Integration with Python

Related products: Integrations and Data Exchange
Integration with Python
We have started with the integration of scripting language a while back (our 1st language was R, see https://manual.aimms.com/rlink). Currently, we are working on integrating Python.



Our first step is to have it available for AIMMS App Developers such they can integrate Python scripts into their models with the purpose to improve your overall application. The idea is to do this is a (more) general way such that other scripting languages can follow. Also, we want to assure developers can debug the scripts during development and integrations before deploying them (step 2).



Our second step is to enable you to deploy models on your AIMMS Cloud, or your AIMMS PRO on premise platform. This to assure we are empowering the end users of the Apps.



We foresee a number of use cases, for example


  1. Use of specific Python functions not available in AIMMS s.a. ML algorithms to e.g. create better forecasts to feed the model
  2. Ability to fetch and process data from other sources that is needed for your model
  3. ..

What use cases do you see for AIMMS with a Python integration? We love to hear from you.
As a python user, I think this would be super cool!





Please make sure we are able to use our favorite packages easily (scikitlearn, pandas, matplotlib, e.g.)





As a stretch goal, it might be cool to have informative popups in the case of a python user doing something with python that could be (better) done with AIMMS. For new AIMMS users who are very familiar with python, this could be a great way to learn AIMMS.





~Bon
Hi Bon (@MathFour),





Wow you are fast in your reply. Thanks for the positive note!





The ultimate answer for us that (in deployment) a customer can decide which packages to include as we can't predict which combos are needed; in addition, some packages might be incompatible. For R e.g. we currently have 1 'base' that all customers use and we realize that is not ideal.





With respect to the stretched goal, that seems indeed nice. No clue how feasible this is. Thoughts are welcome.





Can you describe some actual use cases as well (what are the situation where you believe Python can contribute to AIMMS Apps)?
Sure, @Gertjan.





I was asked to whip out some 3D graphs the other day in python. I'm guessing that these are either not obtainable through AIMMS or less than easy, as the request was made by some super experienced AIMMS users.





Also, in one of my sample projects I've created, I'm pulling in data from a spreadsheet that I've cleverly concocted. It would be cake getting this into a pandas dataframe and working with it, but I'm struggling with trying to get all the rows and columns into the correct identifiers. I would certainly be tempted to use python as a middleman if it was clearer on how to get a df to their parameters/sets/etc.





~Bon
I would like to be able to run a model in AIMMS as part of a larger python program, and retrieve status information from AIMMS about the model run, as well as retrieve the data. A lot is possible with AIMMSCOM, but apparently it is deprecated, and it doesn't work for me with 64bit python which we use.

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