Quick Summary: Demand Planning uses hierarchies to organize demand into meaningful business structures. Planners can select the required planning context, navigate between hierarchy levels, and control how information is displayed without changing the underlying demand or forecast values.
Opening Demand Planning
Demand Planning is accessed from the application's navigation menu.
When Demand Planning opens before a hierarchy has been selected, no data is displayed. This is intentional. Before demand can be displayed, a hierarchy must be selected to determine how the data should be organized.
Once a hierarchy is applied, the Planning workspace populates with historical demand and forecast information based on the selected structure.
Understanding the workspace
The Planning workspace contains connected components that display the same underlying demand from different perspectives.
The workspace can be understood through three primary activities:
Select: Choose the hierarchy, hierarchy member, identifiers, measures, and unit of measure. Indicated in purple on the image below.
View: Review demand in the Planning table, graphs, Hierarchy panel, and Top N panel. Indicated in blue on the image below.
Work: Prepare historical demand and refine forecasts within the Planning table. Indicated in olive on the image below.
The Planning table is the primary working area. Demand measures are displayed in rows, while historical and future planning periods are displayed in columns.
The graphs provide a visual representation of the information shown in the Planning table. Historical demand and forecast measures remain synchronized between the table and graphs.
Other controls determine the planning context or change what is displayed. They do not modify the underlying demand or forecast values.
Understanding hierarchies
A hierarchy determines how demand is grouped and summarized within Demand Planning.
Instead of reviewing every product-location combination individually, planners can organize demand using business attributes to create meaningful planning views.
Changing the hierarchy changes how demand is grouped on screen. It does not change the underlying demand.
Attributes explained
Hierarchies are built using attributes.
An attribute is a characteristic used to group demand, such as:
Location
Category
Channel
Product
The order of the selected attributes determines the hierarchy structure.
For example:
Category
↓
Location
↓
Product
provides a different planning perspective from:
Location
↓
Category
↓
Product
Different hierarchy structures allow demand to be analyzed from different business perspectives.
Creating a hierarchy
Before demand can be displayed, a hierarchy must first be created.
To create a hierarchy:
Select Setup Hierarchy.
Review the available attributes.
Add the required attributes to the selected list.
Arrange the attributes in the required order.
Select Apply.
Once applied, the Planning table and graph populate using the selected hierarchy. Demand is summarized according to the highest level within that hierarchy.
Reordering attributes
Attributes can be rearranged at any time.
To reorder attributes:
Select Setup Hierarchy.
Drag the handle beside an attribute and move it to the required position.
Review the revised hierarchy order.
Select Apply.
For example, moving Forecast Risk above Location produces a different planning perspective from placing Location above Forecast Risk.
After Apply is selected, the Planning table and graphs update to reflect the revised attribute order. The underlying demand remains unchanged.
Removing an attribute
An attribute can be removed from the current hierarchy when it is no longer required.
To remove an attribute:
Select Setup Hierarchy.
Locate the attribute in the selected attributes column.
Select the remove button beside the attribute.
Review the remaining attribute order.
Select Apply.
The Planning table and graphs update to reflect the revised hierarchy.
Viewing demand through a hierarchy
Once a hierarchy has been applied, demand is summarized according to the selected hierarchy level.
As different hierarchy levels are selected:
The Planning table updates
The graphs update
The current hierarchy position changes
This synchronization ensures that every component of the workspace reflects the same planning context.
Dot Product level
The Dot Product level is the lowest and most detailed level in the hierarchy.
It is identified by the Dot Product symbol within the hierarchy. At this level, demand is displayed for the individual product and location combinations that contribute to the selected view.
The Planning table also displays the number of Dot Product items included in the current selection. This count indicates how many detailed product-location combinations contribute to the displayed demand and may be affected by higher-level changes.
Navigating a hierarchy
Demand Planning provides multiple ways to move through a hierarchy.
Breadcrumb navigation
The breadcrumb displays the current position within the hierarchy.
To navigate using the breadcrumb:
Select the drill-down arrow beside the current hierarchy member to move to the next hierarchy level.
Review the first member displayed at the next hierarchy level.
Use the drop-down beside an attribute to select another member at the same level.
Select an earlier hierarchy level in the breadcrumb to return to a higher level.
The Planning table and graphs update automatically as the hierarchy position changes. The current position remains visible in the breadcrumb.
Hierarchy panel
The Hierarchy panel displays the complete hierarchy as a tree.
To navigate using the Hierarchy panel:
Select Hierarchy.
Expand or collapse hierarchy levels as required.
Select the required hierarchy member.
Once a selection is made, the panel closes and the Planning table and graphs update to display demand for the selected hierarchy member.
Hierarchy members may initially appear as codes. Use the descriptor controls above the hierarchy tree to change how members are identified.
Select the medium descriptor option to display member descriptions.
Select the long descriptor option to display both member codes and descriptions.
Changing the descriptor setting affects only how hierarchy members are displayed. It does not modify the hierarchy or underlying demand.
Saving and reusing hierarchies
Frequently used hierarchies can be saved and reused to provide a consistent planning structure across different planning activities.
Saving a hierarchy preserves both the selected attributes and their order.
Saving a hierarchy
Configure the required attributes and hierarchy order.
Enter a meaningful name in the Save hierarchy as field.
Select the save icon beside the field.
Applying a saved hierarchy
Saved hierarchies can be applied from several locations.
Open the Saved hierarchies drop-down in Setup Hierarchy and select the required hierarchy.
Alternatively, select a saved hierarchy from the bottom of the Hierarchy panel.
A saved hierarchy can also be selected from the drop-down beside the Hierarchy button.
Applying a saved hierarchy updates the Planning table and graphs to reflect its attributes and hierarchy order.
Managing saved hierarchies
Select the Saved hierarchies tab.
Review the hierarchies and associated attributes.
Select the Apply button beside a hierarchy to use it in the Planning workspace, or select the Delete button to remove a hierarchy that is no longer required.
Applying a saved hierarchy updates the Planning table and graphs to reflect its attributes and hierarchy order.
Working with graph display options
The graphs provide a visual representation of the same information displayed in the Planning table.
Different measures can be displayed or hidden to simplify the graph and focus on the information most relevant to the current planning activity.
To change the displayed measures:
Select the graph-options control in the upper-right corner of the graph.
Select or deselect the required measures.
Hover over a point in a displayed series to review its values for the applicable planning period.
These controls affect only the graph display and do not modify the underlying planning data.
Changing the unit of measure
Demand can be displayed using the available conversions in the Unit of Measure drop-down.
To change the displayed unit:
Select the Unit of Measure drop-down.
Select the required available option.
Available units may include:
Units
Value
Volume
Weight
Changing the unit affects only how the information is displayed. It does not modify the underlying demand or forecast values.
The Top N panel
The Top N panel highlights the most significant contributors within the current planning view.
The panel contains two tabs:
The first tab ranks contributors at the current hierarchy level
The second tab ranks contributors at the next hierarchy level
The tab names change according to the applicable hierarchy attributes. For example, they may appear as Top Location and Top Forecast Risk.
Select a member in the panel to navigate directly to that hierarchy member.
This allows high-impact areas to be reviewed without manually moving through each hierarchy level.
Configuring the Top N panel
To configure the panel, select the edit pencil icon.
From the edit screen:
Select the measure or row used to rank the results.
Select a default timeframe.
Alternatively, select a custom date range.
Select the number of results to display.
Select Update.
The panel refreshes using the selected settings. These settings are saved as the defaults for future use of the panel.
Keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts provide a faster way to move through the hierarchy breadcrumb.
Navigation action | Windows | macOS |
Move to the next sibling of the selected attribute | Ctrl + ↓ | Ctrl + Shift + ↓ |
Move to the previous sibling of the selected attribute | Ctrl + ↑ | Ctrl + Shift + ↑ |
Move to the child of the selected attribute | Ctrl + → | Ctrl + Shift + → |
Move to the parent of the selected attribute | Ctrl + ← | Ctrl + Shift + ← |
The Planning table and graphs update as the hierarchy selection changes.
⚠️ Watchouts
Changing a hierarchy does not change demand: Hierarchies determine how demand is grouped and displayed. They do not modify the underlying planning data.
Attribute order changes the planning perspective: Reordering attributes changes how demand is grouped and summarized throughout the hierarchy.
Display options affect presentation only: Changing graph measures, identifiers, or the unit of measure changes only how information is displayed.
Apply hierarchy changes: Changes made in Setup Hierarchy do not update the workspace until Apply is selected.
💡 Tips
Save frequently used hierarchies: Saved hierarchies reduce repeated setup and support a consistent planning approach.
Review demand at the appropriate hierarchy level: Higher levels provide a broader planning view, while lower levels provide progressively more detailed information.
Use graphs alongside the Planning table: Visual patterns in the graphs can be compared with the detailed values in the Planning table.
Use the Top N panel to identify significant contributors: The panel provides direct access to high-impact areas within the current selection or the next hierarchy level.
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