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4. DFU clusters

This lesson puts the forecast configuration foundations into practice using the planning characteristics loaded in lesson 2. It creates two DFU clusters on the material axis and one global cluster on the location axis, with every member list checked.

For didactic simplicity, this tutorial does not segment locations. Its only location cluster covers all 12 active locations. The two material clusters provide the differentiation used by the statistical configurations.

Rules inside one cluster are cumulative. A material enters the group only when it is both a Finished Good and belongs to the selected family.

A DFU (Demand Forecasting Unit) is the material-location combination at which the demand plan is detailed. Clusters organize DFUs along two axes: locations group customers or markets that share one policy, while materials group products with common statistical behavior and treatment.

Exercise starting point

Before you begin, confirm that:

  • 16 materials and 48 material-characteristic assignments are loaded;
  • 12 locations and 12 location-characteristic assignments are loaded;
  • Sales history contains 1,824 rows;
  • none of the clusters below exists.

Cluster design

Dimension Description Priority Rules Expected members
Material White Paper Finished Goods 10 MATERIAL_STAGE = Finished Good and PRODUCT_FAMILY = White Paper 6
Material Tissue Finished Goods 20 MATERIAL_STAGE = Finished Good and PRODUCT_FAMILY = Tissue Paper 2
Location Demand — All Locations 10 None — global cluster 12

These three clusters produce only the two effective combinations configured in the tutorial:

---
config:
  layout: elk
---
flowchart LR
  L["Demand — All Locations<br/><span style='font-size:10px;color:#64748b'>12 active locations</span>"]
  M1["White Paper Finished Goods<br/><span style='font-size:10px;color:#64748b'>6 materials</span>"]
  M2["Tissue Finished Goods<br/><span style='font-size:10px;color:#64748b'>2 materials</span>"]
  C1["Forecast Configuration<br/>White Paper × All Locations"]
  C2["Forecast Configuration<br/>Tissue × All Locations"]
  L --> C1
  M1 --> C1
  L --> C2
  M2 --> C2

Open the workspace

Required action

Open cluster configuration and verify the Dimension and Cluster selectors before creating any rule.

Configuration menu with Clustering highlighted

  1. From Home, open Configuration.
  2. Select Clustering.
  3. Use the Dimension and Cluster selectors on the left and the editor on the right.

Create the white-paper cluster

Required action

Create the reference cluster with two cumulative rules and validate the six resulting materials. This is the fully demonstrated case.

  1. Under Dimension, select Material clusters.
  2. Choose New material cluster.
  3. Enter White Paper Finished Goods under Description.
  4. Enter priority 10.
  5. Choose Add characteristic.
  6. Keep Criterion = Characteristic, select Material Stage, then Finished Good.
  7. Choose Add characteristic again.
  8. Select Product Family, then White Paper.
  9. Check the description, priority, and both rules.

Rules for the white-paper finished-goods cluster

  1. Choose Save cluster and wait until the server save-and-reload message is visible.
  2. Under Cluster, select White Paper Finished Goods again.
  3. Materials in this cluster loads automatically. Check the six white-paper finished goods; rolls and skids must not appear.

Create the tissue cluster

Required action

Repeat the previous cluster logic for tissue, changing only description, priority, and product family.

  1. Still under Material clusters, choose New material cluster.
  2. Enter Tissue Finished Goods and priority 20.
  3. Add Material Stage = Finished Good.
  4. Add Product Family = Tissue Paper.
  5. Save the cluster.
  6. Under Cluster, select Tissue Finished Goods again.
  7. Wait for Materials in this cluster to update automatically, then check the two members: FG_TISSUE_DOUBLE_12 and FG_TISSUE_TRIPLE_12.

Real preview of the two materials associated with the tissue cluster

The Cluster members panel is resolved from the saved definition. It proves that the rules selected the expected materials, not merely that the form was filled in.

Create the global location cluster

Required action

Create a location cluster with no rules and confirm that it contains all 12 active locations in the exercise.

  1. Under Dimension, select Location clusters.
  2. Choose New location cluster.
  3. Enter Demand — All Locations and priority 10.
  4. Do not add membership rules. With no rules, this cluster represents the complete set of active locations in the exercise.
  5. Choose Save cluster.
  6. Under Cluster, select Demand — All Locations again.
  7. Under Locations in this cluster, choose Load members.
  8. Wait for Member snapshot loaded, then check all 12 locations loaded in lesson 2.

The material member table loads automatically when its cluster is selected. For locations, Load members generates the preview on demand. In both cases, validate the list before continuing.

Read the result

If a finished good is missing, check its MATERIAL_STAGE and PRODUCT_FAMILY assignments first. If an intermediate appears, a rule is missing or has the wrong value. For locations, confirm that all 12 locations are active. Because this is a global cluster, do not add a rule to force the count; investigate the records and their active status first.

Do not weaken the rule just to force the expected count. The rule expresses a business decision; discrepancies must be corrected in master data or explained.

Checkpoint

  • 2 functional material clusters with 6 and 2 members;
  • 1 global location cluster with no rules and 12 members;
  • no statistical configuration or Demand Plan created;
  • rules and members reloaded from the server, not only displayed in a draft.

The next lesson creates a monthly Demand Planning execution profile. Holt-Winters configuration for both combinations follows in the next chapter. Return to the course map or continue to the demand execution profile.