MIPGap and Runtime query before optimization stops

Answered

Wu Hao

• July 04, 2020 16:40

Hi,

I am using Gurobi to solve a MIP problem, and I want to see how its MIPGap changes with respect to the Runtime. Is there any efficient way to collect these two information? The callback code does not provide MIPGap, and I could not retrieve this attribute before the model terminates (get optimal solution). Thank you very much!

Best,

Wu

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• Official comment

  

  Simranjit Kaur

  Gurobi Staff

  • December 06, 2024 00:44

  This post is more than three years old. Some information may not be up to date. For current information, please check the Gurobi Documentation or Knowledge Base. If you need more help, please create a new post in the community forum. Or why not try our AI Gurobot?.
• 

  Eli Towle

  Gurobi Staff

  • July 06, 2020 19:50
  • Edited

  Hi Wu,

  You're right that you cannot directly obtain the MIPGap from a callback. However, you can easily calculate the gap yourself using the incumbent objective value (\(\textrm{ObjVal}\)) and the best bound (\(\textrm{ObjBound}\)), both of which can be retrieved in a callback. The formula is:

  $$\begin{align*}\textrm{Gap} = \frac{|\textrm{ObjBound} - \textrm{ObjVal}|}{|\textrm{ObjVal}|}.\end{align*}$$

  Thanks,

  Eli

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• 

  Pritom Kumar Mondal

  • August 27, 2021 16:28
  • Edited

  

  

  Hello Eli,

  I also have a similar question. I solve large MILP models by using Gurobi solver through AMPL environment. I tried to use the high processing computer center of my university but they have the rule to stop job every 48 hours.

  So my question is I get to know about the incumbent objective value when I am stopping a problem but what is the command to know about the best bound?

  Thanks,

  Pritom

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• 

  Robert Fourer

  • August 27, 2021 17:03

  

  

  In AMPL, add bestbound=1 to your gurobi_options string -- or if you are not setting a gurobi_options string yet, give this command before solving:

  option gurobi_options 'bestbound=1';

  Then the best bound will be returned in the suffix ".bestbound" on the objective. For example, if your objective function is "minimize TotalCost" then the best bound will be given by "TotalCost.bestbound".

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• 

  Pritom Kumar Mondal

  • August 27, 2021 18:31

  

  

  Hello,

  Thank you so much for your response. I was testing this command on some examples. 

  If we get the optimum solution or interrupt AMPL before getting a feasible solution, will it show the following?

  suffix bestbound OUT;

  Will I get a bestbound only if I interrupt the problem with a feasible non-optimum solution?

  Thanks,

  Pritom

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• 

  Robert Fourer

  • August 27, 2021 20:58

  

  

  The message "suffix bestbound OUT" says that the suffix .bestbound was created by Gurobi for output to AMPL. It's only an informational message; it appears the first time that Gurobi runs with bestbound=1 in an AMPL session, and does not convey any information about whether Gurobi has found a feasible or optimal solution.

  You will always get a bestbound value when bestbound=1 is set. If the root relaxation problem has a feasible solution, then bestbound will be a meaningful finite value. If the root relaxation is infeasible, then bestbound will be 1e+100 (when minimizing) or -1e+100 (when maximizing), which is technically a finite value but should be interpreted as standing for "infinity".

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• 

  Pritom Kumar Mondal

  • August 28, 2021 01:38
  • Edited

  

  

  Hello

  Thank you so much for your response. I understand what you mentioned here. I posted a similar question on another thread. I am using the command you gave me but I couldn't find the bestbound. Please see the following commands.

  I am using the following commands on AMPL.

  model 2Modefile.mod;
  data 2dataset.dat;
  option gurobi_options 'bestbound=1';
  option solver gurobi;

  solve;

  The output is the following.

  Gurobi 9.1.1: bestbound=1
  Gurobi 9.1.1: optimal solution; objective 13150
  4 simplex iterations

  suffix bestbound OUT;

  With your answer, it is clear to me now what it is meant by bestbound out. But my question is what command should I use to see the bestbound?

  Thanks,

  Pritom

   

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• 

  Robert Fourer

  • August 30, 2021 22:44

  

  

  As mentioned previously, the best bound is returned in the suffix ".bestbound" on the objective. For example, if your objective function is "minimize TotalCost" then the best bound is given by "TotalCost.bestbound", which you can use wherever a number would make sense. In particular, if you want to see the best bound, you can give the AMPL command

  display TotalCost.bestbound;

  (though with the name of your objective function in place of "TotalCost").

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• 

  Pritom Kumar Mondal

  • August 31, 2021 18:23

  

  

  Thank you, Robert! I appreciate your help.

  Thanks,

  Pritom

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