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 Interactive Demand Planning Desktop

Definition

The interactive demand planning desktop is the tool with which you display and edit planning data directly.

Structure

It covers two main components: the selector and the workspace.

The Selector

The selector is your primary tool for locating, sorting and organizing information. You find the selector on the left of the screen. To show/hide the selector, click in the application toolbar. The selection area comprises the following areas:

  • Info Objects

    The info objects area shows you all characteristic values for which data can be planned and viewed. Examples of info objects in Demand Planning might be specific products, brands, sales organizations, customers. You populate the info objects area by opening the shuffler (see below) and making a selection, or by choosing an existing selection from the selection profile.

    The info objects area has a toolbar with icons representing different functions.

    Symbol

    Function

    Toggles between the info objects area with the selection profile, the data views area, the macros area, and an overview.

    You can resize the areas by dragging their borders.

    Open the shuffler. You make and save new selections in the shuffler (see below).

    Shows related objects, for example, all products in a brand.

    As opposed to the drill-down function (see below), this function only takes the current characteristic into account when determining which other characteristics and characteristic values can be selected. In general, this function is used more in SNP.

    Drilldown

    The system takes the complete current selection into account and determines the characteristics for which no entries have been made. When you select a characteristic, the possible values appear in the info objects area. In general, this function is used more in DP.

    Selects all the characteristic values in the info objects area.

    Deselects all the characteristic values in the info objects area.

    Returns to the previous selection.

    Calls the last selection again.

    Determines the format in which you want the characteristic values in the info objects area to be displayed.

    Displays the definition of the current selection.

    You load data into the workspace by either

    Double-clicking a single row here in the info objects area

    Selecting one or more rows and choosing in the table toolbar.

The Shuffler

The shuffler is the window in which you select the info objects you want to plan. For example, you might want to show all products in version 000 that belong to brand DELUXE.

You can use the standard multiple object selection function to select several values of a characteristic. The lowest line is the most detailed level. This means that only those characteristic values can be selected for which the previous selection criteria are valid.

In the shuffler, you can save selections that you intend to use frequently and load existing selections. To open the shuffler, click in the info objects toolbar.

Selection Profile

The selection profile shows selection IDs used by the current planner. The demand planner uses the selection profile to quickly access frequently-used selections. To add selection IDs to the selection profile, click the Selection Profile title bar. See also Selection Management .

Data Views

The data views area is where the planner selects planning books and data views.

You can set a filter on the available planning books and views. In Demand Planning, what you see in the data views area depends on how the Customizing activity Maintain User Assignment for Planning Books has been set up. This activity allows you to set a default planning book and view for a particular planner, and to define whether the planner can access all available planning books and data views or only his or her own. If the planner can see all available planning books, she has access to planning books used for both Demand Planning and Supply Network Planning.

The data views area has a toolbar with icons representing different functions.

Symbol

Function

Toggles between the info objects area with the selection profile, the data views area, the macros area, and an overview.

You can resize the areas by dragging their borders.

Sets a filter on the data views that are shown in this area

Displays only the data views you created yourself.

Displays all planning books and data views.

Defines a variable planning version.

Closes the data views area.
Components

The components area shows macros that are active both for all data views in this planning book and for this data view. For each of these categories, you see:

  • Directly executable macros

    To execute one of these macros, double-click it. Direct execution is not possible for the standard macros (that is, for start, default, level change, or exit macros).

  • Start macros

  • Default macros

  • Level change macros

  • Exit macros

    For more information, see Advanced Macros .

The Work Space

The workspace is the main data display and planning area. The workspace is on the right of the screen. It consists of a table and a graphic . By default, only the table is shown.

The workspace has a toolbar with icons representing different functions:

Symbol

Function

Loads data into the table/graphic for the current selection.

Switches to design mode .

Toggles between the table and the graphic.

Applies a standard mathematical operator or a self-defined distribution function to a value to distribute the value across a row.

See Distribution Functions .

Saves the planning data currently being displayed in the table in a file with the file format CSV.

If you want to upload the planning data later on, make the relevant settings. For more information, see Uploading and Downloading Planning Data .

Loads the planning data in a CSV file into the table.

For more information, see Uploading and Downloading Planning Data .

Sends the data currently visible in the table to another user.

Shows/hides/refreshes alerts

Open the Alert Monitor .

Maintains/displays a note relating to a point in the graphic.

See Notes Management .

Toggles between display as absolute value and as percentage.

In the percentage view, the following two icons are visible:

Copies the selected values from individual cells to the clipboard.

Pastes the values you copied previously to other cells.

These two functions are intended primarily for use with proportional factors. For more information, see Manual Modification of the Proportional Factors .

Show one key figure, some key figures, or all key figures.

Executes macros.

If you have assigned an icon to a macro, it appears in the application toolbar. Click the icon to execute the macro.

Toolbar options

Settings for the period structure

Here you can change the period settings for the current planning book. You can choose another date for the start of the planning period, or use another time bucket profile.

Settings for header information

Hides or shows fixed characteristics.