Viewing a classic allocation strategy

To view an existing classic allocation sub-strategy:

  1. Select Configuration > Strategies > Classic Allocation. The Classic Allocation strategy screen is displayed.
  2. Click Search to display a list of allocation strategies
  3. View detail information by selecting the specific record. Information displayed includes:
    Allocation Strategy screen – Header
    Allocation Strategy
    Unique ID identifying the allocation strategy.
    Description
    Description of the allocation strategy.
    Retry if Quantity Remains
    Selection indicating whether the system breaks up larger units into smaller units to allocate an order.

    For example, if you are attempting to allocate full case quantities from a designated case pick location but there is not enough inventory in that location, this flag determines if the system should convert the quantity remaining to be allocated into a smaller unit of measure (such as eaches) and attempt to allocate it from the piece pick location.

    If this selection is set to No and there is not enough inventory in the designated Case Pick location in the above scenario, the case pick quantities on the order do not get allocated. To complete the allocation from the case pick location, a replenishment or move needs to be completed and allocation needs to be re-run for the order.

    Allocation Strategy Type
    Type of strategy used for allocation.

    Firm - Normal allocation logic that determines and reserves the specific lot, location, license plate, and quantity for each item.

    Soft - Flexible allocation logic that checks only for availability by item and not at the specific lot, location, or license plate level. Dynamic picking uses soft allocation, which directs pickers to the location of the product but allows for pallet swapping if the user gets product that meets rotation requirements as defined for the item.

    Allocation Strategy screen – Detail List
    Step Number
    Order in which the steps are processed. Use this field to change the sequence of the strategy steps.
    Description
    Description of the allocation step. There is a default description populated based on the Pick Code used for the line. The description can be changed as needed.
    UOM (Unit of Measure)
    The UOM specified in each step is used to determine how the picks created by allocation should be broken. Examples of the UOM are Pallet, Case, Inner Pack, and Each.
    Pick Code
    The pick code is the name of the process the system executes to attempt to allocate the corresponding strategy line.
    Select Location By
    The first rule the system uses when determining which inventory to allocate is the Lot Number identified during the pre-allocation process. Once that has been identified, this field is used to determine which location the correct lot should be allocated from. Note that this does not apply to assigned forward pick locations (Case or each pick).

    Options include:

    • Route/Location Sequence
    • Clean Location (Quantity Low to High)
    • Exact Fit (Inv Qty = Qty Needed
    • Bigger Fit (Inv Qty > Qty Needed)
    • Best Fit (Inv Qty < Qty Needed)
    Note: The Select Location By field does not apply to fixed pick locations.
    Location Category Override

    Allows you to specify a specific group of locations for this allocation step to consider, by selecting a category from the drop-down. Valid Location Categories can be defined in the System Codes configuration and used in the Location configuration. Each location is assigned to a Location Category in the Location configuration.

    Pick Code
    Pick code chosen when selecting the Unit of Measure (UOM) for the allocation step. When the UOM is selected from the lookup window, the correct Pick Code is populated on this screen. The Pick Code represents the system process that is executed to satisfy the specific allocation rules needed.
    Create one pick by UOM and Location?
    You can set up allocation strategies with multiple steps for the same UOM and use this field to designate the locations that do or do not utilize cartonization. This selection determines if cartonization occurs or is bypassed for one UOM at a location category level. The available selections are No and Yes.
    • If you select No, the system uses cartonization for locations with settings that match the line within the allocation strategy selected for allocation.
    • If you select Yes and there are locations with settings that match the line within the allocation strategy selected for allocation, the system bypasses cartonization and creates one pick detail for each UOM and location.
    • If you attempt to set up multiple lines within a strategy for one UOM and the same location category but with both Yes and No values for this selection, a message is displayed indicating that you must select the same Create one pick by UOM and Location value. You cannot save the allocation strategy record until you make the necessary changes.
    Location Type Override
    When specified, this selection directs allocation to attempt to choose a specific Location Type for Case or Piece pick locations. This override can only be used for pick codes that specify Cases (NSPALSTD02), Inner Packs (NSPALSTD03), and Each (NSPALSTD06) units of measure.

    Example:

    You want to break picks by case quantities when possible, but you do not have a designated forward case pick location, only a location that has been assigned to the item for eaches. The Location Type Override setting can be used for the Case unit of measure pick code (NSPALSTD02) to indicate cases should be allocated from the Piece Pick location assigned to the item instead of trying to allocate from a Case location.