Externally-Defined Distribution

The Externally-defined distribution is a specialized distribution that is defined externally by a Distribution output:

The External Definition field only accepts a Distribution output. Distribution outputs are complex outputs that represent all the statistical information necessary to define a probability distribution. They can only be produced by another Stochastic element An element that can be used to quantitatively represent the uncertainty in a model input., a Spreadsheet element An element that can dynamically link to an Excel spreadsheet., or a SubModel A specialized element that allows you embed one complete GoldSim model within another GoldSim model. This facilitates, among other things, probabilistic optimization, explicit separation of uncertainty from variability, and manipulation of Monte Carlo statistics..

The primary purpose of this distribution type is to connect a Stochastic to a distribution that has been imported via a Spreadsheet element.

However, there are also several other specialized uses, such as exchanging distribution information with a SubModel, and to support dynamically revising distributions using simulated Bayesian updating.