Inventory Workbench - Internal
Plan optimal production runs by analyzing current inventory levels, sales forecasts, and days on hand targets using the Inventory Workbench.
Balancing production schedules with fluctuating demand is a constant challenge. Produce too much and you tie up capital in excess inventory; produce too little and you risk stockouts and missed sales. Claret's Inventory Workbench - Internal is designed to help you find that balance.
The Inventory Workbench - Internal module brings together, in one place, your:
Current inventory levels at each location
Sales forecasts and historical demand
Days on Hand (DOH) targets and safety stock requirements
Supply plan recommendations
This allows you to see your inventory position across all items at a location, identify where you need to produce more (or less), and generate supply plans that maintain your target inventory levels while meeting expected demand.
For the Inventory Workbench - Internal module to work correctly, there will need to be some Master Data set up. For details please visit Inventory Workbench - Internal Setup
Navigating to the Inventory Workbench
To access the Inventory Workbench - Internal module, go to the Pack module and select 'Inventory Workbench - Internal'.
Creating a View
Before you can use the workbench, you must create a View that defines how data is displayed and calculated.
Create a New View
Click on the View dropdown in the top-right corner of the page.
Click "Add View".
Enter a name for your View.
Configure the View settings (see below).
Click "Save".
The View configuration screen lets you set the data to use in the view.
Options are required for:
Item Hierarchy Type - The item hierarchy you wish to work with
Unit of Measure - The UOM for display and calculations
Time Settings - Configure how time periods are displayed in the workbench:
Time Period Type: Choose between calendar-based periods (aligned to your fiscal calendar) or continuous periods (a configurable number of periods from the start date)
Time Interval: Select Days, Weeks, or Months to control the granularity of each column in the grid
Start Date: Set when the planning period begins
There are then 4 tabs where you will need to select options to configure your View.7
Demand Tab
The Demand tab is where you configure which sale types represent customer demand for production planning.
Sales Forecast
Select the sale type that contains your sales forecast data. This is used to project future demand and calculate production requirements.
Sales Orders
Select the sale type that contains actual sales orders. This provides real order data that can be used alongside or instead of forecasts for near-term planning.
The workbench uses this demand data to:
Calculate how much inventory you need to meet expected sales
Project when you will need to produce more
Inform Days on Hand calculations
Supply Tab
The Supply tab is where you configure the supply type used for production planning.
Supply Type
Select the supply type used for supply plans (e.g., "Production", "Planned Supply").
The workbench uses this supply data to:
Display existing supply plans in the detail grid
Store generated supply plan recommendations
Calculate the impact of planned production on inventory levels
Inventory Tab
The Inventory tab is where you configure Days on Hand calculations and display settings.
Days on Hand Calculation
Choose whether to calculate DOH based on Beginning Inventory or Ending Inventory.
Conditional Formatting
Configure visual indicators (e.g., highlight cells where DOH is greater than or less than a threshold).
These settings control:
How Days on Hand values are calculated in the detail grid
Visual formatting to highlight items that need attention
Time period alignment for planning calculations
Charts Tab
The Charts tab allows you to configure up to 4 visualizations that appear in the detail view when you select an item.
Available data options to chart include:
Days on Hand
Shows projected DOH over time based on current inventory and demand forecasts
Sales
Displays historical and forecasted sales trends
Inventory
Shows inventory level changes over time
Supply Plans
Displays planned production quantities
Charts provide a visual representation of the data in the detail grid, making it easier to identify trends and plan production timing.
Using the Sidebar Filter
The sidebar filter is where you select which location and items to view in the workbench. Use the toggle button on the left edge of the screen to show or hide the sidebar filter.
Sidebar Filter Toggle
A pill-shaped toggle button appears on the left edge of the workbench:
When collapsed, it shows "Show filter"
When expanded with selections made, it displays a summary (e.g., "5 items @ Main Warehouse")
Click the toggle to expand or collapse the sidebar filter
Your selections persist when you collapse and reopen the sidebar filter
Selecting Items and Location
You must select both a location and items to view data in the workbench.
Open the sidebar filter using the toggle button.
In the Location section, search or browse for your location and click to select it.
In the Items section, browse or search the item hierarchy tree:
Use checkboxes to select individual items
Click the cards icon beside a hierarchy level to automatically select all items underneath
The header shows how many items are selected (e.g., "Items (5 selected)")
Click "Apply" to confirm your selections and load the grid.
Only locations that have Item @ Location and Item @ Customer Group links (via the Supply and Demand Map) appear in the location list.
The Inventory Workbench Grid
The main grid provides an at-a-glance view of Days on Hand across all items at the selected location. Each row represents an item, and the time period columns show DOH values calculated from the underlying demand forecasts, inventory levels, and supply plans.
Collapse the item and location filter for better viewing of the grid.
The relationships between Items and Locations are set on the Item @ Locations page. A row will appear in the grid for every item that is linked to the selected location.
Grid Columns
Item Hierarchy
Item parents, item name and description based on your selected hierarchy
Data
Indicates what data element is showing (generally DOH - Days on Hand)
Trend
Sparkline chart showing DOH trend over time
Time Period Columns
Days on Hand value for each period (month, week, or day based on your View settings)
Days on Hand values are color-coded to highlight items needing attention:
Red indicates DOH is below your configured threshold (potential stockout risk)
Indigo indicates DOH is above your configured threshold (potential overstock)
∞ (infinity symbol) appears when DOH exceeds 365 days
The main grid shows summarized DOH values. To see the underlying demand forecasts, inventory levels, and supply plan details, click on a row to open the detail view.
Filtering the Grid
Hover over a column header to reveal the filter menu icon.
Click the menu icon to open the filter options for that column.
Enter filter criteria or select values to filter by.
The grid updates automatically to show only matching rows.
Viewing Item Details
Click on any row in the grid to open the detail view showing comprehensive item information.
Working with the Detail View
The detail view is where you analyze inventory and manage supply plans for a specific item at the location. Use it to:
See how demand forecasts and supply plans affect inventory levels over time
Identify when you need to produce more to avoid stockouts
Edit supply plan quantities to adjust production schedules
Run supply plan generation to get production recommendations
The detail view contains:
Header - Shows item name, description, and location
Detail Grid - Hierarchical tree view showing demand, supply, and DOH data by time period
Charts - Up to 4 visualizations based on your View configuration
Action Buttons - Run supply plan and configure planning parameters
Detail Grid Structure
The detail grid displays data in a tree structure with the following rows:
Beginning Inventory
Starting inventory for each period. For the first period, this is the actual current inventory. For subsequent periods, it equals the previous period's ending inventory.
Demand
Parent row containing sales forecast data. Expand to see Forecast and History sub-rows.
Supply
Parent row containing supply plan data. Expand to see existing and planned production.
Ending Inventory
Closing inventory for each period.
Days on Hand
How many days the ending inventory will last based on forecasted demand.
How Calculations Work
Ending Inventory is calculated for each period as:
Days on Hand looks forward from each period to determine how long the inventory will last:
Starting with the ending inventory for the period
Subtracting forecasted demand from each future period
Counting days until inventory runs out
If inventory covers all visible periods, DOH shows as ∞ (infinity)
The DOH calculation uses forecasted demand to project how quickly you will sell through inventory. Higher DOH means more runway; lower DOH indicates production is needed soon.
Editing Supply Plan Values
Supply plan values in the detail grid appear as clickable links. Clicking a supply value opens a popover where you can manage individual supply plan records.
Click on a supply plan value in the "Firmed" or "Planned" row (values at or after the plan start date).
A popover opens showing the individual supply plan records that make up the total.
In the popover, you can:
Edit quantities for existing supply plans
Change dates or status
Add new supply plan records
Delete existing records
Supply plans with dates earlier than the plan start date display a warning icon. These are considered "past due" and will be rolled into the plan start period for calculations.
When you edit supply values:
Changes are saved immediately when you close the popover
Ending inventory recalculates for that period and all future periods
Days on Hand recalculates to reflect the updated inventory projection
Only "Firmed" and "Planned" supply rows show as clickable links. "Scheduled" supply values are read-only. Supply plan editing is only available for periods at or after the plan start date.
Configuring Planning Parameters
Planning parameters control how supply plans are generated for each item at a location. These can be configured at the item level to fine-tune supply plan recommendations.
Open Planning Parameters
Open the detail view for an item.
Click the Settings (tune) button in the header.
A sidebar opens with planning parameter options.
Planning Parameter Options
The planning parameters are organized into sections:
Plan Start and Lock
Plan Start Date
When to begin supply planning
Plan Duration Days
How far forward to plan
Lock Duration Days
Period during which quantities cannot be changed
Lock End Date
When the lock expires
Cycle Stock
Coverage Days
Target days of inventory to maintain
Minimum Quantity
Minimum production quantity per supply plan
Safety Stock
Safety Stock Coverage Days
Additional days of inventory to hold as a safety buffer
Safety Stock Quantity
Fixed quantity to maintain as a safety buffer
Forecast Adjustment
Net Demand Option
Strategy for calculating net demand
Ignore Sales Forecast Days
Skip forecast data within N days
Other
Is Plannable
Unchecking will mean plans will not be created for the item
Running Supply Plans
This is where the planning happens. The Internal workbench can automatically generate supply plan recommendations based on your demand forecasts, current inventory, and planning parameters.
The supply plan algorithm:
Looks at forecasted demand for each future period
Considers current inventory levels
Applies your planning parameters (coverage days, safety stock, etc.)
Generates production quantities needed to maintain target Days on Hand
Run Supply Plan for a Single Item
Open the detail view for the item.
Click the Play button in the header.
The supply plan is generated and displayed in the Supply row of the detail grid.
The generated supply plan values are saved immediately and can be further edited if needed.
Run Supply Plan for All Items
To generate supply plans for all items at the selected location:
Click the "Run supply plan for all" button in the toolbar.
A confirmation modal appears showing the number of items to process.
Click "Confirm" to start the job.
The job runs in the background. Click the Job ID link to monitor progress.
When the job completes, the grid updates automatically. Any items that were skipped (due to missing configuration) are listed in the warning message.
How Supply Plans Are Generated
The supply plan generation uses your planning parameters to determine when and how much to produce:
Plan Start Date - Production recommendations start from this date
Coverage Days - Target days of inventory to maintain
Safety Stock - Minimum inventory buffer to keep on hand
Demand Forecast - Expected sales that need to be covered
The algorithm calculates the production needed in each period to maintain your target coverage while accounting for expected demand.
Supply plan generation requires planning parameters to be configured for each item. Items without planning parameters will be skipped during batch processing.
Empty States
If you see an empty state message, follow these steps to resolve it:
No View configured
Create a View using the View dropdown
No Supply/Demand links
Configure links in Supply and Demand Map
No Location selected
Select a location from the dropdown
Location has no links
Configure Item @ Location and Item @ Customer Group links for this location
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