Forecast clusters¶

Clusters classify materials and locations into governed groups. Demand Planning then assigns one parameter set to each material-cluster and location-cluster combination.

This registration defines membership. It does not define the statistical model, aggregation level, historical window, or split rule; those belong to cluster-level configuration.

Path in the platform¶

Configuration > Clustering

Use the Material or Location selector at the top of the page.

Grain and key¶

One record represents one material cluster or one location cluster. The numeric id is generated when a new cluster is saved.

Rules are evaluated by priority. Records not matched by a specific rule fall to the system default cluster.

Required material-cluster fields¶

The current screen requires all fields below before Submit is enabled.

Field	Meaning
`description`	Business-readable cluster name
`priority`	Order in which this cluster's rules are evaluated
`process`	Process owning the cluster; Community accepts `DP`
`regraAlocacaoClusterDTOList`	One or more material allocation rules

Required location-cluster fields¶

Field	Meaning
`description`	Business-readable cluster name
`priority`	Order in which this cluster's rules are evaluated
`regraAlocacaoClusterDTOList`	One or more location allocation rules

Location clusters are shared by planning processes and therefore do not carry a process field.

Optional input fields¶

Field	Meaning	Default Value When Not Provided
`id`	Existing cluster identifier when editing	A new numeric identifier is generated

Allocation-rule fields¶

Field	Required?	Meaning
`criterio`	Yes	Allocation criterion
`caracteristicaDTO`	For material status or characteristic rules	Selected status or characteristic
`atributosCaracteristica`	For characteristic rules	Characteristic attributes accepted by the rule
`locationType`	For `Location Type`	Location Type selected by the rule
`pais`	For `Country / State`	Country used by the location rule
`estado`	No	State used with the country; blank means the rule is not restricted to one state
`id`	No	Existing rule identifier when editing; generated for a new rule

Availability by edition¶

Capability	Community	Enterprise
Material clusters for Demand Planning	Available	Available
Material rule by lifecycle status	`Not Released`, `Regular`, `Discontinued`	Also `New`
Material rule by dynamic characteristic	Unavailable	Available
Location rule by `Location Type`	Available	Available
Location rule by `Country / State`	Available	Available
Location rule by dynamic characteristic	Unavailable	Available
Pricing clusters	Unavailable	Available

How allocation works¶

The platform evaluates specific clusters in priority order.
A material or location enters the first cluster whose rule matches.
The default cluster receives records not classified by a specific rule.
Cluster Allocation shows the effective result and can be exported.

Avoid priority ties and overlapping rules whose outcome depends on accidental ordering. Recheck allocation after creating, discontinuing, or reclassifying master data.

Dependencies¶

Materials and their lifecycle stage.
Locations and Location Type.
Planning characteristics for Enterprise characteristic rules.
an explicit priority and at least one auditable rule.

Used by¶

cluster-level Demand Planning configuration;
cluster-level AutoFit;
forecast simulation and official Demand Planning execution;
aggregation, split, analysis, and collaboration in the Demand Plan;
Planning Book filters and Enterprise pricing segmentation.

Validations¶

material clusters use process DP in Community;
every rule has a criterion and the fields required by that criterion;
Community material-status rules use supported lifecycle values;
Community location rules use Location Type or Country / State;
priority is explicit and produces deterministic allocation;
deleting a cluster requires reviewing configurations that reference it.