Sales Forecast to MRP

This happens everytime I try to include a Sales Forecast in MRP. I cannot find the MRP Forecasting Selections screen. I know exactly what I'm looking for, but for me it has proven to be the most elusive screen in the whole system.

You need to get to this screen if you want to include one or more sales forecasts into the MRP regeneration process.

And here is the shy little screen:



So how do you get to it? This is one way, if not the only way, to get to it. Navigate to: Transactions >> Manufacturing >> Forecasting >> Sales Forecasting. Click on the "GoTo" dropdown and select, "Forecasting Selections", and voila!

This drives me crazy every time. I invested 20 minutes to it this morning while running around the house to get the "parade" moving, and could not find it. I finally had to ask our manufacturing guy.

Does anyone else have this problem?

MRP Example

This shows you how to set up a simple MRP run, so you can get the idea of how it works. I'll add a new item, and go through the setup necessary to have MRP pick it up and generate a PO.

1.) Add an item or select an existing one: Cards >> Inventory >> Item

2.) Go to the Item Quantities Maintenance screen and assign it to a Site ID, make that Site ID the default site, and select a vendor for the Order Vendor ID.

3.) Go to the Item Purchasing Options Maintenance screen and select a Default Purchasing U of M.

4.) Go to the Item Vendors Maintenance screen and make sure there is a Vendor Item Number

5.) Go to Item Resource Planning. With the Site ID radio button selected, select the Site ID you defined as the default for the item. Check the "Calculate MRP for this item/site". And for Order Policy, select "Lot for Lot". Make sure the Replenishment Method is set to, "Buy".

Done with setup.


Add some demand for the item by creating a sales order for the new item.

Run the MRP: Transactions >> Manufacturing >> MRP >> MRP Regeneration

Click on "process".

Open the Purchase Request Resolution screen: Transactions >> Purchasing >> Request Resolution

Highlight the "Qty. Req." value for your item, and click on "Select Vendor".

Click on "Create".

Click on "OK".

A purchase order will be created and you'll see a report like this:

Go to Purchase Order Entry to see the new PO.

There are so many options and screens that can become a factor in how you use MRP, but this will give you a start.

Manufacturing Order Entry in Dynamics GP

Here's a simple example of creating a manufacturing order in GP. This will give you an idea of how the process works.

You will need two things in order to create a manufacturing order transaction:
1.) Bill of Material (See my example of simple BOM) For this example make the BOM a "Backflush" BOM
2.) Routing

Let's make the routing first. Create a simple one that has one sequence. Navigate to: Cards >> Manufacturing >> Routings >> Routing Entry.

Look up your finished good item number.

Create a Routing Name.

When the Routing Header Creation screen comes up, check, "Primary Routing" and save.

Enter "100" for the sequence number.

Select a work center. If you don't have any, they're simple to create.

Save, and you're done.

Create a Manufacturing Order Transaction.

Navigate to: Transactions >> Manufacturing >> Manufacturing Orders >> Entry

Look up your finished good item.

Create a default Scheduling Preference if you don't have one.

Enter an Ending Quantity amount.

Assuming a "Forward Infinite" Scheduling Method, enter a "Start Date".

Click on "Schedule MO" button.

Click on "Build Picklist" button.

You are done entering the manufacturing order transaction.

To proceed, change the "MO Status" field to, "Released", and save.

Create a Manufacturing Order Receipt transaction to add the finished good item and relieve the component items from inventory.

Navigate to: Transactions >> Manufacturing >> Manufacturing Orders >> Entry

Look up your manufacturing order, and enter the quantity of the finished good created.

The Quick MO offers an alternative to the Manufacturing Order, but I like this best, and don't feel it's much more complicated than the Quick MO.

Try this out in the Fabrikam sample company, and you'll see that basically, it's fairly straight forward.

There are significantly more options and functionality, but this will help you get over the initial feeling of being overwhelmed.

Simple Manufacturing BOM in Dynamics GP

The manufacturing BOM is a sophisticated bill of material application, and can be a bit intimidating to use, at first. But here are the steps to create a simple, functional BOM, to give you the feeling of the system; assuming you have your items all set up:

First we want to set up the finished good item so that it is identified as a "Make" or a "Make or Buy" item.

Navigate to: Cards >> Inventory >> Item >> Item Engineering Data, and select "Make" for the "BOM should treat as" value.


Navigate to the Bill of Materials Entry screen: Cards >> Manufacturing >> Bill of Materials

Enter your finished good item.

Click on the Green + to add components. This will activate the component entry area of the screen.

Look up the component you want to add.

Enter the quantity.

Click on the "Add" button to add an additional component item.

When you're done adding components, click on the "Tree View" button to return to the finished good portion of the screen.

Not too bad.

For clients that have the Advanced Management BRL license, I almost always recommend that they use the manufacturing BOM, instead of the other BOM in the Inventory Control module. It takes a bit longer to learn, but has much more functionality to accomodate future needs.