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Siebel Consumer Sector Guide > Sales Volume Planning > Sales Volume Planning FAQsThe following are some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about working with the Sales Volume Planning Module: Q: What are the definitions of the algorithms available in the Sales Volume Planning module? A: There are two algorithms available in the Sales Volume Planning module:
Q: What is the sales volume planning Aggregate action process? A: Sales volume planning is the process of modeling projected sales of a product at one or more accounts within an upcoming period of time. Companies establish sales volume plans to forecast or plan the quantity of products they will sell to these accounts during the sales volume planning period. The sales volume planning Aggregate process models this complex account-category-product-period hierarchy and allows for the allocation and aggregation of data through this hierarchy. The sales volume planning Aggregate action uses the account-category links created by an administrator to construct the account-category-product hierarchy, and associates the imported source data with the appropriate sales volume planning nodes. Sales volume planning nodes create records that represent the combination of accounts and category-products. The sales volume planning Aggregate action is an ongoing sales volume planning task. Each time the action is run after the initial Aggregate action, a search is performed down the established account-category-product-period hierarchy structure and any new or missing nodes are created. The data is then reaggregated up through the account-category-product-period hierarchy. The execution of the sales volume planning Aggregate action is a resource-intensive task, as it is dependent upon the complexities of your account-category-product-period hierarchy, as well as your source data set. The appropriate planning of this process is a key component to using the Siebel Sales Volume Planning module. Q: Does the sales volume planning Aggregate action create a tree for both targets and baselines? A: The sales volume planning Aggregate action must be run independently for each product movement table: baseline, target, consumption, and shipment. For example, a planning administrator who wants to establish targets and a baseline basis must run the Aggregate action twice, once to establish the targets and a second time to establish a baseline basis. You use the same sales volume planning hierarchy when performing the Aggregate action for targets and a baseline basis. Q: What does the Account Allocation Level parameter refer to? A: The Account Allocation Level parameter is used to specify the account level in the sales volume planning account hierarchy that will be used when performing a sales volume planning action. For example, if you want to allocate two levels, you would navigate to the Sales Volume Planning Administration screen and in the Action form, click the Allocation Level drop-down arrow and choose Allocation Level 2. The parent account is always designated as Level 1 and each subaccount level is designated as the next sequential number. These allocation levels are specific to the sales volume planning account hierarchy. Q: How do you view an account's level? A: To view an account's level, you execute the sales volume planning action Reset Levels, which displays the current levels associated with each account represented in your sales volume planning hierarchy. For more information on resetting levels in sales volume planning, see Resetting SVP Hierarchy Levels. Q: How is the percentage basis calculated in each sales volume planning-specific Category list (for example, Category Baseline or Category Target)? A: The percentage basis is calculated as the proportion of the record to the total value of records in the referenced list. Q: After a sales volume planning administrator releases the basis planning quantities (baseline or target) and the subordinate managers finish modifying their basis planning quantities, to what level does the Allocate button release the updated basis planning quantities? A: The Allocate button releases the updated basis planning quantities to the next lower level of the account hierarchy and unlocks the account-category-product node. Managers at the next lower level of the account hierarchy repeat this process until all of the quantities are allocated to the lowest level of the account hierarchy. Q: Can data be imported into the baseline and target account-category-product hierarchy? A: You can use Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager (EIM) to import data into any of the standard product movement tables (baseline, target, consumption, and shipment) provided for the use of the sales volume planning process. Data imported into these tables is copied or staged to the appropriate catalog category tables for the same product movement types. For more information on using EIM, see Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager Administration Guide. Q: Can Sales Volume Planning data be aggregated or allocated across period types? The sales volume planning Aggregate action does not aggregate across period types, so data changes made to data stored in weeks will not aggregate up into the monthly periods, nor will changes made at the annual level allocate down throughout the periods that make up the year. Data may be aggregated, however, through the use of Siebel Analytics for reporting purposes. It is recommended that data be stored in the standard periods of either weeks or months. Q: What locking mechanism or process is used by the Sales Volume Planning module during the allocation and aggregation process? A: The Sales Volume Planning module uses an allocation lock process during the allocation and aggregation process. An allocation lock is a Boolean variable kept at the highest account level. When set, all subordinate account levels are prevented from performing updates to Sales Volume Planning data. Before an allocation lock is granted, the current account node must be checked to confirm that its upper lock is active, and a search is performed to ascertain that no allocation lock is currently held in the superior account node. Allocation locks are maintained for the account hierarchy. Within a single instance of the category-product hierarchy, all updates are allocated and aggregated immediately. After a user has completed the sales volume planning allocation-related updates, the actual allocation is invoked, at which time the Siebel application modifies the locks as follows:
Q: How are negative and decimal numbers handled by the various SVP actions? A: They are handled differently in the various actions:
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| Siebel Consumer Sector Guide |