Demand forecasting plays a very important role in effective supply chain management. By predicting both independent demand from customer orders and dependent demand at decoupling points for raw materials or components, businesses can proactively manage their supply chains.
Key Features of Demand Forecasting in Dynamics 365 Business Central
Dynamics 365 Business Central provides a comprehensive set of features that simplify and enhance the demand forecasting process. These features allow businesses to make more informed decisions and optimize their supply chains. Some of the standout features include:
- Statistical Baseline Forecasts: The system generates forecasts based on historical data, providing a solid foundation for demand planning and ensuring future predictions align with past performance.
- Dynamic Forecast Dimensions: Customize forecasts by product category, customer segment, or region, offering flexibility to tailor predictions to specific market conditions.
- Forecast Visualization and Adjustments: Powerful tools visualize demand trends and confidence intervals, with the ability to manually adjust forecasts and track all changes for full transparency.
- Authorization for Adjusted Forecasts: Manual forecast adjustments must be authorized before being used in planning, ensuring validation and accuracy before impacting operations.
- Outlier Removal: The system automatically detects and removes outliers to maintain the reliability of predictions and prevent skewed forecasts.
- Measurement of Forecast Accuracy: Measure forecast accuracy over time to refine models, improve predictions, and enhance supply chain planning.
Basic flow in demand forecasting
The following diagram shows the basic flow in demand forecasting.
- Data Collection: Historical data from Supply Chain Management is gathered and passed to Azure Machine Learning.
- Forecast Generation: Machine learning evaluates multiple methods to generate the baseline forecast.
- Forecast Adjustment: The forecast can be visualized, adjusted, and approved before integration into planning.
With its ability to optimize inventory, streamline production, and enhance customer satisfaction, Dynamics 365 Business Central empowers businesses to operate more efficiently, reduce costs, and achieve greater profitability. Whether you’re a manufacturer, retailer, or service provider, demand forecasting in Dynamics 365 Business Central is a key enabler of success in today’s fast-paced business environment. Interested in learning more? Get in Touch Today
