Replenish inventory overview (Retail essentials)

  • Article

Important

This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.

Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3

The topics in this section provide information about how to replenish inventory.

Set up product packages (Retail essentials)

Set up replenishment hierarchies (Retail essentials)

Set up replenishment rules (Retail essentials)

Set up replenishment service categories (Retail essentials)

Methods for replenishing inventory

Typically, replenishment is performed at the head office. You can replenish the inventory at stores by using two methods:

  • Cross-docking – Create transfer orders that are based on purchase orders.

    The term cross-docking originated in distribution warehouses. At these warehouses, trucks arrive on one side of the loading dock, the shipments are unloaded and reorganized by destination, and then the shipments are loaded onto outgoing trucks on the other side of the loading dock.

  • Buyer's push – Create original transfer orders.

Note

Regardless of which replenishment method you use, if the stores that inventory is being distributed to are in another legal entity, sales orders and purchase orders are automatically created.

For both replenishment methods, you can specify one of three distribution methods:

  • Distribution based on location weight

  • Distribution based on replenishment rules

  • Distribution of a fixed quantity to all stores

Before you use either cross-docking or buyer's push to replenish inventory, you should set up the following elements:

  • Organization hierarchy

  • Replenishment rules

  • Service categories

Forms for the Replenishing inventory business process component

The following table lists the forms that support the Replenishing inventory business process component. The table entries are organized first by task, and then alphabetically by the name of the form that is used.

Note

Before you can open some of the forms in the following table, you must enter information or parameter settings in the program.

Business process component task

Form name

Usage

Set up replenishment.

Organization hierarchies

Create a hierarchy for a retail organization.

Organization hierarchy purposes

Assign a purpose to the retail organization hierarchy.

Replenishment rules

Set up replenishment rules.

Service category

Set up service categories.

 

 

 

Cross-dock.

Planned cross docking

Use cross-docking to create transfer orders for existing purchase orders.

 

 

 

Allocate inventory.

Buyer's push

Create transfer orders to distribute inventory among stores and warehouses.