. Open the Utilities module from the Module menu.
2. Under the SaS sub-category of the System Utilities, three utilities are available:
   • Sensitivity at Scale - the user can choose up to 2 fields and set their values to run sensitivity analysis on. All combinations of values will be run.
   • Sensitivity at Scale Under Uncertainty - here, users can choose up to 2 fields which have probability distributions specified in them. These will be sampled from during the runs to get a range of outputs.
   • Delete SaS Scenarios - any scenarios created by the utilities described under the previous 2 bullets in the current model can be deleted by using this utility. Both the scenarios and their outputs (if any) will be deleted.

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Deleting Scenarios and Items

Select one or more scenarios or items, then right-click ? Delete or use the Delete option from the Scenario drop-down menu at the top of the module. Key behaviors to keep in mind:

1. Deleting a scenario item removes it from every scenario it belongs to.
2. Deleting only a scenario (none of its items) moves any items no longer used by other scenarios to the Unassigned Items folder.
3. Deleting a scenario also deletes all its outputs.
4. Use the Ctrl key to select multiple scenarios and/or items. Use Ctrl + Shift to select a continuous set of scenarios and items.

Example: Deleting Scenarios Only

1. Ctrl-click two scenarios to select them (dark highlight).
2. At the bottom, it is summarized how many scenarios and items are currently selected.
3. No items are selected.

Deleting removes only the two scenarios. Items used exclusively by those scenarios move to Unassigned Items; items shared with other scenarios remain untouched.

Example: Deleting Scenarios and Items Together

1. Ctrl + Shift was held down to select a contiguous block of scenarios and all their items:
   • The use first clicked on the Sc2_CoPacker scenario.
   • Next, the user clicked on the Sc3_PrebuildInventory scenario.
2. This selects the 2 scenarios and all 6 scenario items of the Sc2_CoPacker scenario. Since 5 of those items are also used by the Sc3_Prebuild Inventory scenario, they are highlighted as selected there too.
3. The count of selected scenarios and items is 8: 2 scenarios and 6 items.

Deleting removes both selected scenarios and all 6 selected items - including from any other scenarios that use them. The one unselected item in these 2 scenarios, "Add Inventory capacity at CDCs", remains.

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Deleting Scenario Results

Use Delete Scenario Results (context menu or Scenario drop-down) to clear output data for one or more scenarios without removing the scenarios themselves:

1. After choosing Delete Scenario Results, the Delete Scenario Results panel comes up on the right-hand side.
2. Only scenarios that already have results are listed; use the Search box to filter by name.
3. The Sort icon orders by creation date ("Default") or alphabetically ("Name").
4. Use the top checkbox to select/deselect all (filtered) scenarios at once.
5. Use the individual checkbox to select/deselect a scenario.
6. The summary at the bottom shows total (16), filtered (3), and selected (2) scenario counts.
7. Click Delete to confirm or Cancel / x to abort.

Tips & Tricks

Naming Conventions

Think through scenario naming conventions ahead of time. You can for example:

1. Use a number prefix (S01, S02, etc.) to control scenario sort order in output tables, charts, and graphs.
2. Keep names short so they display fully when comparing scenarios side-by-side in charts.

Use Status + Notes for Scenario-Specific Records

Most input tables include Status and Notes fields. A powerful scenario pattern is:

1. Add scenario-specific records to a table with Status = Exclude and a Notes tag (e.g., 'Scenario 3').
2. Create a scenario item that sets Status = 'Include' where Notes = 'Scenario 3'.

This keeps all data in the model without interfering with the Baseline.

Use Custom Columns for Scenario Data

Custom columns let you store alternative values in a table and reference them in scenario items, e.g.:

1. A custom column on the Transportation Policies table named "newcost" contains updated cost numbers. A scenario item can then set unitcost = newcost, so that the scenario uses the numbers from the newcost column as the transportation costs.
2. A custom column on the Customer Demand table named "projection" contains growth percentages for demand quantities (e.g. 10 for 10%). A scenario item can then set quantity = quantity * (1 + (projection/100)) to apply those growth percentages in a scenario.

Copy Scenarios Between Models

The Copy Scenarios utility (Utilities module → Copy to a Model) copies a single scenario or all scenarios from one model to another, including all items and assignments.

Use Ada or Leapfrog AI

Ada is Optilogic's agentic AI and while chatting with her she can create new scenarios and their associated items for you. See the Getting Started with Ada & Agentic AI article to get going with Ada.

In addition, you can also use Leapfrog for scenario and item creation, and scenario-specific data manipulation.

Like Ada, Leapfrog can create scenarios and scenario items from a plain-language description - ideal for quickly spinning up variations without manually configuring each item. See the specific section on this in the Getting Started with Leapfrog AI Help Center article.

🔧 Use Case: 2027 Demand Projections from 2026 Numbers

Model 2027 demand from 2026 quantities using a custom growth projections table. Both Ada and Leapfrog can be utilized to set this up, so no external tool needs to be used. In Leapfrog, you can achieve the goal for example in following 4 steps:

1. Copy the 2026 demand record set into the Customer Demand table as a new set. Set Status = Exclude and Notes = '2027 Scenarios' for the copied records.
2. Update the dates of those records to 2027 (if date fields are used in the original demand data, otherwise not needed).
3. Use Leapfrog to multiply the demand quantities by the growth factor from the custom projection table, matching the tables on product and customer names.
4. In each 2027 scenario, use scenario items that set the Status of the 2026 records to Exclude and of the '2027 Scenarios' records to Include.

Using Ada, you will be able to use 1 prompt explaining the goal while attaching the growth projections table. For example: "The attached model contains 2026 demand in the Customer Demand table, copy this entire set and paste as a new set with Status set to Exclude and Notes field set to 2027 scenarios. In the new 2027 set, multiply the demand quantities with the growth projection numbers in the attached file. Then create a scenario that does not use the 2026 demand, but the 2027 demand instead."

Happy scenario modeling! As always, please contact our Support team on support@optilogic.com for any questions or feedback.