Get and Keep Connector
A Get and Keep connection seizes a resource and holds it while the entity moves through later activities, until you release it with a Free connection (or a FREE statement in action logic). Instead of being released at the end of the activity, the resource travels with the entity.
Use it when the same resource must stay with the entity across several steps, like a technician who loads a part, moves with it, and stays until it is unloaded.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”- Quantity: how many units to seize and hold (default
1). - Priority: the order this activity acquires the resource when there is competition.
- Setup / Travel Time: time for the resource to reach the entity before work begins.
Pair it with a Free connection at the activity where the resource should be released.
LegacyHow this worked in the previous version
The Get resource connection allows you to get the resource and hold it until you explicitly free it later using a Free resource connection or FREE statement in Action logic.
**Quantity **The number of units of this resource that are required. Any expression is valid. You may leave this field blank or enter 0 if the actual getting of the resource is done explicitly in the Action logic of the activity or routing. In this case, the connection serves only as a graphic representation of the resource being used.
**Priority **Enter the priority (0 - 99) for responding to this activity. Higher values have higher priorities. A priority is only necessary if the resource is assigned to multiple tasks that may be competing for the services of the resource.
Respond immediately Check this box if the resource is to interrupt any other activity in order to respond immediately to this activity. This selection is only meaningful if the resource is assigned to multiple tasks. (A resource that is off shift or on break will not respond until back on duty by this request.)
Types of Connectors
Section titled “Types of Connectors”Keeping a resource across activities
Section titled “Keeping a resource across activities”A resource is continuously used throughout a number of activities, including the moves from one activity to another. Useful in modeling resources such as case workers.
Suggested Technique
Section titled “Suggested Technique”- Connect the resource to the activity where the resource will first be used and select Get from the Type field in the properties dialog of the connection.
- Connect the resource to the activity where the resource will last be used and select Free from the Type field in the properties dialog of the connection
- Alternatively, you may use the GET and FREE statements in the Action logic of the appropriate activities. Connected resources will always be captured before resources specified in a GET statement. On the other hand, resource connections that free a resource occur after any Action logic for the activity.
Example: Incoming jobs to a copy center are received, copied, and invoiced all by the same clerk in three consecutive steps.
TO DO: Connect the clerk to the Receive activity and select Get from the Type field in the properties dialog. Then connect the clerk to the Invoice activity and select Free from the Type field in the properties dialog.
To learn more about resources, see Resources and Resource Assignments.
If an entity exits while holding a resource
Section titled “If an entity exits while holding a resource”During the simulation run the following message is received:
(Error, Entity exits system before releasing all captured resources!)
Reason
Section titled “Reason”A resource was captured using a Get or JointlyGet statement but not Free’d before exiting. The entity left the system with a resource still attached. The engine recognizes this as an error because the model will soon run out of resources and not be able to function.
Solution
Section titled “Solution”The problem is easy to find using a process of elimination. Place a FREE ALL at all exit points of the model, then remove the statements one by one until offending activity(s) can be determined. Follow the chain of activities backward until it can be determined why a resource was captured without a corresponding Free.
Related to Entity
Section titled “Related to Entity”- What is an Entity?
- How do I change Activity Time based on Entity Attribute?
- How do I Change Activity Time Based on Recurring Entity Passes?
- How do I Divide an Entity?
- How do I Randomly Assign Entity Attribute Values?
- How do I Renege an Entity?
- How do I Tracking Entity Conditions?
- How do I Change Entity Graphics During Simulation?
- How do I Import Entity Graphics?
- Why am I Getting Entity Arrival Failures at the End of Simulation?
- Why am I Getting Entity Exits System Before Releasing all Captured Resources?