| # Channels in Enterprise Planning For each plan item it can be determined if the module is channeled. Enterprise Planning supports the use of channels. 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. Forecasts can be maintained and compared with actual sales in the channel master plan. Based on the allowed demand, the channel available to promise is automatically calculated to support order promising. Forecast and allowed demand can also be automatically calculated using disaggregation from the central item master plan. Without an item master plan If an item has no item master plan, you can maintain forecasts by channel in the Special Demand by Item (cpdsp2100m000) session. The channel division is also taken into account for forecast consumption. For more information, see To compute the projected inventory. With an item master plan If you maintain an item master plan for an item, you can also maintain a channel master plan for each item/channel combination. Channel master plans offer the following types of functionality: Channel-specific demand forecasting and forecast consumption Aggregation of channel master plans to the corresponding item master plan Channel ATP, used to control the maximum sales volume for each channel How to set up a channel 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. Define the channel in the Channels (tcmcs0166m000) session. Enter this channel as the default channel for one or more customers (sold-to business partners) in the Channel field in the Sold-to Business Partners (tccom4510m000) session. You can modify the customer's channel for a particular item in the Channels field of the Items - Sales Business Partner (tdisa0510m000) session. Define specific item/channel combinations in the Plan Item - Channels (cpdsp5100m000) session. Note 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. Multisite planning Channel functionality can also be used for other sites in a multisite situation. Define the site in the Business Partners (tccom4500m000) session, designating it as an affiliated company. Related topics Enterprise Planning, an Overview To maintain a channel master plan Demand forecast by channel Channel ATP Channel ATP periods Demand forecasting in Enterprise Planning |