[SCIP] Check SCIP license issue and my understanding regarding Branch-cut-and-Price framework

[Ambros Gleixner]

Dear Melvin,

Thank you for your interest in SCIP.  I forwarded your license questions 
to Arne Schröder from I2DAMO, who handles commercial licensing.

Regarding your other questions about SCIP:  I assume you are familiar 
with the mathematical background of branch-cut-and-price and know 
exactly, what you want to implement.  You do not need to write your own 
constraint handlers if the constraints are already supported by SCIP, 
e.g., linear constraints.  The VRP example, e.g., only implements a pricer.

Beyond the online documentation, I am not aware that we have something 
like a tutorial paper on how to implement a branch-cut-and-price project 
step-by-step.  It is certainly one of the most advanced use cases of 
SCIP.  You have probably read

https://scip.zib.de/doc/html/PRICER.php

https://scip.zib.de/doc/html/FAQ.php#faq_usingscipasabranchcutandpriceframework

https://scip.zib.de/doc/html/FAQ.php#faq_specificquestionsaboutcolumngenerationandbranchandpricewithscip

Beyond that, looking at the relevant implementation examples in the 
examples and applications folder will be necessary if you want to learn 
the technical details.

Best,
Ambros





Am 27.03.20 um 05:18 schrieb Melvin Shih:
> Dear SCIP team,
> 
> I solved a scheduling problem in an AI competition in Taiwan few months 
> ago with SCIP in Python environment .
> A mathematical model had been developed and solved successfully in 
> prove-of-concept phase .
> After an award had been achieved, I am interesting in further 
> applications with SCIP.
> 
> First of all, I need to check about license issues if I further develop 
> the model as a manufacturing scheduling optimization service for any 
> customer, since it will be no more academical projects.
> Who will been charged by SCIP?  Customers, service developers, or both?
> How will it been charged?
> Considering some upcoming AI competitions will also been host soon in 
> Taiwan, It will be a chance to develop manufacturing scheduling 
> optimization services with SCIP.
> Second, I am still lack of an overview of Branch-cut-and-Price framework 
> after reading SCIP Doxygen documents.
> As all of us know that solving efficiency problems encountered after 
> variables increases, It bothered me a lot in my master and Ph.D. thesis 
> using Constraint Programming with ILOG about 15 years ago.
> Consequently, The support of Branch-cut-and-Price framework is also the 
> reason choosing SCIP.
> However, I have realized that Branch-cut-and-Price framework dose not 
> fully supported in Python according discussions in Github.
> I have tried to rebuild my model in C environment although I am not 
> familiar to.
> After an environment and variables of the model have been set up, I am 
> stuck with Constraint Handlers.
> Should Constraint Handlers need to be applied for each of my existing 
> constraints, or I need to build my own Constraint Handler, it can be 
> more challenging to me.
> Is there any guidance paper or document which providing a overview of 
> concept of Branch-cut-and-Price framework in details?
> I am sorry that the example projects does not really helpful to me, a 
> researcher more than a programmer.
> Any advise is appreciate.
> 
> Many thanks,
> 
> Melvin
> 
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-- 
Ambros Gleixner, Research Group Mathematical Optimization Methods at 
Zuse Institute Berlin, http://www.zib.de/gleixner