Advanced Demand Management for Microsoft Dynamics AX delivers powerful business intelligence capabilities and flexible workflows that help you manage demand proactively, increase efficiency by standardizing internal processes, and gain access to integrated, real-time sales data. With advanced functionality, such as sales budgeting, demand forecasting, assortment planning, and promotion planning, you can support cross-functional processes, use simulation scenarios and error analysis to determine optimal stock levels, and evaluate performance throughout the supply chain.
Configurable market modeling
Generate dynamic demand plans using multidimensional, attribute-based demand data structures of PerformancePoint Server.
Define the products, markets, and time periods for your business, and then use any number of attributes for each dimension to model demand curves, create simulation scenarios, and forecast demand quantities at any aggregation level.
Sales budgeting
Work collaboratively across functions to establish sales objectives and analyze performance through top-down, bottom-up, and middle-out data models.
Identify quantitative or qualitative targets for future sales, and define sales budgets at varying levels of detail, including region, channel, account, product line, or industry.
Sales forecasting
Trace expected sales to actual sales, and use sophisticated, industry-specific algorithms to forecast future demand.
Evaluate the affect of different forecasting strategies using simulation tools, and periodically measure the error and accuracy of forecasting.
Assortment and category planning
Allocate the right mix of products to the distribution network, and carry out intelligent allocations of SKUs to channels and stores.
Define assortments according to seasonal targets, taking into account sales, margins, stock rotation, and constraints, such as display space and allocation rules.
Control in-season SKUs by detecting bestsellers, low sellers, and overall demand changes.
Inventory and stock optimization
Analyze lead times, costs, service levels, and demand for inventory to help ensure optimum product allocation across the supply chain.
Reduce overall inventories while matching customer service levels and minimizing the risk of stock outs.
Replenishment planning/sales operations planning
Value chain intelligence
Support organizations at any stage by using the embedded business intelligence capabilities to realize their value chain strategies.
Take a proactive approach to demand, and use cross-functional metrics for analysis and scenario planning with the Analyze-Diagnose-Correct (ADC) Cycle: Analyze and measure results (answers the "What?"); diagnose by analyzing performance (answers the "Why?"); and make corrections as needed (answers the "How?").
