Simulation Guide
Knowledge Guides /How to Integrate Algorithm Components into a Simulation Platform: Data, State, and Scheduling Responsibilities
Last updated: · New Horizon Digital Outsourcing Team
Before integrating an algorithm component, define platform and algorithm responsibilities and when inputs and outputs are valid. Specify data descriptions, initialization, retained state, execution order, and failure reporting together, then check the path with a simple predictable component. Successful loading establishes only that an entry point is available, not that data is correct or the integrated algorithm is valid.
Define Platform and Algorithm Boundaries
- A platform may handle scheduling, data transport, and result storage while algorithm components perform agreed calculations and state updates; record the actual division of work in the integration agreement. For external services, identify who forms requests, transports them, and interprets responses to avoid duplicate conversions or unchecked response content.
- First check call order and data flow using a simple component with known inputs and predictable outputs, then integrate the actual algorithm. A pass at this stage covers invocation and transfer mechanisms only. Numerical correctness, applicability, and calibration evidence require separate verification and cannot be inferred from successful execution.
Fully Describe Exchanged Data
- For every exchanged item, specify meaning, type, units, dimensions, valid length, and permitted writers, distinguishing allocated capacity from the actual amount of data. When positional indices are used, maintain index order and field names in one agreement. Length or type mismatches should produce traceable errors rather than allowing downstream nodes to interpret incomplete inputs.
- For shared data regions, define each component's read and write scope and when data is produced and consumed. Interface descriptions and execution records should establish whether a node reads current-cycle or previous-cycle values. Multi-object scenarios also need stable identities so a changed list order cannot assign one object's data to another.
Define Initialization, Retained State, and Execution Order
- Separate per-call inputs, internal state retained across cycles, and read-only time information supplied by the platform. Initialization establishes state for the current run; later runs must clear or restore it as agreed instead of inheriting residual values unintentionally. If checkpoint restoration is supported, define the state required and external dependencies that cannot be restored.
- List producers, consumers, and execution order for each component chain. Parse external service responses before consuming nodes use them, and define handling for missing or late responses. For multiple execution nodes, specify synchronization boundaries and conditions for starting the next cycle so ordering dependencies can be reviewed from logs.
Make Failures Traceable and Versions Checkable
- Failure reports should include component identity, run identity, cycle, and reason, with agreed rules for stopping affected chains. Check missing components, invalid input lengths, missing service responses, and component-requested stops. Use controlled examples and assess the integration mechanism; simulated failures do not establish faults in actual equipment.
- At delivery, bind component versions, configuration versions, and data descriptions, and check consistency between scheduling and execution nodes. Retain identifiers in logs and exported results sufficient to trace calls, then have the receiving team replace an agreed example component and repeat the checks. This establishes integration within the agreed scope, not compatibility with every algorithm or environment.