Discrete event simulation model reduction: A causal approach

Discrete event simulation is an important system analysis technique. But for today’s demand for speed, the time to complete a simulation study is considered to be long, even with current developments in hardware and simulation software. In this scenario, simplification methods for simulation models could play a key role. This paper proposes a technique for reducing the complexity of a discrete event simulation model at the conceptual phase of simulation modeling that can be fully automatized through a computer program. We applied this technique on some problems which demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.