Book review: TESS--the extended simulation support system by STANDRIDGE, CHARLES R. AND PRITSKER, A. A. B. (Halsted Press, New York, NY, 1987, 368 pp., $34.95, ISBN 0-470-20876-7)

Abstract

The Extended Simulation Support system (TESS) is a software package Pritsker & Associates has developed over the past ten years to assist engineers in structuring the tasks, such as collecting data, building models, executing simulations, analyzing outputs, and presenting results, required in a simulation project. TESS is heavily oriented towards graphical representations of systems and contains very powerful features that support this orientation. In addition to a language consisting of database processing statements, processing statements, session parametersetting statements, and function-element statements, TESS features the integration of SLAM II, MAP/1, and GPSS/H simulation languages. This book is intended to guide users of TESS in learning its features and how to apply them in creating and running system simulation models. It assumes that the reader already has expertise in formulating simulations and in using simulation languages. Chapter 1 provides an overview of TESS and its features. Chapter 2 describes the TESS language. Chapter 3 describes the general commands for assistance, graphicsrelated procedures, and establishing setup parameters. Chapter 4 describes the forms system, used to input data when building control, data, summary, rule, macro, and report formats. Chapters 5 through 9 describe TESS's "builder" subsystems: the icon builder, used when a model requires an icon not included in the 48 icons in TESS's icon library; the facility builder, used to construct diagrams of systems using icons; the rule builder, used to construct rules specifying animation actions, such as color, quantity, and location changes, that should occur as a result of information resulting from a simulation; the network builder, used for constructing SLAM II network models; and the format builder, used to specify the formats for graphs and reports. Chapters 10 through 12 describe the organization of the TESS database and the handling of input and output data. Chapter 13 describes how to graphically create and enter SLAM II networks. Chapter 14 describes scenario processing, which is typically a simulation run but may also be the collection of data for entering into the TESS database. Chapters 15 through 20 cover output: animation, report formats, presentation of data values and summaries, statistical analysis, and use of macros. Chapter 21 provides a complete example of the use of animation in modeling a transmission case manufacturing line. Chapters 22 and 23 are devoted to the details of the TESS library and database, respectively. Chapter 24 details operating system utilities and parameters for using TESS on the VAX/VMS system. There are a small number of references listed at the end of the book, primarily manuals for GPSS/H, MAP/1, and SLAM II and other publications by the authors. The book contains a large variety of examples and illustrations and is well organized and indexed. Combined with the availability of TESS software, this book should enable the new user to quickly become productive. The experienced TESS user will want to keep the book as a valuable reference. --Harry Mathis, College Station, TX