Analytics for Inventory Manager

FSM Analytics Inventory Manager is a large module where several fact tables are deployed to describe different types of transactions and processes. A fact table uses the attributes of the transactions and ties them to the values allowing users to evaluate the events. Because of the diversity of activities in the Inventory area each fact table may not share the same dimensionality, thus the need for more than one fact table. For example, the Time attribute has at least three different perspectives in the Inventory area depending on the facts being reviewed.

The Inventory Transactions subject area contains information about transactions in the inventory module and the accounting distributions related to that activity based on fiscal calendar elements, the date and time the transaction happened. The data flows into this subject area as often as data is refreshed in the Inventory subject area and can be tied to GLTotals. To ensure details are visible, journals should be posted in detail.

The Inventory History subject area contains summarized information about transactions that items had by type at each company, inventory location, and inventory period to date. Inventory History uses the Inventory Calendar set up in the Inventory application in Financials & Supply Management. This data is updated when the Inventory Period close program runs at the end of a period, sent to the data lake and is subsequently pulled into Infor Birst.

The Inventory On Hand subject area is a snapshot of the InventoryItemLocation records at the time of the last refresh of the ItemLocation records. That means that there is no relationship to time elements in this model. Instead, everything is measured against the last data refresh. This data also updates as often as data is refreshed and has no relationship to any date or time other than the moment of the extract. It is only a snapshot.

The difference in the relationship of time is one of the reasons for separating these facts into multiple fact tables.