Assigned quantity is a function in Business Central that creates soft reservations on sales orders. Instead of locking inventory with a hard reservation, it makes sure your customers get the items you promised them in the order you promised them. The first customer you promise is the first one to get an item.
When you enter a quantity on a sales order line, the system looks ahead a defined number of months and calculates how much it can assign based on the inventory profile. The look-ahead period is a setup field. If you cannot replenish your inventory within that period, you need to set it longer.
If there is not enough to assign the full quantity by the shipment date, but enough exists within the look-ahead period, the system asks whether you want to move the shipment date. If you say yes, it moves the date and assigns the full quantity. If you say no, it assigns only what is available by the original date.
What assigned quantity does in Business Central
Assigned quantity is a tool that creates soft reservations rather than hard reservations. The purpose is to make sure your customers get the items you promised them, in the order you made the promises. So the first customer you promise will be the first one who gets an item.
The function calculates mathematically what is optimal to promise your customer. It assigns as cleverly as possible based on what you actually have and what is coming in.
How the inventory profile drives the calculation
To see what is happening, you can use the free Graphical Inventory Profile app from AppSource. It visualises the inventory situation for an item on a given location.
In the example used here, item number 1000 on location basic has a lowest inventory of 5 on the 28th of May, but an ending inventory of 30. The reason for the difference is a production order coming in on the 9th of June, which replenishes the stock.
When you assign quantity, the system only looks at the assigned quantity, meaning what you have actually promised to customers. That gives you a clear picture of your real, committed availability rather than your theoretical stock.
The look-ahead period and how much gets assigned
When you create a sales order line, the system automatically looks ahead and calculates how many units it can assign. The look-ahead period is controlled by a setup field. In this example it is set to two months.
If you make a sales order line for 20 pieces with a shipment date of 25 March, the system assigns 7 rather than the 5 you might expect from the lowest inventory point. From the shipment date you entered, it looks two months ahead. Looking at the assigned quantity in the inventory profile, the stock goes to zero on the 6th of May, and the demand from the production order is more than two months ahead of the order date.
The logic assumes it is possible to replenish the item within the look-ahead period. If your replenishment lead time is longer than two months, you need to extend the period so the calculation stays realistic for your supply situation.
Moving the shipment date to assign the full quantity
The behaviour changes depending on how close the shipment date is to the next incoming supply. If you change the shipment date to 15 April, which is still before the production order but less than two months before it, the system again looks two months ahead.
This time it tells you there is not enough to assign the complete quantity by the requested date, but there is enough within the two-month period, and it asks whether you want to move the shipment date.
- If you say no, it still assigns 7, matching what is available by the original date.
- If you say yes, it moves the sales order date and assigns the full quantity.
In the example, saying yes moves the sales order date to the 10th of June, the day after the production order arrives. After this, the graphical profile including assigned quantity shows an ending inventory of 10, with the sales order moved to its new date.
Why use assigned quantity
Assigned quantity gives you a way to calculate what is realistic to promise your customers without over-committing your stock. Because it works on soft reservations and respects the order in which you made your promises, it protects your earliest customers while still letting you assign as much as your incoming supply allows. When the requested date does not fit, it offers a concrete alternative date based on your actual replenishment.
Q&A
What is the difference between assigned quantity and a hard reservation?
Assigned quantity creates a soft reservation. It makes sure customers get items in the order you promised them, so the first customer you promise is served first. A hard reservation locks specific inventory directly. Assigned quantity is more flexible and lets the system calculate what is realistic to promise.
Why does the system assign more than the lowest inventory level?
From the shipment date you enter, the system looks ahead a set number of months (two months in the example). It assumes you can replenish within that period, so it includes incoming supply such as production orders. That is why it can assign 7 instead of the lowest inventory point of 5.
How do I change how far ahead the system looks when assigning quantity?
The look-ahead period is a setup field. If you cannot replenish your inventory within the default period, set it to be longer so the calculation matches your actual replenishment lead time.
What happens when there is not enough stock by the requested shipment date?
If there is not enough to assign the full quantity by the requested date but enough exists within the look-ahead period, the system asks whether you want to move the shipment date. Say no to assign only what is available by the original date, or say yes to move the date and assign the full quantity.
Which app shows the inventory profile for assigned quantity?
The Graphical Inventory Profile app is a free app from AppSource. It visualises the inventory profile for an item on a location, including assigned quantity, so you can see how the calculation works.