Viewing Network Visualization plansheet

The Network Visualization plansheet is displayed when you select a Planning Engine from the main menu and navigates to a multi-panel plansheet containing a Network visualization plansheet, or a Network Visualization Plansheet standalone. The network is displayed only if the Planning Engine Definition contains the required classes. These are the required classes:
  • Products
  • Suppliers
  • Locations
  • Customers
  • Supplier Allocations
  • Products At Locations
  • Routes Out
  • Routes
  • Routes In
  • Customer Allocations
  • Formulas
  • Transfers In
  • Transfers
  • Transfers Out
  • Processes
Note: This error message is displayed if the validation fails:
APACS360: Network Visualization Graph is not supported for this model.

You can open the Network Visualization graph by selecting a product at location using the selectors after validating the classes. You can also pass this value using a plansheet link configured from other plansheets to the Network Visualization plansheet when defined as part of a multi-panel plansheet.

You can also navigate from the Network Visualization plansheet to other plansheets when defined as part of a multi-panel plansheet, which has panel links defined. The multi-panel plansheet links can be configured to open associated plansheets when you click on nodes or arrows within the displayed graph. See, the SCO documentation for more details.

Network Visualization Plansheet with rv_select_product_location = True

The section describes the usage of the network visualization plansheet if the rv_select_product_location parameter is set to True. The Plansheet can be within a multi-panel plansheet or as a standalone plansheet.

The plansheet displays the Network Location Overview view upon loading. In this view, the Production and Distribution echelons are collapsed by location. The Purchase and the Sales echelons are collapsed and represented by ‘+’ icon.

You can use these options on the Network Location Overview:

  • Location selector: To select a location.
    Note: This option is enabled by default.
  • Product selector: To select a product.
    Note: This option is enabled only if a location is selected and displays the list of products that are available for the selected location.
  • Zoom: To magnify or reduce the graph on the screen. This option value ranges between 25% and 200% with a step of 25.
    Note: The default size is set to 100%.
  • Reset Network: To reset the network type to Network Location Overview.
    Note: 
    • This option is enabled only when a location and a product are selected.
    • This option is disabled after the value reset to Network Location Overview.
  • Expand Processes: To expand or collapse the process nodes.
    Note: 
    • This option is enabled only when a location and a product are selected.
    • By default, the processes are collapsed.
  • Show Standalone Nodes: To display or hide the standalone nodes. A standalone node is a node without incoming or outgoing arrows, which means a node is not connected to other nodes. These are the examples of standalone nodes:
    • A supplier that is not connected to a location.
    • A location that is not connected to a customer, supplier, or location.
    • A customer that is not connected to a location.
    Note: 
    • By default, the standalone nodes are displayed.
    • This option is enabled only when the network type is set to Network Location Overview.
  • Show legend: To display or hide the legend.
    Note: By default, the legend is displayed.

These are the ways to expand the network graph:

  • Expanding the network graph using selectors:

    You must select a location and a product at location from the available list to expand the network. This view is known as Network Expansion. For example, the selected product can be raw material, intermediate product, or final product that is available at the selected location. If you select a location and a product, the network is displayed as follows:

    • The selected Product at Location is highlighted in bold blue color.
    • All the nodes and arrows that can be reached the selected Product at Location node.
    • All the nodes and arrows that can reach the selected Product at Location node.

    You can expand or collapse Purchase and Sales echelons using the '+' icon. These options are displayed at Purchase echelon:

    • Show Suppliers Collapsed: To display a collapsed list of suppliers on one node named as ‘All Suppliers’.
    • Show Suppliers Expanded: To display individual supplier nodes.

    These options are displayed at Sales echelon:

    • Show Customers Collapsed: To display a collapsed list of customers on one node named as ‘All Customers’.
    • Show Customers Expanded: To display individual customer nodes.

    The Network Visualization plansheet is updated if:

    • You select a new location or product.
    • You click a resource in a plansheet that contains a list of Products At Locations. The selectors remain enabled and are updated with the passed values.
  • Expanding the network graph using a plansheet link:

    You can expand the network graph by defining a plansheet link from a plansheet of the Products At Locations class to the Network Visualization plansheet. This plansheet link modifies the view from Network Location Overview to Network Expansion while passing the product at location value.

Network Visualization Plansheet with rv_select_product_location = False

The section describes the usage of the network visualization plansheet if the rv_select_product_location parameter is set to False. This Plansheet can only be configured as part of a multi-panel plansheet.

The Network Expansion view is only available to display when the rv_select_product_location parameter is disabled. The Network Expansion view is displayed when a product at location value is passed using a multi-panel plansheet panel link. You can configure a panel link from a plansheet containing the Products At Locations, Customer Allocations, or Supplier Allocations class to the Network Visualization plansheet.

Note: The Network Visualization graph is not displayed on load if the rv_select_product_location parameter is set to False.

You can use these options on the Network Expansion view:

  • Location selector: To view the passed location.
    Note: You cannot modify this value.
  • Product selector: To view the passed product.
    Note: You cannot modify this value.
  • Zoom: To magnify or reduce the graph on the screen. This option value ranges between 25% and 200% with a step of 25.
    Note: The default size is set to 100%.
  • Expand Processes: To expand or collapse the process nodes.
    Note: By default, the description is not displayed, and the Diamond icon represents process nodes.
  • Show legend: To display or hide the legend.
    Note: By default, the legend is displayed.

The network displays all the nodes and arrows that are linked to the passed Product at Location value. The passed Product at Location node is highlighted in bold blue color, until another Product at Location resource is passed. You can expand or collapse the Purchase and Sales echelons using the '+' icon.

These options are displayed at Purchase echelon:

  • Show Suppliers Collapsed: To display a collapsed list of suppliers on one node named as ‘All Suppliers’.
  • Show Suppliers Expanded: To display individual supplier nodes.

These options are displayed at Sales echelon:

  • Show Customers Collapsed: To display a collapsed list of customers on one node named as ‘All Customers’.
  • Show Customers Expanded: To display individual customer nodes.

The Network Visualization plansheet can be updated when you click on a different resource in another plansheet, which contains a panel link to the Network Visualization plansheet. The selectors remain disabled and are updated with the new passed value.

Note: These options are not available when the rv_select_product_location parameter is set to False:
  • Network Location Overview
  • Show Standalone Nodes
  • Reset Network