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<ManualTopic ID="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000080" xml:lang="en">
	<Header>
		<Title xmlns:ssa="http://www.ssaglobal.com" xmlns:HTML="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">Channels in Enterprise Planning</Title>
		<Keyword><Level1>Channels</Level1>
			<Level2>Enterprise Planning</Level2>
		</Keyword>
	</Header>
	<GeneralSection><Paragraph><GUIRef href="/baanerp/cp" role="package">Enterprise Planning</GUIRef> supports the use of <Link href="/baanerp/tc/glossary/glossary#000016" role="glossary">channels</Link>. A channel is a sales or distribution channel that you use to distribute particular items to particular customers (sold-to business partners). For example, a channel can represent a particular geographical area, or a particular group of customers.</Paragraph>
		<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>Without an item master plan</SectionTitle>
			<Paragraph>If an item has no item master plan, you can maintain forecasts by channel in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/cp/dsp/cpdsp2100m000" role="session">Special Demand by Item (cpdsp2100m000)</GUIRef> session. The channel division is also taken into account for forecast consumption. For more information, see <Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000139" role="manual">To compute the projected inventory</Link>.</Paragraph>
		</GeneralSection>
		<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>With an item master plan</SectionTitle>
			<List><ListIntro>If you maintain an item master plan for an item, you can also maintain a <Link href="/baanerp/cp/glossary/glossary#000020" role="glossary">channel master plan</Link> for each item/channel combination. Channel master plans offer the following types of functionality:</ListIntro>
				<ListItem>Channel-specific demand forecasting and forecast consumption</ListItem>
				<ListItem>Aggregation of channel master plans to the corresponding item master plan</ListItem>
				<ListItem><Link href="/baanerp/cp/glossary/glossary#000037" role="glossary">Channel ATP</Link>, used to control the maximum sales volume for each channel</ListItem>
			</List>
		</GeneralSection>
		<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>How to set up a channel</SectionTitle>
			<Paragraph>To set up a channel for use in Enterprise Planning, you must define the channel, and specify which customers and which items belong to this channel.</Paragraph>
			<List><ListItem>Define the <Link href="/baanerp/tc/glossary/glossary#000016" role="glossary">channel</Link> in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/mcs/tcmcs0166m000" role="session">Channels (tcmcs0166m000)</GUIRef> session.</ListItem>
				<ListItem>Enter this channel as the default channel for one or more customers (sold-to business partners) in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/com/tccom4110s000#tccom110.chan" role="formfield">Channel</GUIRef> field in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/com/tccom4510m000" role="session">Sold-to Business Partners (tccom4510m000)</GUIRef> session.</ListItem>
				<ListItem>You can modify the customer's channel for a particular item in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/td/isa/tdisa0110s000#tdisa010.chan" role="formfield">Channels</GUIRef> field of the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/td/isa/tdisa0510m000" role="session">Item - Sales Business Partner (tdisa0510m000)</GUIRef> session.</ListItem>
				<ListItem>Define specific item/channel combinations in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/cp/dsp/cpdsp5100m000" role="session">Plan Item - Channels (cpdsp5100m000)</GUIRef> session.</ListItem>
			</List>
		</GeneralSection>
		<Note><SectionTitle>Note</SectionTitle>
			<Paragraph>If you primarily use channels for channel ATP, you need not necessarily group all your customers into channels. Only those customers for which you want to limit the maximum sales volume need be in a channel.</Paragraph>
		</Note>
		<GeneralSection><SectionTitle>Multisite planning</SectionTitle>
			<Paragraph>Channel functionality can also be used for other <Link href="/baanerp/tc/glossary/glossary#000046" role="glossary">sites</Link> in a multisite situation. Define the site in the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/tc/com/tccom4500m000" role="session">Business Partners (tccom4500m000)</GUIRef> session, designating it as an <Link href="/baanerp/tc/glossary/glossary#AffiliCompan.tc" role="glossary">affiliated company</Link>.</Paragraph>
		</GeneralSection>
	</GeneralSection>
	<RelatedTopics><SectionTitle>Related topics</SectionTitle>
		<RelTopic><Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000300" role="manual">Enterprise Planning, an Overview</Link>
		</RelTopic>
		<RelTopic><Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000082" role="manual">To maintain a channel master plan</Link>
		</RelTopic>
		<RelTopic><Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000083" role="manual">Demand forecast by channel</Link>
		</RelTopic>
		<RelTopic><Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000125" role="manual">Channel ATP</Link>
		</RelTopic>
		<RelTopic><Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000085" role="manual">Channel ATP periods</Link>
		</RelTopic>
		<RelTopic><Link href="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000077" role="manual">Demand forecasting in Enterprise Planning</Link>
		</RelTopic>
	</RelatedTopics>
</ManualTopic>
