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<ManualTopic ID="/baanerp/cp/onlinemanual/000080" xml:lang="en">
   <Header>
      <Title>Channels in Enterprise Planning</Title>
      <Keyword type="header" order="d1e188773">
         <Level1>Channels</Level1>
         <Level2>Enterprise Planning</Level2>
      </Keyword>
   </Header>
   <AimSection ID="channels_aim">
      <Paragraph>For each plan item it
		can be determined if the module is channeled. <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.
		Forecasts can be maintained and compared with actual sales in the channel
		master plan.</Paragraph>
      <Paragraph>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.</Paragraph>
   </AimSection>
   <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="manual">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="manual">Channels</GUIRef> field of
		  the <GUIRef href="/baanerp/td/isa/tdisa0510m000" role="session">Items - 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>
   <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>