Using Plan Filters in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

Introduction

Master planning can involve massive datasets—thousands of items, multiple warehouses, and complex supply and demand relationships. Running full planning cycles every time can be time‑consuming and unnecessary, especially when planners only need to focus on a specific product line, warehouse, or business scenario.

Plan filters in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management (D365 SCM) solve this problem. They allow planners to narrow the scope of master planning so that Planning Optimization processes only the relevant data. This improves performance, reduces processing time, and enables targeted scenario planning.

What Are Plan Filters?

Plan filters are criteria applied to a master plan to restrict which items, warehouses, or dimensions are included during planning. Instead of running planning for the entire company, planners can limit the run to:

• A specific set of items

• A product line or category

• A warehouse or group of warehouses

• Items with certain coverage settings

• Items with specific product dimensions

This selective planning approach is especially useful for large organizations or those performing frequent planning simulations.

Why Plan Filters Matter

Plan filters provide several operational benefits:

• Faster planning runs by reducing the dataset

• Focused planning for specific business areas

• Better performance during peak operational periods

• Scenario testing without affecting full‑scale planning

• Reduced system load, improving overall responsiveness

By applying filters, planners can run targeted simulations without waiting for full planning cycles.

How Plan Filters Work in D365 SCM

Plan filters are configured directly on the master plan. When Planning Optimization runs, it evaluates only the filtered dataset. This affects:

• Supply and demand calculations

• Planned orders

• Forecast consumption

• Item coverage rules

• Net requirements

The system ignores all items and warehouses outside the filter, making the planning run significantly faster.

Step-by-Step Overview of the Plan Filter Process

Step 1: Open the Master Plan

Navigate to Master planning → Setup → Plans → Master plans and select the plan you want to configure.

Step 2: Define the Plan Filter

In the Plan filter section, choose the filtering criteria.

Step 3: Select Filter Criteria

You can filter by:

• Item number

• Product dimensions

• Warehouse

• Coverage group

• Other item attributes

Step 4: Run Master Planning

Execute master planning. Planning Optimization will process only the filtered dataset.

Step 5: Review Planned Orders and Results

Analyze the output to validate supply, demand, and planning recommendations.

Common Use Cases

• Planning for a single warehouse during operational bottlenecks

• Running planning for a specific product line during seasonal demand

• Testing new planning setups without affecting full planning

• Reducing planning time during month‑end or peak periods

Conclusion

Plan filters are a powerful tool for improving planning efficiency in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. By narrowing the planning scope, organizations can run faster, more targeted planning cycles, enabling better decision‑making and more agile supply chain operations.

Plan Filters Process Flowchart

graph TD
    A[Start] --> B[Select Master Plan]
    B --> C[Apply Plan Filter]
    C --> D[Run Master Planning]
    D --> E[Generate Planned Orders]
    E --> F[Review Planning Results]
    F --> G[End]