Importing files for Projected Demand

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Projected demand is a feature of IBM® Maximo Inventory Optimization that provides a powerful tool for predicting item usage. It is especially useful to set initial reorder levels for new items.

You can now import an XLSX, or CSV file with item data for future projection that is instantly analyzed. It also displays what records are successfully imported, and if any errors are found.

Accessing the Projected Demand Import File feature

To access the Projected Demand import file feature, you first need to download the template CSV file. Go to the Items module, click the downloads menu, and under Templates select Projected Demand. After the file is downloaded, you need to complete the fields for projected demand for any items you want to add.

Import File content

The file must contain enough detail for each item so that it can match a unique record in the system. The following are a list of fields and their values for the template file that is used to import Projected Demand information:

  • A uniquely identifiable item that can be assigned value by using only one record. It can be any value that makes up the business keys. (Examples include stock code, and location)
  • Select the forecast mode, options are explained in the Forecast Mode table.
  • Projected demand periods: the number of demand periods data that you're entering (For example, if there's three periods worth of information that is then set to '3'). It must match the forecast for projected demand, and can include up to 24 months of projected demands (enter the usage in these columns)
  • The last three fields in the file are used only for forecast mode N (New Trend). These fields are only updated if you enter values in them, which are then used to update the file. They can remain blank without any values, and are ignored by the import.

Only the following values are allowed for Forecast Mode:

|Value|Description|Notes| |||| |A|Actual| Actual usage historical values only used for forecasting. It is also the default option| |P|Projected| Only the entered Projected demand values are used for forecasting| |C|Combined| A combined forecast option where both actual history and projected demand values are used for forecasting| |N|New Trend|A forecast option that uses both present and future values |

Importing the Projected Demand File

When the file is complete, you can now upload it back to IBM Maximo Inventory Optimization. Click the actions menu The actions menu icon. Select Projected Demand Import. After you import the file, the data is validated and displayed on the Projected Demand Import Pane. You can select the date to apply this file import from, and click Import.

If you input future dates, and have the mode set to use Projected demand data as "New Trend, Combined or Projected"; the missing periods between now and the entered date will be set to 0 expected usage values.

Viewing Results

After Projected Demand file is imported, you can view the results by adding the Forecast Usage widget in the Form View, and viewing projected demand information by clicking the settings menu. For more information, see Forecast Widget.