SCIP - a framework to integrate Constraint and Mixed Integer Programming
| 04-19 | Tobias Achterberg
SCIP - a framework to integrate Constraint and Mixed Integer Programming | |
Abstract: Constraint Programs and Mixed Integer Programs are closely
related
optimization problems originating from different
scientific areas.
Todays state-of-the-art algorithms of both fields have
several
strategies in common, in particular the branch-and-bound
process to
recursively divide the problem into smaller sub problems.
On the other hand, the main techniques to process each sub
problem are
different, and it was observed that they have
complementary
strenghts.
We propose a programming framework SCIP that
integrates techniques
from both fields in order to exploit the strenghts of
both, Constraint
Programming and Mixed Integer Programming.
In contrast to other proposals of recent years to combine
both fields,
SCIP does not focus on easy implementation and
rapid prototyping, but
is tailored towards expert users in need of full, in-depth
control and high
performance.
Keywords: Mixed Integer Programming,
MIP,
Constraint Programming,
CP,
branch-and-bound
MSC: 90-08, 90-04, 90C11, 90C57