Basics

GENERAL

Version

This online help describes the features of Planner 365 for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

Structure of the online help

This online help describes the functions in the following sections:

• Basics
• Functions
• Sales and Volume Plan
• Financial Plan

The online help includes descriptions of the individual fields as well as a process description for their use. For further information on the fields, please contact your Microsoft Dynamics partner or info@ckl-software.de.

Planner 365

Planner 365 is a specialised ISV solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central®. It is a specific functional extension of the standard Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central® solution. It supports planning in a variety of ways. On the one hand, the planning process is enhanced through guided structures and approval workflows. On the other hand, operational planning is supported by functions such as groupings and automatic allocations.

This specialised solution integrates seamlessly with the standard budgets of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central® systems.

Structure

Fig. Structure

Planner 365 has the following planning areas:

• Sales (quantities – turnover)
• Purchasing (quantities – cost price)
• Profit and Loss Plan/Financial Plan

The planning areas are planned separately from one another and, if required, consolidated into the overall financial plan at the end.

Planner 365 has different levels for each planning area.

Fig. Planlevels

Level	Description
Plan Template	The plan template is the level at which filters and dimensions for the plan are defined. If working without tasks, setting up templates is optional. In that case, configuration takes place directly within the plans.
Plan	The plan is the level providing an overall overview of a planning area; planning takes place at this level if a company has only one person in charge or if there are no restrictions on visibility for planners.
Planning Task	The planning task covers a sub-area of the plan. The planner can only view and edit the entries assigned to them.

Planning

Fig. Planning Matrix

Planning data is entered via the planning matrix, which can be opened either via the plan or the assigned planning tasks.

Planning is supported by additional functions:

• Retrieve values (Historical values are transferred into the plan)
• Allocate values (Values can be allocated to periods on a linear or weighted basis)
• Groupings (Groupings can be created, which are then reallocated to the master data according to a ratio.)

Planning process

We distinguish between three different processes for planning:

Process	Description
Plans only	Within the company, there are planners in each department who are permitted access to all information and who may switch between views and filters independently during the planning process.
Plans and templates	Within the company, there are planners in each department who have access to all information, but filters and dimensions must be predefined.
Plans, templates and tasks	Within the company, there are several planners per department who are only permitted access to the information allocated to them and are not permitted to make any changes to filters or planning dimensions.

Plans only

Fig. Planning process with plans only

If only plans are to be used, the dimensions, filters and entries are recorded directly in the plan; once approved, the plan can be locked by senior management.

Plans and templates

Fig. Planning process with templates and plans

Process step	Description
Fill in the planning template	The planning template should be set up for each required planning area; this involves defining the dimensions, filters and groupings.
Initialise planning	Once all planning templates have been set up as required, planning for the desired period is initialised. Plans are then created for all existing planning templates.
Carry out planning	Planning is carried out in the respective plans, taking into account the settings from the templates.
Plan is approved	The plan is approved and presented to senior management. If they do not accept the plan, the process continues with the ‘Execute planning’ step.
Plan is frozen	The plan is frozen and will no longer be edited.

Fig. Planning process with planning tasks

Process step	Description
Fill in the planning template	A planning template should be set up for each required planning area; this involves defining the dimensions, filters and groupings.
Initialise planning	Once all planning templates have been set up as required, planning for the desired period is initialised. This involves creating plans and planning tasks for all existing planning templates.
Carry out planning	Planning is carried out in the respective planning tasks, taking into account the settings from the templates.
Planning tasks approved	Once all planning tasks have been approved, the process continues.
Plan is approved	Once all planning tasks have been approved, the plan is presented to senior management. If they do not accept the plan, the process returns to the ‘Execute planning’ step.
Plan is frozen	The plan is frozen and can no longer be edited.

Planning tasks process:

Process step	Description
Planning task is created	The status of the planning task is set to ‘Created’ and it can be planned.
Planning task is planned	The status of the planning task is set to ‘In planning’. The planning manager can view the progress of the task directly in the plan.
Planner has finished	The planner has completed the planning and assigns the status ‘Under review’; to do so, they assign

BASICS

Role Centre

Setting up Planner 365

Fig. Setting up Planner 365

The following fields are available when setting up Planner 365:

Fields	Description
Template No.	Specifies the number series used for plan templates.
Task No.	Specifies the number series used for plan tasks.
Default Business Posting Group	Specifies the business posting group used for
Enforce Plan Tasks	Specifies if Plan Tasks have to be used to plan.

User Roles

Fig. Planner users

The following user roles are available in Planner 365:

• Administrator: The administrator is able to modify and implement all set-ups and plans.
• Plan Manager: The Plan Manager can customise a plan and approve the planning tasks assigned to it.
• Planner: The planner is responsible for the operational plan and can only carry this out via plan tasks.

Grouping

Grouping enables an aggregated view within the plan matrix, as well as planning across up to three levels.

Grouping can be linked to a template so that all filters can be taken into account.

Fig. Create grouping

For each level, one of the following options can now be selected:

Fields	Description
Dimension	All dimensions assigned to the plan or plan template can be selected.
Item (Sales/Purchasing)	All code and enum fields for the item can be used for grouping.
G/L account (Financial Accounting)	All code and enum fields for the G/L accounts can be used for grouping.

The rows are then populated.

Fig. Grouping

Percentage shares can be assigned to the groups created so that, when planning with groupings, allocations can be automatically distributed from higher levels to lower levels.

Time axes

Time axes can be used to predefine periodic allocations.

Fig. Time Axes List

The time axis template page contains the following fields:

Fields	Description
Code	Specifies the code of the time axis template.
Description	Specifies the description for the time axis template.
Time Axis Type	Specifies the distribution type of the time axis. This can be either linear or weighted.
Number of Periods	Specifies the number of periods to be generated.

To create the exact distribution, open the definition via the ‘Timeline Template Row’ action.

Fig. Timeline Rows

This page is divided into the section for initial filling and the current values

The following fields are used to create the timeline:

Fields	Description
Timeline interval	Specifies the timeline interval. The options are Week Month Quarter Year
Number of periods	Specifies the number of periods; these are pre-filled depending on the timeline interval.
Date formula	Specifies the desired date formula; this is pre-filled by the “Timeline interval” field, but can also be overwritten manually.
Timeline type	Specifies the distribution type for the timeline. The options are: Linear Weighted

The “Distribution” action creates the timeline template rows based on the timeline interval and periods.

The timeline template rows contain the following fields:

Fields	Description
Example Date	Specifies an example for the period.
Weight	Specifies the weight used to define the percentage distribution. This field is only visible for weighted timelines.
Proportion	Specifies the percentage share, based on the weighting. This value is used when calculating the distribution. This field is only visible for weighted timelines.

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	mk
Personal support at www.ckl-software.de/