Understanding Model Controls for Supply Planning

When you set up attributes for PeopleSoft Supply Planning, you define attributes that control the planning models that are used by PeopleSoft Supply Planning as well as by other applications within PeopleSoft Supply Chain Management. These topics describe the key setup pages and components and describes how they affect PeopleSoft Supply Planning.

Time Fences

To reduce the size of a planning problem to a manageable set of data and functionality, use regions of time to define the scope of the plan. These regions of time are bounded by fences, which define the start and finish of these regions and influence solvers.

PeopleSoft Supply Planning automated processes, such as the Load Planning Instance process (PL_LOAD_OPT) and solver runs, use fences in the planning system to place boundaries on the magnitude of the planning problem, restrict the behavior of the solvers during certain time periods, and automate certain conditions at certain times. Manual processes, such as reschedules, are not constrained by fences (manual processes are, however, constrained by the start of time and the end of time fences).

Fences are attributes of a planning model, which you often define when running the Load Planning Instance process (usually by defining an offset time from a base time associated with a plan). The base time is equivalent to the current date time. Unless otherwise specified, offsets are defined in units of days.

This diagram illustrates the most common fences that are used in PeopleSoft Supply Planning, including time fences for use with frozen and open planning times:

The Planning Region

The region of time that is bounded by the Start of Time fence and the End of Time fence is the planning region. When you load an order into PeopleSoft Supply Planning from the transaction database, it may fall into this region if these options are true for:

Term	Definition
Sales Order Schedule Line	When running the Load Planning Instance process, you have an option to use either the request date or the schedule date as the target demand date in PeopleSoft Supply Planning. This option for sales orders determines which date the Load Planning Instance process uses for sales order inclusion in a plan. The specified date (dependent on the global option setting) must be in the planning region. The Load Planning Instance process selects all associated line and header information within the planning region.
Transaction System Forecasts	PeopleSoft Supply Planning considers forecast that is entered into the transaction system as a forecast quantity at a point in time. Generally, the forecast date time occurs in the planning region. However, the demand fence must be at or after the current time if the solver is to consider the forecast for inclusion in a plan. The Load Planning Instance process loads only those forecasts that can be used by the planning solvers. Demand fences are defined for each item within a business unit.
Published Forecasts	Forecasts values are produced by Demantra Demand Management. This forecast data is provided to PeopleSoft Publish Forecast tables that are available in the Advanced Planning component. You specify the name and date of a published forecast for use in Supply Planning. You can also import published forecasts from a third-party demand planning application. Published forecasts are bucketed (period) forecasts. Generally, the bucketed forecast date time occurs in the planning region. However, the demand fence must be at or after the current time if the solver is to consider the forecast for inclusion in a plan. The Load Planning Instance process loads only those forecasts that can be used by the planning solvers. See Understanding Demantra Integration
Interunit Transfer	If you include the source business unit in the planning instance, then the scheduled ship date exists in the planning region. If you include the destination business unit in the planning instance, then the scheduled arrival date exists in the planning region. These rules also apply to any planned interunit transfers.
Material Stock Request	The schedule ship date exists in the planning region. This rule also applies to any planned transfers.
Purchase Order Line	The scheduled arrival date exists in the planning region.
Production Order	The scheduled start and end dates must exist in the planning region. PeopleSoft Supply Planning assumes that any component demands that are associated with the production order occur between the production order start and finish dates.