Anybody using @Risk, DecisionTools and alike?

[Cody.Wan]

I go to a business school and there's a class that covers financial simulations. What I find odd/interesting is the class doesn't use R or Python or any other popular languages to run the model. Instead, it uses DecisionTools that includes @Risk, Evolver and alike, which are embedded in Excel and can be used to run Monte Carlo simulations, linear programming etc. Perhaps the feature of this(any) software is that it doesn't come with a steep learning curve and you just click here and there to run and test models.

so, here comes my question: what's your view on software like DecisionTools? Is it commonly used in financial industry? What are some of its pros and cons? is it worth taking time to get familiar with it now that Python and R seem to dominate scientific/statistical analysis?

 

[IntoDarkness]

their tools are pretty awesome imo with neat visualization. they may not be as flexible at times but they serve the purpose.

i haven't seen anybody use them

 

[Cody.Wan]

their tools are pretty awesome imo with neat visualization. they may not be as flexible at times but they serve the purpose.

i haven't seen anybody use them

could you give some examples as to how DecisionTools can sometimes be inflexible? thanks!