SCM Secrets: Boosting your location directives with new Scope feature

Let me start this blog post with providing a background for this feature. 

On the location directive page, there is a Multi SKU parameter available. This parameter defines when location directive can be applied in order to set the location on the created work. 

• If this parameter is selected, location directive is used in the scenarios where multiple stock keeping units are defined in the source document (call them as Multi SKU). 
• If this parameter is unselected, location directive is used in the scenarios, where single stock keeping units are defined in the source document (call them Single SKU). 

"Multi SKU" parameter commonly used for Put work types. 

When you setup PUT location directives and your company has different scenarios (orders with single SKU, orders with Multi SKU) you have to create both location directives:

1. One, where Multi SKU = NO. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:
• Single order with single item
• Singe order with multiple the same items
• Multiple orders with single item
• Multiple orders with multiple the same items
2. Another one, where Multi SKU = YES. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:
• Single order with multiple different items
• Multiple order with multiple different items

This logic causes the following issues:

• This is the most common source of the errors. When companies have simple orders and more advanced orders and forget to define both location directives (one with Multi SKU=no, and one is where Multi SKU = YES). In these cases, locations will be blank due to missing location directive setup. 
• You have to duplicate the location directives depending on the type of the orders. It means that the volume of location directives is increased dramatically just because of Multi SKU parameter. 

Let’s review some of the scenarios where location directives with Multi SKU and non Multi SKU are used in the Sales orders scenarios for Put transactions: 

In 10.0.31 release, Location directive scope feature has been introduced:

Feature name: Location directive scopes

Feature description: 

This feature introduces a richer experience when configurating location directives by introducing 4 new scopes to replace "Multiple SKU". This gives more freedom when designing location directives and makes it possible to reduce redundant configurations.

Once the feature is enabled, a new "Scope" field is available on the Location directive. The old field "Multi SKU" will become unavailable.  

With new feature: 

• Multi SKU location directive becomes Multiple items Scope
• Non multi SKU location directive becomes Single item Scope
• 2 new options become available: Single item and order, All

Single item and order. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:

Single order with single item

Singe order with multiple the same items

Single order with multiple different items

Multiple orders with single item

Multiple orders with multiple the same items

All. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:

Single order with single item

Singe order with multiple the same items

Single order with multiple different items

Multiple orders with single item

Multiple orders with multiple the same items

Multiple order with multiple different items

Let's review previous scenarios and see what the logic for new options is:

If we summarize it:

Another logic worth mentioning, Edit query button. For the location directives, where Multi SKU is set to Yes, Edit query button becomes unavailable. The reason behind it that you cannot apply the filter on your work lines, because put work lines does not contain item number (item number field is blank).

The following table describes when the scopes are available, and whether they allow Edit query.

So, if you have single order with multiple items and you need to direct your goods to the dedicated location, for example stage putaway to a certain dock area based on the customer or region, you can use Edit query button for the Single item and order scope.  Previously it was impossible. 

Recommendations for this feature: 

1. Activate this feature
2. Review your configuration of the location directives
3. Change the Scope to Single item or order for location directives with Scope = Single items and remove unnecessary Multiple Items location directives (in scenarios where you do not mix sales orders)
4. Change the Scope to All for location directives with Scope = Multiple items and remove unnecessary Single Items location directives (in scenarios where you do not use queries)

There are several limitations for Scope field that you should be aware of:

• Scope field is a display method, so you cannot sort by them, they cannot be added as personalization to a grid, etc.
• Scope display method uses two fields to render correctly: Scope and Multi SKU parameter. To avoid any data upgrade issues, these are upgraded just in time (JIT), and saved in upgraded format on first save.  This means that Scope will be "Unknown" when exporting data, that never was saved with the scope feature on. The entity also has the "Multiple SKU" option, that is the one winning when Scope=Unknown.

That's it!

How to improve performance for purchase order receipt and confirmation posting in batch in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

If you experience any performance issues with these 2 processes: purchase order receipt and confirmation posting in batch, with 10.0.25 you can improve this. What you can do, you can enable multithreading/paralleling these processes. For instance, you are posting a huge number of product receipts within 1 batch, now you can split those product receipts into parallel threads, that will speed up the overall posting process. 

There are 2 parameters available to control this:

Documents per task: Controls how many orders will post per task. This will be useful if a batch job picks up a big number of orders for posting.

Lines per task: limits the number of lines per order that will post in a single task. This is great for orders volume with uneven number of order lines, so that those orders with bigger/biggest number of postings will be in new posting threads.

• This parameter will not! split order lines of individual order into separate batch tasks, it will only ensure that those whole orders whose lines exceed the lines per task setting (2) go into their own new batch task/thread for posting
• This parameter takes precedence over the Documents per task parameter (1), so if the parameter 2 is greater than 0, the parameter 1 is ignored. 
• This parameter is only available once the feature Limit the number of purchase order lines per batch task is enabled.

 

Couple of examples for easier understanding:

Example 1:

Parameter 1: 5

Parameter 2: 0 

These are defaults

Product receipt batch job picks up 6 orders

Result: 2 posting batch tasks will be created.

Example 2:

Parameter 1: 5

Parameter 2: 10

Product receipt batch job picks up 4 following orders:

Order 1 with 10 lines

Order 2 with 20 lines

Order 3 with 3 lines

Order 4 with 11 lines

Result: 3 posting batch tasks will be created:   

1st task picks up order 1, 

2nd task picks up order 2 and order 3

3rd task picks up order 4

That's it!

Microsoft Dynamics 365 SCM: Data entities templates to speed up your implementation

There are multiple data entities templates available out of the box that are aimed to speed up the configuration and data import. 

I will show you how you can set it up and use it.

Walkthrough:

• Go to Data management workspace
• Select Framework parameters tile
• Select Entities settings tab
• Select Refresh entity list button and wait until batch job is completed
• Select Templates Tile

• Select Load default templates
• Select the template you would like to load

• Once the load is done, the template will be displayed.

You can now use this template to upload data needed in the right order.