What Is It?

DP or Demand Planning is SCM’s forecasting module. DP is the most implemented module in the SCM suite. However, this has less to do with the module’s capabilities and more to do with the fact that demand planning is the most common advanced planning functionality deployed at companies generally.

How It Fits

It is considered the “first” module because it creates the forecast which is then passed on as requirements to SNP or PPDS. Additionally, DP can be used as a stand alone product, or DP can be bypassed, and SNP and other SCM modules can use other forecasting engines. We have also seen DP used as a simple container, that is no forecasting is done, but it combines forecasts from other engines that are then sent, using SCM’s internal integration, to SNP.

What Is Good About DP?

It offers all the standard forecasting methods – both time series and causal, and has a star schema based query engine that provides fast responses for planners. (although its main data object – the InfoCube is misnamed, as it is not a cube, and is most accurately described as “the Star Schema.” – more on this in a link below). We have read most the documentation on the SCM suite as well as been certified in many of the modules. Our exposure in this area leads us to conclude that DP is the best and more thoroughly documented of the modules in SCM. Furthermore, because the workbench in DP is identical to BI-BW, this documentation can be used to analyze and understand DP as well.

What Is Bad About DP?

DP is one of the least pleasant modules to configure because it uses an unnecessarily complex and dated workbench to build the structures that support the DP forecasting functionality. In fact its workbench is on our worst in SCM functionality list which you can see here.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2009/05/09/the-worst-functionality-in-scm/

We are hoping this workbench will be replaced by components from the Business Objects acquisition, but have not heard anything yet. If SAP is not going to integrated Business Objects into DP and BI then the acquisition seems to be simply about reducing competition and “buying” customers.

Finally, it also has a number of bugs that SAP does not seem overly interested in fixing. When bugs surface with with other best of breed vendors I work with, they are often fixed within a week or two. However, with SAP they just linger on an on. SAP seems to be copying Microsoft’s strategy of non-responsiveness to bug resolution.

Product Lifecycle

DP has seen very little development in the past few releases of SCM and the product is seen as mature and stable.

Articles on DP

The following articles provide details in different areas of DP.

Best Fit Forecasting

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2009/04/20/dp-and-best-fit-forecasting-definition/

Seasonal Planning

Seasonal planning is one of a number of forecast strategies that can be used.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/05/28/dp-seasonal-planning/

Setting Up InfoCubes

All of the effort required to get to an InfoCube is no small thing. We document the steps here.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/07/21/infocubes/

Non InfoCube Providers

InfoCubes are not the only way to store data.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/07/14/non-infocube-infoproviders/

What is Behind DP’s Cube

We discuss how the DP InfoCube is not actually a cube, but a star schema. See how the star schema works in this post.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/07/08/dp-bw-dimensions-and-fact-table/

Understanding fact and dimension tables is essential to understanding how DP (and BI) works.

DP Icon Key

DP has a number of completely non-sensical icons that inhibit the use of the workbench. We have created an icon key to help explain what the different icons mean.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/07/16/bi-dp-icon-key/

DP and BI Standard Content

DP and BI come with content that can help shorten the implementation time of a DP project.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/07/15/dp-content/

Transferring Global Settings

These settings must be configured and transferred from SAP ERP.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/07/04/dp-global-settings-and-transfer-from-sap-erp/

Planning Areas and Planning Object Structures

In order to use DP, these must be setup first.

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/05/23/planning-areas-and-planning-object-structures/

DP Administrator Workbench

http://www.scmfocus.com/sapplanning/2008/05/22/demand-planning-workbench/

Footnote

On the topic of the term InfoCube, the computer science definition of a data cube is a three dimensional data object that provides almost instantaneous access to dimension combinations. A star schema is a relational structure that has been in essence jerry-rigged to emulate a data cube. One is not better than the other and each have the benefits and downsides, but they are two different data structures.