A computer-implemented simulator models the entire analytic value chain so that data generation, model fitting and strategy optimization are an integral part of the simulation. Data collection efforts, data mining algorithms, predictive modeling technologies and strategy development methodologies define the analytic value chain of a business operation: data.fwdarw.models.fwdarw.strategies.fwdarw.profit. Inputs to the simulator include consumer data and potential actions to be taken regarding a consumer or account. The invention maps what is known about a consumer or an account and the potential actions that the business can take on that consumer or account to potential future financial performance. After iteratively performing simulations using varying inputs, modeling the effect of the innovation on a profit model, the simulator outputs a prediction of the commercial value of an analytic innovation.