Specification and Description Language for Discrete Simulation

Abstract

Designing a new simulation model usually involves the participation of personnel with different knowledge of the system and with diverse formations. These personnel often use different languages, making more difficult the task to define the existing relations between the key model elements. These relations represent the hypotheses that constrain the model and the global behavior of the system, and this information must be obtained from the system experts. A formalism can be a powerful tool to understand the model complexity and helps in the communication between the different actors that participate in the definition of the model. In this chapter we review the use of the “Specification and Description Language,” a standard and graphical language that simplifies the model understanding thanks to its modular nature. To do this we present a complete example, representing a simple queuing model that helps the reader to understand the structure and the nature of the language.