Reverse planning in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central lets you override the replenishment system directly in the planning journal. You are not locked to the replenishment system set on the stock keeping unit card or item card.
You can split a single demand into several supply lines. One planning line for 30 pieces can become a production order for 10, a purchase order for 5, and transfer orders for the rest.
You can transfer in the opposite direction of the normal flow. If an item normally moves from your production location to Copenhagen, you can pull it back from Copenhagen with a transfer order.
When you carry out a line with a combination that already exists in the reverse planning worksheet, Business Central asks whether you want to add to the existing line or create a new one. If you use combined shipment, multiple transfer lines for the same location merge into one transfer order.
How standard MRP planning determines supply
In standard MRP planning, when you run a planning worksheet or plan, the stock keeping unit card or the item card decides how an item is supplied. The replenishment system on the card determines whether the item is a purchase, production, transfer, or assembly item, and you get one supply method per item.
What reverse planning changes
Reverse planning lets you mix replenishment systems. You change the replenishment system directly in the journal, and you split lines so one demand becomes several supply lines. This gives you high flexibility to create orders manually while still starting from a calculated MRP suggestion.
Splitting a demand across production, purchase, and transfer
Here is a concrete example. You run a simple MRP calculation based on safety stock on your production location and get the items you need to supply. Look at item 1100. With the default setup, the suggestion is to supply 30 pieces. It is a forward-plan item set up as a production order.
In real life you might want to split that. Maybe you only have capacity to produce some of them, and you want to buy or transfer the rest.
Production: You set the production quantity to 10 pieces and start it immediately. If you check the “keep line after carry out” column, the line stays after you run carry out, and it creates a line in the reverse planning worksheet. When you carry out from the reverse planning worksheet and accept, it creates a production order, because the line is a production line.
Purchase: Back in the simple MRP journal, you change the quantity to buy another 5 pieces. If you have a stock keeping unit card with a vendor number on that location, the vendor number fills in automatically. You carry out actions, and it creates a purchase line for 5 pieces. Carrying out now produces two separate orders with two different supply channels.
Transfer: You can also transfer the item. The useful part is that you can transfer in the opposite direction of the normal flow. The item normally fills up from the production location to Copenhagen, but you can pull it back from Copenhagen with a transfer order. You set 7 pieces and carry out. The planning worksheet now shows three lines: a transfer order, a purchase order, and a production order.
You can transfer from other locations too. You could pull 2 pieces back from Hamburg instead of Copenhagen, with its own date.
Handling lines with the same combination
If you create another line with a combination that already exists in the reverse planning worksheet, Business Central reacts. Say you add 8 pieces to transfer back from Copenhagen on 8 May, but you already made a reverse planning worksheet line combining production and Copenhagen. When you carry out, the system sees the existing combination and asks whether you want to add to the existing line or create a new line.
The same applies if you produce again, or purchase again from the same vendor. Choose to add, and the quantity goes onto the existing line. Choose to create a new line, and you get a second line with the same combination but a different date.
In the example, you end up with two Copenhagen transfer lines with two different dates. With combined shipment, those two lines become one transfer order. The same logic lets you build one purchase order with several lines for the same item, each with different dates and quantities.
Why this flexibility matters
Reverse planning gives you a high degree of control over how supply orders are created manually. You start from a calculated MRP suggestion, then split, redirect, and combine the supply to match what is actually possible. You decide per line whether to produce, purchase, or transfer, and from which location, without changing the underlying item or stock keeping unit setup.
Q&A
Can I change the replenishment system without editing the item card?
Yes. With reverse planning you change the replenishment system directly in the planning journal. You are not bound by the replenishment system set on the stock keeping unit card or item card.
Can I supply a single demand with several different methods?
Yes. You can split one demand into multiple lines, for example producing 10 pieces, purchasing 5, and transferring 7, each becoming a separate order with its own supply channel.
Can I transfer an item in the opposite direction of its normal flow?
Yes. If an item normally moves from your production location to Copenhagen, reverse planning lets you create a transfer order that pulls it back from Copenhagen instead.
What happens when I create a line with a combination that already exists?
Business Central asks whether you want to add to the existing line or create a new line with the same combination. This applies to production, purchase from the same vendor, and transfers from the same location.
How do I keep a planning line after carry out?
Check the “keep line after carry out” column. The line stays in the journal after you run carry out and creates a corresponding line in the reverse planning worksheet.
Can several transfer lines for the same location become one order?
Yes. If you use combined shipment, multiple transfer lines for the same location merge into a single transfer order. The same applies to purchase lines on one purchase order with different dates and quantities.