Available to Promise in Supply Allocation for NetSuite

TL;DR Opening

Available to Promise in Supply Allocation significantly improves inventory management by dynamically calculating the ship dates for sales orders in NetSuite. This feature enhances planning and responsiveness by utilizing real-time inventory data and allows for refined order allocation methods.

What’s New in Available to Promise for Supply Allocation?

This feature enables users to apply calculated dates for inventory allocation, setting requested dates dynamically. It also allows for automatic recalculation of ship dates when inventory levels change. Some key changes include:

• Disabling the Expected Ship Date field to eliminate manual adjustments.
• Integrating an Earliest Availability icon within sales orders to streamline the order process.
• Providing a clearer view of product availability and enhancing location assignment capabilities.

How to Enable Supply Allocation

To use the Supply Allocation feature in NetSuite, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features.
2. Under the Items & Inventory subtab, check the Multi-Location Inventory box.
3. Enable the Supply Allocation feature by checking the respective box.
4. Click Save to initiate a data check.
5. On the Supply Allocation Migration page, click Submit and refresh the page to confirm the status.
6. If the data check is successful, return to Enable Features and ensure Supply Allocation is checked.
7. Click Save again.

How to Use Earliest Availability

To leverage the earliest availability calculations:

1. Access your sales orders at Transactions > Sales > Enter Sales Orders > List.
2. Select a sales order from the list.
3. Click on the Earliest Availability icon in the Supply Required by Date column.
4. In the pop-up, choose your desired Location.
5. Review the Earliest Available Date for that location. Utilize Automatic Location Assignment (ALA) for further options.
6. Finalize by clicking OK to populate the Supply Required By Date.
7. Close the pop-up to return to your sales order line.

Important Notes

• The Earliest Availability feature provides a calculated date based on real-time inventory which aids in supply management policies.
• Supply Allocation disregards buffer stock when determining expected ship dates, so plan accordingly.

Who This Affects

This enhancement primarily impacts:

• Inventory Managers
• Supply Chain Professionals
• NetSuite Administrators

Key Takeaways

• The Available to Promise feature enhances inventory management with real-time availability calculations.
• Automatic recalculations of ship dates are based on supply changes, increasing efficiency.
• Disabling manual adjustments to the ship date improves accuracy and planning.

Source: This article is based on Oracle's official NetSuite documentation.