# Towards Exploratory Reformulation of Constraint Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.11868 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.11868/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 4 of its 45 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Nov 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Characteristic Functions on Graphs: Birds of a Feather, from Statistical Descriptors to Parametric Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.07959/) (2020)
- [The Improved GP 2 Compiler](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.03993/) (2020)
- [Savile Row Manual](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.03472/) (2021)
- [Towards Reformulating Essence Specifications for Robustness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.00821/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Automating Reformulation of Essence Specifications via Graph Rewriting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.09576/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

It is well established that formulating an effective constraint model of a problem of interest is crucial to the efficiency with which it can subsequently be solved. Following from the observation that it is difficult, if not impossible, to know a priori which of a set of candidate models will perform best in practice, we envisage a system that explores the space of models through a process of reformulation from an initial model, guided by performance on a set of training instances from the problem class under consideration. We plan to situate this system in a refinement-based approach, where a user writes a constraint specification describing a problem above the level of abstraction at which many modelling decisions are made. In this position paper we set out our plan for an exploratory reformulation system, and discuss progress made so far.