--- title: "Simple MRP" slug: "simple-mrp" description: "Optimize your supply planning with Simple MRP, a demand-driven tool that calculates replenishment needs and generates actionable supply orders efficiently." status: "update" updated: 2026-09-03T09:13:51Z published: 2026-09-03T09:38:03Z canonical: "docs.abakion.com/simple-mrp" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.abakion.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Simple MRP ## Feature Overview Simple MRP answers the everyday planning question: which items need replenishment, and how much? It calculates supply needs for a scoped set of items by comparing projected demand (sales orders, production components, forecasts, and more) against projected supply (existing purchase orders, production orders, transfers) and current inventory, then proposes new supply lines to close the gap. Unlike BC's native regenerative or net-change planning worksheet, Simple MRP is deliberately targeted and transparent: a planner selects (or accepts a default) Planning Template that defines exactly what the calculation includes — which demand and supply types, the date range, and various inclusion/exclusion switches — runs the calculation, and reviews every proposed line in a dedicated journal before anything is committed. Nothing is created in Business Central until the planner explicitly carries the accepted lines forward. Once a calculation has produced lines, the planner can review the underlying demand/supply detail for each item directly in the journal's FactBoxes, optionally auto-fill order quantities and dates using the Suggest Quantity to Order engine, mark which lines to act on, and carry the accepted lines to the Reverse Planning – Planning Worksheet, from which standard Business Central purchase, production, transfer, or assembly orders are created. | | | | --- | --- | | **Pages used** | Reverse Planning - Simple MRP, Reverse Planning - Planning Templates, Reverse Planning - Planning Worksheet | | **Entity types supported** | Items and Stockkeeping Units, at item or item+location(+variant) level | | **Key configuration fields** | Planning Feature (on the template), Calculation Period, Include Purchase/Production/Transfer/Assembly/Service/Sales Orders, Run for all Low Level Codes | | **Integrates with** | Planning Worksheet (destination for accepted lines), Suggest Quantity to Order engine, Rolled Up Lead Time (via Calculation Period), Graphical Inventory Profile, Flexible Forecast (Convert to Forecast), Sales Configurator | ## Getting Started 1. Open **Reverse Planning – Worksheet Setup** and confirm your personal Journal Batch Name is configured. 2. Open **Reverse Planning – Planning Templates**, filtered to Planning Feature = Simple MRP, and either use **Refresh Standard Templates** to load Abakion's defaults or create your own template (item scope, demand/supply types to include, calculation period). 3. Open **Reverse Planning - Simple MRP**. 4. Click **Calculate Simple MRP** and select the template and item/location scope for this run. 5. Review the resulting lines — Item No., Quantity to Order, Order/Supply dates, Action Message, and the FactBoxes showing the item's demand, supply, and inventory detail. 6. Optionally click **Suggest Quantity to Order** to auto-fill order quantities and dates for lines that don't already have them. 7. Set **Accept Action Message** on the lines you want to act on (or use **Set Action Message** to batch-toggle). 8. Click **Carry Out Action Message** to send accepted lines to the Planning Worksheet. 9. Open the Planning Worksheet and run its own **Carry Out Action Message** to create the actual purchase, production, transfer, or assembly orders. ## Related Features Simple MRP shares its Planning Template infrastructure and journal batch mechanism with **Move Demand Dates** and **Direct Replenishment**, but runs completely independently of them. Accepted lines flow downstream to the **Planning Worksheet**, the same destination used by the other two journals. **Rolled Up Lead Time** can feed into a Simple MRP template's Calculation Period so cumulative BOM lead times are respected. Lines can also be sent to **Flexible Forecast** via Convert to Forecast, and the **Graphical Inventory Profile** app (if installed) can be opened directly from a line to visualize its inventory curve. ## User Stories ****Running a basic replenishment calculation**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** calculate which items need replenishment right now **So that** I know what to order without manually checking every item **Setup:** 1. Open **Reverse Planning - Simple MRP**. 2. Click **Calculate Simple MRP**. 3. Select a Planning Template (or accept the default) and confirm the item scope. 4. Review the resulting lines. ****Scoping a calculation to a specific location**** **As a** purchasing planner responsible for one warehouse **I want to** run Simple MRP only for items at my location **So that** I don't see or act on replenishment needs for other locations **Setup:** 1. On **Reverse Planning – Setup**, or via the item filter on the calculation, set the default/filtered location. 2. Run **Calculate Simple MRP**. > **Note:** The default location for Simple MRP calculations is configured on the Item Availability Setup and applied automatically when set. ****Creating a reusable template for a recurring calculation**** **As a** purchasing planner who runs the same type of calculation every week **I want to** save my calculation settings as a template **So that** I don't have to re-enter the same options every time **Setup:** 1. Open **Reverse Planning – Planning Templates**. 2. Create a new template with Planning Feature = Simple MRP. 3. Configure the demand/supply types to include, calculation period, and any other options. 4. Select this template each time you run **Calculate Simple MRP**. ****Loading Abakion's standard template library**** **As a** planning administrator setting up Reverse Planning for the first time **I want to** start from a proven set of templates instead of building from scratch **So that** planners have working templates on day one **Setup:** 1. Open **Reverse Planning – Planning Templates**. 2. Click **Refresh Standard Templates**. ****Restricting a calculation to a specific set of items**** **As a** purchasing planner responsible for a specific vendor's items **I want to** run Simple MRP only for those items **So that** I only review what's relevant to my role **Setup:** 1. Create or select an **Item Filter Template** scoped to the vendor's items. 2. Link the Item Filter Template to your Simple MRP Planning Template. 3. Run **Calculate Simple MRP** with that template. ****Including forecast demand in the calculation**** **As a** purchasing planner working with items that have no firm sales orders yet **I want to** include a demand forecast in the calculation **So that** replenishment accounts for expected, not just confirmed, demand **Setup:** 1. On the Planning Template, do not enable **Ignore Forecast**. 2. Select the relevant **Demand Forecast** and, if needed, a **Demand Forecast Start/End Date**. 3. Run **Calculate Simple MRP**. ****Excluding forecast to plan only against firm demand**** **As a** purchasing planner who wants a conservative calculation **I want to** ignore the demand forecast entirely **So that** proposed quantities are based only on confirmed orders **Setup:** 1. On the Planning Template, enable **Ignore Forecast**. 2. Run **Calculate Simple MRP**. ****Including production component demand**** **As a** production planner **I want to** include demand from production order components **So that** raw materials and semi-finished items are replenished in time for manufacturing **Setup:** 1. On the Planning Template, set **Include Production Component Demands** to the relevant order status scope (e.g. Firm Planned and Released). 2. Run **Calculate Simple MRP**. ****Cascading a calculation through BOM levels**** **As a** production planner managing multi-level BOMs **I want to** run one calculation that plans every level of the bill of materials **So that** I don't have to run Simple MRP separately for each low-level item **Setup:** 1. On the Planning Template, enable **Run for all Low Level Codes**. 2. Run **Calculate Simple MRP** on the top-level item(s). > **Note:** For accurate dates at every level, run **Calculate Rolled Up Lead Time** first so the calculation has current lead-time data to work from. ****Accounting for transfer orders as supply and demand**** **As a** planner managing stock across multiple locations connected by transfer orders **I want to** include outbound and inbound transfer quantities in the calculation **So that** stock already in transit isn't double-counted or missed **Setup:** 1. On the Planning Template, enable **Include Outbound Transfer Demands** and **Include Inbound Transfer Supplies** as relevant. 2. Run **Calculate Simple MRP**. ****Auto-filling order quantities using an Order Quantity Template**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** have order quantities and due dates suggested automatically **So that** I don't have to calculate them by hand for every line **Setup:** 1. Set up an **Order Quantity Template** and a linked **Date Template**. 2. Link them to your Simple MRP Planning Template, or apply them per line. 3. After calculating, click **Suggest Quantity to Order** on the journal. ****Reviewing why a line was proposed**** **As a** purchasing planner reviewing a proposed line **I want to** see the underlying demand and supply behind the suggested quantity **So that** I can decide whether to trust and accept the proposal **Setup:** 1. Select a line in the Simple MRP journal. 2. Review the **Item Demands**, **Item Supplies**, and **Calc Inventory** FactBoxes for the underlying detail. ****Viewing an item's inventory curve before acting on a line**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** see a visual inventory profile for an item **So that** I can spot when inventory drops before deciding on quantity **Setup:** 1. Select a line in the Simple MRP journal. 2. Click **Graphical Inventory Profile**. > **Note:** Requires the Graphical Inventory Profile app to be installed and enabled. ****Choosing which replenishment method a proposed line uses**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** control whether a proposed line becomes a purchase, production, transfer, or assembly order **So that** the resulting order matches how the item is actually replenished **Setup:** 1. On the proposed line, review or change the **Replenishment System** field (Purchase, Prod. Order, Transfer, or Assembly). 2. Set the corresponding **Vendor No.** or **Transfer-from Code** as needed. ****Selecting only some lines to act on**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** only carry out some of the proposed lines, not all of them **So that** I can hold back lines needing further review **Setup:** 1. On each line, set **Accept Action Message** to indicate whether it should be included. 2. Use **Set Action Message** to batch-toggle acceptance for selected lines. 3. Click **Carry Out Action Message** — only accepted lines are sent to the Planning Worksheet. ****Sending accepted lines to the Planning Worksheet**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** move my accepted replenishment proposals into the Planning Worksheet **So that** they can be turned into actual purchase, production, or transfer orders **Setup:** 1. Accept the relevant lines (see above). 2. Click **Carry Out Action Message**. 3. Open **Reverse Planning – Planning Worksheet** and run BC's Carry Out Action Message there to create the actual orders. ****Keeping a line in the journal after carrying it out**** **As a** purchasing planner who wants to track a line across multiple calculation runs **I want to** prevent a line from disappearing after Carry Out Action Message **So that** I retain visibility of it in the journal **Setup:** 1. On the line, set **Keep Line After Carry Out**. 2. Run **Carry Out Action Message** as normal — this line remains in the journal. ****Converting proposed demand into a forecast**** **As a** purchasing planner using Flexible Forecast **I want to** turn planning lines into forecast entries **So that** I can use them as future demand input for later calculations **Setup:** 1. Select the relevant lines (must have a **Quantity to Order** value) in the Simple MRP journal. 2. Click **Convert to Forecast**. > **Note:** Requires the Flexible Forecast app to be installed and enabled. ****Recalculating lead times before planning multi-level items**** **As a** production planner **I want to** refresh the rolled-up lead time for produced items **So that** Simple MRP calculates dates using current, accurate lead times **Setup:** 1. Click **Calculate Rolled up Lead Time** from the Simple MRP journal (or run it separately). 2. Run **Calculate Simple MRP** afterwards. ****Checking item availability from within the journal**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** check an item's availability by event, period, variant, location, BOM level, lot, or unit of measure **So that** I can make an informed decision on a proposed line without leaving the journal **Setup:** 1. Select a line. 2. Use **Item Availability by** and choose the relevant view (Event, Period, Variant, Location, BOM Level, Lot, Unit of Measure). ****Splitting a large order across the maximum order quantity**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** have a large suggested order automatically split into multiple lines respecting a maximum order quantity **So that** each resulting order stays within vendor or packaging limits **Setup:** 1. Enable the "Split by Max Order Quantity" preview feature for the environment. 2. Run **Suggest Quantity to Order** on a line where the calculated quantity exceeds the item's/SKU's maximum order quantity. > **Note:** This is a preview feature — the "Is Split Line" column is only visible when the feature is enabled. ****Accumulating supply into lot-sized orders**** **As a** purchasing planner **I want to** have proposed supply accumulated into lot-sized quantities over a defined period **So that** I don't create many small orders when a single larger, less frequent order is more efficient **Setup:** 1. Enable the "Split by Lot Accumulation Period" preview feature for the environment. 2. Run **Suggest Quantity to Order** — accumulated lines are marked as lot accumulation lines. > **Note:** This is a preview feature — the "Is Lot Accumulation Line" column is only visible when the feature is enabled. ## Field Reference | Field name | Where to find it | What it does | Default value | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Planning Feature | Planning Template | Identifies which journal (Simple MRP, Move Demand Dates, Direct Replenishment, Identify Overstock) the template applies to. | — | | Calculation Period | Planning Template | Defines the horizon the calculation looks ahead over; can be linked to Rolled Up Lead Time. | — | | Default Start Date / End Date | Planning Template | The default date range for the calculation. | Blank | | Ignore Forecast | Planning Template | Excludes demand forecast entries from the calculation when enabled. | No | | Include Purchase Orders | Planning Template | Controls whether existing purchase orders count as supply (All, Only Released, None). | All | | Include Production Orders | Planning Template | Controls whether existing production orders count as supply, by status. | Firm Planned and Released | | Include Production Component Demands | Planning Template | Controls whether production order components count as demand, by status. | Firm Planned and Released | | Include Outbound Transfer Demands / Include Inbound Transfer Supplies | Planning Template | Includes transfer order quantities as demand or supply. | No | | Include Assembly Orders | Planning Template | Includes assembly orders as supply. | No | | Include Sales Orders | Planning Template | Controls whether sales orders count as demand (All, Only Released, None). | All | | Include Service Orders | Planning Template | Includes service orders as demand. | No | | Run for all Low Level Codes | Planning Template | Cascades the calculation automatically through every BOM level below the selected items. | No | | Exclude Items for Control | Planning Template | Excludes specified items from the calculation for validation/control purposes. | No | | Journal Batch Name | Reverse Planning – Worksheet Setup / Simple MRP journal | The personal journal batch the planner works in; remembered between sessions. | Blank | | Accept Action Message | Simple MRP journal line | Marks a proposed line to be included when Carry Out Action Message runs. | No | | Keep Line After Carry Out | Simple MRP journal line | Keeps the line visible in the journal after it has been carried out. | No | | Replenishment System | Simple MRP journal line | The order type (Purchase, Prod. Order, Transfer, Assembly) the proposed line will become. | Derived from item replenishment setup |