Better Data

Admin

Channel Policies

Edit this page

Channel Policies

Configure policies that apply to specific sales channels. Channel policies control inventory allocation, ATP calculations, replenishment rules, and alert thresholds.

Scope: Workspace-scoped — requires organization administrator permissions and valid credentials for that workspace.

Understanding Channel Policies

What Channel Policies Control

Channel policies define:

  • ATP (Available to Promise): How inventory is allocated and promised
  • Replenishment: When and how much to reorder
  • Alerts: When to trigger alerts
  • Fulfillment: Fulfillment location preferences
  • SLA: Service level agreements
  • Backorder: Backorder handling rules
  • Partial Shipment: Partial shipment rules

Customization Tier: TENANT_DEFINED (fully tenant-defined, no pack defaults)

Policy Scope

Policies can be scoped to:

  • Channel: Policy applies to specific channel
  • Product: Policy applies to specific products
  • Location: Policy applies to specific locations
  • Combination: Policy applies to channel + product + location combination

Creating a Channel Policy

Step 1: Basic Configuration

  1. Navigate to Admin → Channel Policies
  2. Click Create Policy
  3. Configure basic information:
    • Name: Policy name
    • Description: Policy description
    • Channel: Select channel
    • Scope: Product, location, or combination

Step 2: Channel Priority

Configure channel priority:

  • Priority Tier: HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW
  • Numeric Priority: 0-1000 (higher = more important)
  • Allocation Weight: 0-100% (weight for allocation when inventory is scarce)
  • Can Preempt: Can this channel "steal" from lower priority channels?
  • Minimum ATP: Minimum ATP to accept orders
  • Max Inventory Percent: Maximum % of inventory this channel can reserve

Step 3: ATP Configuration

Configure ATP (Available to Promise) rules:

  • Minimum Stock: Minimum stock level
  • Safety Stock: Safety stock level
  • Reserve Stock: Reserve stock for commitments
  • Inbound Inclusion: Include inbound inventory in ATP

Step 4: Replenishment Configuration

Configure replenishment rules:

  • Reorder Point: When to reorder
  • Order Quantity: How much to order
  • Lead Time: Expected lead time
  • Replenishment Strategy: FIFO, FEFO, LIFO, PRIORITY

Step 5: Alert Configuration

Configure alert thresholds:

  • Low Stock Alert: Threshold for low stock alerts
  • Stockout Alert: Threshold for stockout alerts
  • Overstock Alert: Threshold for overstock alerts
  • Forecast Deviation Alert: Threshold for forecast deviation alerts

Step 6: Fulfillment Configuration

Configure fulfillment preferences:

  • Preferred Locations: Locations preferred for fulfillment
  • Prohibited Locations: Locations not allowed for fulfillment
  • Location Priority: Priority order for locations

Step 7: SLA Configuration

Configure SLA (Service Level Agreement) rules:

  • Target Fill Rate: Target fill rate percentage
  • Target Cycle Time: Target order cycle time
  • Max Cycle Time: Maximum acceptable cycle time

Step 8: Backorder Configuration

Configure backorder handling:

  • Allow Backorders: Whether to allow backorders
  • Backorder Priority: Priority for backorder fulfillment
  • Backorder Timeout: Timeout for backorder fulfillment

Step 9: Partial Shipment Configuration

Configure partial shipment rules:

  • Allow Partial Shipments: Whether to allow partial shipments
  • Minimum Shipment Percent: Minimum % to ship
  • Partial Shipment Priority: Priority for partial shipments

Policy Types Explained

ATP Policies

ATP policies define how inventory is allocated and promised:

Key Settings:

  • Minimum Stock: Minimum stock to maintain
  • Safety Stock: Safety stock level
  • Reserve Stock: Reserve stock for commitments
  • Inbound Inclusion: Include inbound inventory in ATP calculation

Impact:

  • Affects inventory availability for channel
  • Affects customer promises
  • Affects replenishment recommendations

Replenishment Policies

Replenishment policies define when and how much to reorder:

Key Settings:

  • Reorder Point: When to trigger reorder
  • Order Quantity: How much to order
  • Lead Time: Expected supplier lead time
  • Replenishment Strategy: FIFO, FEFO, LIFO, PRIORITY

Impact:

  • Affects when replenishment recommendations are generated
  • Affects order quantities
  • Affects replenishment timing

Alert Policies

Alert policies define when to trigger alerts:

Key Settings:

  • Low Stock Alert: Threshold for low stock
  • Stockout Alert: Threshold for stockout
  • Overstock Alert: Threshold for overstock
  • Forecast Deviation Alert: Threshold for forecast deviation

Impact:

  • Affects when alerts are triggered
  • Affects alert frequency
  • Affects proactive management

Understanding Channel Policy Effects

At a Conceptual Level

Channel policies affect:

  1. Inventory Allocation: How inventory is allocated to channels
  2. ATP Calculations: How ATP is calculated per channel
  3. Replenishment Decisions: When and how much to reorder
  4. Alert Triggers: When alerts are triggered
  5. Fulfillment Routing: Where orders are fulfilled from

Policy Precedence

When multiple policies apply:

  1. Most Specific: Channel + Product + Location
  2. Channel + Product: Channel + Product
  3. Channel + Location: Channel + Location
  4. Channel Only: Channel-level policy
  5. Default: System defaults

What Success Looks Like

Policy Configuration Success

  • ✅ Policies align with business requirements
  • ✅ Channel priorities properly set
  • ✅ ATP calculations accurate
  • ✅ Replenishment rules effective
  • ✅ Alerts triggering appropriately

Policy Management Success

  • ✅ Policies documented
  • ✅ Policy changes tested
  • ✅ Policy conflicts resolved
  • ✅ Policy effectiveness measured
  • ✅ Policies updated as needed

Common Pitfalls

1. Not Understanding Policy Precedence

Problem: Creating conflicting policies without understanding precedence.

Solution: Understand policy precedence:

  • Most specific policy wins
  • Review all applicable policies
  • Resolve conflicts explicitly

How to avoid: Review policy precedence before creating policies.

2. Setting Inconsistent Priorities

Problem: Channel priorities not aligned with business priorities.

Solution: Align priorities with business:

  • Review business priorities
  • Set channel priorities accordingly
  • Document priority rationale

How to avoid: Make priority review part of policy setup.

3. Not Testing Policy Changes

Problem: Making policy changes without testing impact.

Solution: Test policy changes:

  • Test in non-production first
  • Verify ATP calculations
  • Verify replenishment recommendations
  • Verify alert triggers

How to avoid: Make testing part of policy change workflow.

4. Not Monitoring Policy Effectiveness

Problem: Setting policies but not monitoring effectiveness.

Solution: Monitor policy effectiveness:

  • Track ATP accuracy
  • Monitor replenishment performance
  • Review alert frequency
  • Measure service levels

How to avoid: Make monitoring part of policy management.

Troubleshooting

Policy Not Taking Effect

Symptoms: Policy configured but not affecting behavior.

Possible causes:

  1. Policy not saved
  2. Policy scope incorrect
  3. More specific policy overriding
  4. System cache issue

Steps to resolve:

  1. Verify policy was saved
  2. Check policy scope
  3. Review policy precedence
  4. Clear cache and refresh

ATP Calculations Incorrect

Symptoms: ATP calculations don't match policy settings.

Possible causes:

  1. Policy not applied
  2. Conflicting policies
  3. Policy configuration error
  4. Calculation issue

Steps to resolve:

  1. Verify policy is applied
  2. Check for conflicting policies
  3. Review policy configuration
  4. Test ATP calculations
  5. Contact support if needed

Alerts Not Triggering

Symptoms: Alerts configured but not triggering.

Possible causes:

  1. Alert thresholds not met
  2. Alert policies not enabled
  3. Alert delivery issue
  4. Policy not applied

Steps to resolve:

  1. Check alert thresholds
  2. Verify alert policies enabled
  3. Check alert delivery settings
  4. Verify policy is applied

Permissions & Roles