Problem Domain:
This is the set of real world problems you are trying to address, and the particular nuances you are trying to model. As these become more distinct from the principal features of a “canned solution” a vendor may be offering, (consider all aspects of your problem domain) you become more likely to reap big benefits from a Sage®-based simulation app, tailored to your needs.

Solution Domain:
Consider the technologies you expect to incorporate in your solution, and the technology your solution is based upon. Was the foundation technology built to accommodate the broader technologies such as the web, or integration with other applications?, If the broader technologies seem to be a medley of after-thoughts and add-ins, you will likely encounter expensive or prohibitive limitations after it's too late to turn back. Sage® and .NET are designed for deep integration with the web, XML, and other Microsoft products.

Simulation Fidelity:
The closeness-to-real-world you expect from your simulation. The higher fidelity you expect, the more likely you will need to tweak and tune. A Sage® solution will make this far easier to accomplish.

Model Flexibility:
The more you expect to grow and evolve your simulation app, the more you will want to architect it for growth, and the more maintainable you will want it to be. A Sage® solution is built using software industry best practices, and can pay for itself in lower maintenance costs down the road.

Depth of Integration:
If simulation is a part of your application, but not the whole thing, then you will want to integrate your application with your simulation (or vice versa). Often a snippet of code buried in your model is not enough, and you need the simulation to manipulate some of your externally-defined business objects, or external services such as control systems and message queues. Maybe you have an object model in mind for your application, and don't want to go through major contortions to interact with your simulation. With Sage®, your simulation is an object model in your application, with all of the tools and techniques of the modern software world at your disposal.

Type Of User:
The more your simulation will need to be used and maintained by non-simulation people, the better. Simulations are all-too-often user-hostile morasses of esoteric data, with little accommodation for the business user. While it is not necessary to do so, a Sage® solution can be crafted with an intuitive, user-friendly GUI for operation and maintenance, freeing your analysts for bigger and better things, and allowing you to weave your simulation application into your everyday business processes.

Conspicuous Absence? ...Performance:
Performance is important. But coding in a bare-metal language, using arrays and indexers is yesterday’s solution, usually reached at a sore cost in maintainability. Nowadays, sophisticated algorithms, run-time profiling, and multiple processors enable a much more holistic achievement of satisfactory performance.