Graphical Inventory

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile directly from an item card
So that I can immediately see whether the item is at risk of a stockout over the coming period

Setup:

1. Open the Item Card for the item you want to analyse.
2. In the action bar, go to Item Availability by and choose Graphical Inventory Profile, or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
3. On the request page, select a template in the Use Template field or verify that the pre-filled dates and settings are correct.
4. Click OK to generate the chart.
5. The chart displays the projected inventory line. A dip below zero indicates a future stockout.

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile directly from a sales order line
So that I can check whether there is enough stock to fulfil the order before confirming a delivery date

Setup:

1. Open a Sales Order and navigate to the order lines.
2. Select the line for the item you want to check.
3. In the Line menu, choose Graphical Inventory Profile, or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
4. The profile opens pre-filtered to the item, location, and variant from the sales order line.
5. Review the chart to confirm availability around the required shipment date.

Note: The profile only opens if the line type is set to Item.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile from a purchase order line
So that I can verify the impact of the incoming supply on the item's inventory level before confirming or modifying the order

Setup:

1. Open a Purchase Order and go to the order lines.
2. Select the item line you want to analyse.
3. In the Line menu, choose Graphical Inventory Profile, or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
4. The profile opens pre-filtered to the item, location, and variant from the purchase order line.
5. The purchase order line's supply will be visible in the chart; verify that it resolves the stockout risk.

Note: The profile only opens if the line type is set to Item. When running from a purchase line, the system can optionally bypass the request page if Run Purchase Line without Request is enabled in the Planning User Setup.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile from a transfer order line
So that I can see how the outbound transfer affects inventory at the source location

Setup:

1. Open a Transfer Order and go to the transfer lines.
2. Select the item line you want to check.
3. In the Line menu, choose Graphical Inventory Profile, or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
4. The profile opens pre-filtered to the item and the transfer-from location.
5. Review whether the outbound transfer leaves the source location in a positive inventory position.

As a Production Planner
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile from a firm planned or released production order line
So that I can see whether producing this item will be enough to cover upcoming demand

Setup:

1. Open Firm Planned Prod. Order Lines or Released Prod. Order Lines.
2. Select the line for the item you want to analyse.
3. In the Line menu, choose Graphical Inventory Profile, or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
4. The profile opens filtered to the item, location, and variant from the production order line.

As a Production Planner
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile directly from the Planning Worksheet
So that I can validate a planning suggestion visually before accepting it

Setup:

1. Open the Planning Worksheet.
2. Select the planning line for the item you want to review.
3. In the Line menu, choose Graphical Inventory Profile, or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
4. The profile opens filtered to the item, location, and variant from the planning line.
5. Review the chart to confirm that accepting the suggested order resolves the identified supply problem.

As a Business Manager
I want to create a Graphical Inventory Profile Template with the correct demands, supplies, and date settings for our standard planning scenario
So that all planners use consistent parameters when running the profile

Setup:

1. Search for Graphical Inventory Profile Templates and open the list.
2. Choose New to create a new template record.
3. Enter a Code and a Description.
4. On the Calculation Interval fast tab, set Default Start Date Formula and Default End Date Formula (e.g. <-CM> and <+6M>), and set Calculation Period to End Date.
5. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, enable the demand and supply types relevant to your business (e.g. Include Sales Orders: All, Include Purchase Orders: All, Include Inbound Transfer Supplies: Yes).
6. Set Include Outbound Transfer Demands as appropriate.
7. Optionally, in the Forecast group, set a Demand Forecast name.
8. Set Sorting if you want this template to appear in a specific position in the list.
9. Close the card. The template is now available on the report request page.

As a Business Manager
I want to copy an existing template and adjust a few settings
So that I can quickly create a scenario-specific template without re-entering all configuration from scratch

Setup:

1. Open Graphical Inventory Profile Templates and select the template you want to copy.
2. Choose Copy Template from the action bar (available both on the list and on the template card).
3. In the dialog, enter the New Template Code and a New Template Description.
4. Click OK. The new template is created with all settings copied from the original.
5. A notification appears with a link to open the new template. Click the link and adjust the settings that need to differ from the original.

As a Business Manager
I want to use date formulas in the template instead of fixed dates
So that the calculation interval automatically adjusts relative to the work date each time the profile is run

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. In the Default Start Date Formula field, enter a BC date formula such as <-CM> (start of current month) or <CW> (start of current week).
3. In the Default End Date Formula field, enter a date formula such as <+3M> (three months from today) or <CY> (end of current year). Note: the end date formula is only active when Calculation Period is set to End Date.
4. When the profile is run, the start and end dates are automatically calculated from the work date plus the formula.

Note: When a date formula is set, the corresponding fixed date field becomes read-only on the template card.

As a Production Planner
I want to include a production forecast in the Graphical Inventory Profile calculation
So that the projected inventory chart reflects expected future demand even where no sales orders exist yet

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. In the Forecast group on the Demands and Supplies fast tab, select a forecast name in the Demand Forecast field. This field is linked to the Production Forecast Name list.
3. Set the Demand Forecast Start Date and Demand Forecast End Date to define the period from which forecast demand should be included.
4. Save and run the profile using this template. The projected inventory line will now reflect both order-based demand and forecast demand.

Note: Setting the Demand Forecast field automatically clears the Ignore Forecast flag internally. Clearing the field removes forecast data from the calculation.

As a Production Planner
I want to include only planning lines from a specific planning worksheet in the calculation
So that the profile reflects a particular MRP run rather than all unprocessed planning lines

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. Set Include Planning Lines to All or From Start Date (not No).
3. In the Planning Lines group on the Demands and Supplies fast tab, set Worksheet Template Name to the relevant worksheet template.
4. Set Journal Batch Name to the relevant batch within that template.
5. Run the profile. Only planning lines from the specified worksheet batch will be included.

As a Production Planner
I want to exclude existing on-hand inventory from the calculation
So that I can see a pure supply-and-demand picture without the current stock level distorting the projection

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Supplies to Exclude, enable Exclude Inventory.
3. Run the profile using this template. The starting inventory level will be treated as zero.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure the profile to exclude inventory that has expired
So that the projected inventory chart only shows stock that is actually available for use or sale

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Supplies to include, enable Show Items that Expires.
3. Optionally, set Use Remaining Shelf Life to a percentage (e.g. 20) to further exclude inventory where less than that percentage of the shelf life remains.
4. Run the profile. Expired or near-expiry inventory (based on item tracking lot expiration dates) will be excluded from the available inventory calculation.

Note: This setting only applies to items with item tracking that includes expiration dates.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure whether the Expected Receipt Date or the Promised Receipt Date is used for purchase order supply
So that the projected inventory chart reflects the most realistic or contractually committed delivery dates

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Supplies to include, find the Use Purchase Dates field.
3. Select one of the three options:
   • Expected Receipt Date — uses the standard expected receipt date on each purchase line.
   • Promised Receipt Date — uses the vendor-committed date; lines with no promised date are excluded.
   • Promised Receipt Date - if blank move to End Date — uses the promised date where available; where blank, the supply is placed at the calculation end date.
4. Run the profile. Supply from purchase orders will be positioned in the chart according to the selected date rule.

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to use the Assigned Quantity field on sales order lines instead of the full ordered quantity in the calculation
So that the profile reflects only the quantity that has actually been committed to the customer, giving a more realistic demand picture

Setup:

1. Ensure the Assign Quantity app from Abakion is installed and enabled.
2. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
3. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Demands to include, enable Use Assigned Sales Quantity.
4. Run the profile. For each sales order line, only the assigned quantity is used as demand instead of the full line quantity.

Note: This field is only enabled when the Assign Quantity app is detected as active. The same setting is available for Transfer Order lines (Use Assigned Transfer Quantity), Production Order Component lines (Use Assigned Prod. Component Quantity), and Assembly Order component lines (Use Assigned Assembly Quantity).

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to use the suggested new receipt dates from the Purchase Order Management Journal in the calculation
So that the projected inventory chart reflects the updated delivery expectations rather than the original order dates

Setup:

1. Ensure the Purchase Order Management app from Abakion is installed and enabled.
2. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
3. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Supplies to include, enable Use Purchase Order Handling.
4. Run the profile. Where the Purchase Order Management Journal contains a suggested new date for a purchase line, that date is used in the supply calculation instead of the original expected receipt date.

Note: This field is only enabled when the Purchase Order Management app is detected as active.

As a Production Planner
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile from within the Reverse Planning journal
So that I can visually verify an item's inventory situation using the same parameters I set up in Reverse Planning, without having to re-enter the settings

Setup:

1. Open the Reverse Planning journal (any planning feature — Simple MRP, Move Demand Dates, Direct Replenishment, or Identify Overstock Inventory).
2. Select the line for the item you want to investigate.
3. Choose Graphical Inventory Profile from the line action menu (or press Shift+Ctrl+G).
4. If the Graphical Inventory Profile's calculation settings differ from the ones currently active in Reverse Planning, the system asks whether you want to apply the Reverse Planning parameters to the profile for this run.
5. Accept or decline the offer. The profile opens with the chosen settings and pre-filtered to the item, location, and variant from the planning line.

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile from the Sales Order Handling Journal
So that I can check the availability situation for an item that has a confirmed or suggested handling action

Setup:

1. Open the Sales Order Handling journal.
2. Select the line for the item you want to review.
3. Choose Graphical Inventory Profile from the line action or press Shift+Ctrl+G.
4. The profile opens using the current Graphical Inventory Profile calculation settings, filtered to the item, location, and variant from the handling journal line.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to run the Graphical Inventory Profile so that demand is read from a different company while supply orders are managed in the current company
So that a central purchasing company can plan replenishment across multiple sales or subsidiary companies

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Companies fast tab, set Plan from other Company to the name of the source company from which demand should be retrieved.
3. If the source company resides in a different Business Central tenant, set External Tenant Code to the relevant tenant configuration.
4. Run the profile. Demand data (sales orders, forecasts, etc.) is retrieved from the specified company; supply orders are created in the current company.

Note: The Plan from other Company field cannot be set to the current company — the validation will reject that value.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to click on a data point in the inventory chart and open the underlying source document
So that I can review or act on a specific demand or supply entry without having to navigate to it separately

Setup:

1. Run the Graphical Inventory Profile for an item.
2. In the displayed chart, click on a data point — for example a bar representing a sales order demand.
3. If the point maps to a single source record, the relevant document page opens directly (e.g. Sales Lines, Purchase Lines, Item Ledger Entries, Transfer Lines, etc.).
4. If the point maps to multiple source records of the same type, a filtered list page opens showing only those records.
5. If the point maps to records of different types, a Navigate dialog opens listing the tables and entry counts. Select a table and choose Show Related Entries to open the corresponding records.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to configure the template so that the location I select on the request page always takes precedence over any location stored in the template
So that I can run the same template for different locations without having to maintain a separate template per location

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Plan in bundles of Items fast tab, ensure User Location has Priority is enabled (this is the default).
3. When running the profile, set the Location Filter on the request page to the desired location.
4. The profile calculation will use the location you specified on the request page, overriding any location that may be stored in the template's user setup.

As a Purchasing Agent
I want to open the Graphical Inventory Profile directly from a Stockkeeping Unit Card
So that the profile automatically filters to the specific item, location, and variant combination defined on the SKU

Setup:

1. Open the Stockkeeping Unit Card for the item/location/variant combination you want to analyse.
2. In the Warehouse actions group, choose Graphical Inventory Profile (or press Shift+Ctrl+G).
3. The profile opens pre-filtered to the item number, location code, and variant code from the SKU card.

As a Production Planner
I want to control which production order statuses are included as supply in the calculation
So that I can focus only on orders that are actually being executed, or include planned orders for a full forward projection

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Supplies to include, find Include Production Orders.
3. Select one of the four options:
   • Firm Planned and Released — includes both firm planned and released production orders.
   • Only Released — includes only released production orders.
   • Planned to Released — includes planned, firm planned, and released production orders.
   • None — excludes production orders entirely.
4. Apply the same logic to Include Production Component Demands to control demand from production BOM components.
5. Run the profile. Only the selected statuses contribute to the supply or demand totals.

Note: Production component demand is only available with a Premium BC license.

As a Sales Manager
I want to include blanket order commitments and service order requirements in the inventory projection
So that the profile captures the full picture of committed demand, not just open sales orders

Setup:

1. Open the Graphical Inventory Profile Template card.
2. On the Demands and Supplies fast tab, under Demands to include, enable Include Sales Blanket Orders.
3. Also enable Include Service Orders if service demand should be included.
4. Optionally enable Include Sales Quotes to include unconfirmed potential demand from quotes.
5. Run the profile. The demand line in the chart will now reflect blanket order and/or service order quantities in addition to standard sales orders.

As a IT Manager
I want to activate the Graphical Inventory Profile app using the Assisted Setup wizard
So that the app is properly registered and users can start using it without seeing activation reminders

Setup:

1. Search for Assisted Setup in Business Central and open the page.
2. Find Setup Graphical Inventory Profile in the Extensions group and click on it.
3. On the welcome step, optionally enable I am a partner activating this on behalf of a client if applicable.
4. Enter the Email Address — this is mandatory to proceed.
5. Click Activate Trial to register and activate the app.
6. On the confirmation step, links to the How-To section and UseDynamics video library are shown.
7. Click Finish to complete the setup. The app is now active and the Graphical Inventory Profile action will appear on supported pages.

Note: If the app has been installed but not yet activated, a notification bar appears on the Role Center each time a user opens Business Central, offering a shortcut to the Assisted Setup wizard.