Using PeopleSoft Demand Planning Work Queue Messages

This chapter provides an overview of Work Queue messaging and Work Queue messages and discusses how to:

Define Work Queue message usage.
Review Work Queue alerts.
Purge Work Queue alerts.

Understanding Work Queue Messaging

PeopleSoft Demand Planning uses its own messaging feature that provides information about exceptions that occur during the forecast cycle. The feature consists of:

Unique application message templates that the system uses to produce alerts.

You control when and how the system uses these messages to produce alerts and with whom you want to work with each type of message.
Work Queue alerts that the system produces when an exception occurs.
Work Queue Workbench which you can use to review, maintain, and purge alerts.

The system produces the Work Queue alerts, for example, when errors, warnings, or changes in status occur. Using the alerts, you can quickly identify situations that require attention without reviewing information for all items. The system generates alerts as it processes these PeopleSoft Demand Planning transactions:

Forecast period-end and mid-period calculations, cross view reconciliation, proration, and summarization.
Mass item maintenance, item creation, simulation, and maintenance.
External load of demand, forecast adjustments, user period data, and forecast items.
Seasonality profile generation.
Life profile calculation.
Work Queue maintenance.

You control whether the system generates Work Queue alerts for forecast items using the control group. Within each control group, select which messages will generate alerts. This depends on the reporting requirements for that control group. For example, alerts for high or low growth or trend warnings for an organization's high-volume, high-value items are more important than the same warning for low-value items.

Different people, who are responsible for different functions within the organization, process and resolve alerts. For example, you might assign a message about a forecast item being automatically added during forecast generation to a demand planner. The alert prompts the planner to review the system-generated initial forecast and adjust the forecast as necessary.

On the other hand, an alert indicating that the forecast item has exceeded the annual growth threshold established for the control group might require the planner to review the forecast item with the marketing department to see if the alert was due to a new sales channel that is expected to continue or if this is a one time surge of demand and is not expected to reoccur. Use the Work Queue Workbench to display and maintain all alerts meeting the selection criteria.

The system groups alerts into a queue that you can sort or filter to meet the business needs. You can select all Work Queue alerts for a particular item or select all items for a particular Work Queue message. This helps you concentrate on high-priority alerts as well as business-critical items. You can also add and future-date memos as reminders to review if certain conditions repeat themselves.

To use Work Queue messages:

Review the configuration settings for Work Queue messages using the Work Queue Message page. To access the page, select Define Security, Work Queue Messages.

Work Queue messages are system-supplied and ready for use. You cannot add, delete, or change the messages, but you can change their configuration.
Indicate if you want the system to generate an alert for a specific message during processing, update message-urgency levels, and define who is responsible for specific messages.

The system stores messages in the DP_MSGSWRKQUEUE record. When you create new control groups, the system copies all of the messages that are turned on for the control group to the DP_CTRLGRPWRKQUE record. During the forecast cycle, when message conditions occur and the messages are set for use with the control group on that forecast item, an alert is written to the DP_WRKQUE_MSG record.
Use the Work Queue page to have the system generate alerts for messages for items that are associated with a control group.

Using control group settings, you can control message frequency and conditions. To access the Work Queue page, select Define Forecast Elements, Control Groups, Define.
Run any process that generates Work Queue alerts.

The system places alerts that occur during processing, such as forecast generation, in the Work Queue.
Review Work Queue alert details using the Work Queue Workbench.

As part of the review, you can quickly check items that are associated with an error, filter messages by items and severity, change alert statuses, add comments about errors, or close individual alerts.
Use the Work Queue Specification feature to create a Work Queue purge specification.

After you complete the review and respond to alert conditions, you can change alert statuses to Closed and delete them from the system. Purge specifications provide selection criteria for processing multiple alerts.
Run the DP Work Queue Purge process (DP_WQPURGE ) to change alert statuses or delete them from the system.

Understanding Work Queue Messages

This table describes Work Queue messages and the processes that create Work Queue alerts.

Number	Message Label	Description	Default Severity	Process
313	Seasonality smoothing warning	This is a forecast alert. There is insufficient data to achieve the seasonality smoothing goal.	2	Generate Seasonality Profiles (DP_CALCSEAS)
314	Insufficient Demand for Seasonal	This is a forecast alert. There is insufficient demand for the seasonal model. The model requires a minimum of 18 or 24 months of demand, depending on the historical periods that you establish for control data.	2	Generate Seasonality Profiles
757	Could not balance Group/Items	The proration period error was caused by one or more of these situations: The group ID in a period has a total to prorate that is less than zero. The group ID in a period has a total to prorate that is equal to zero, and the available to be prorated is greater than zero. The group ID in the period has a total to prorate that is greater than zero, and the available to be prorated is zero.	1	Cross View Reconciliation (DP_XVIEWREC) Proration (DP_PROCALC)
758	Proration ratio out of range	The prorated forecast is outside of the permitted range of threshold ratios and appears on the Work Queue for the item or group ID.	1	Cross View Reconciliation Proration
761	Item suspended	This is a forecast alert. The item reached consecutive periods of zero demand as defined for control groups on the Tracking page.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation (DP_FCMIDCALC) Period End Forecast Calculation (DP_CALCFC)
762	Item reinstated	This is a forecast alert. The system previously suspended the item, and now it has reinstated the item.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
763	Review Added Group Item	This is a summarization warning. A user selected the Create Missing Groups option during summarization, and the system created a parent record for orphans.	2	Summarization (DP_SUMMCALC)
764	Group without children	This is a summarization warning. A user selected the Delete Groups without Detail option during summarization, and the system deleted a parent record without children.	2	Summarization
765	User memo	A user added a memorandum to a Work Queue entry on the Add Memo page.	4	Work Queue Workbench
769	Period tracking error	This is a forecast alert. The item exceeds the maximum acceptable value of the ratio of the SAD (smoothed average deviation) to the MAD (mean absolute deviation) for a number of consecutive periods as defined for the control group's Tracking page.	2	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
771	Growth low warning	This is a forecast alert. The growth percent is less than the minimum that is defined for the control group on the Tracking page.	2	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
772	Growth high warning	This is a forecast alert. The growth percent is greater than the maximum that is defined for the control group on the Tracking page.	2	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
774	Review Auto Added Item	This is a demand posting and forecast item maintenance warning.	2	Forecast Item Create/Maintain External Adjustments (DP_EIADJ) External Demand Data (DP_EIDMD) External Forecast Item Data (DP_EIFCI) External User Period Data (DP_EIUPD) Cross View Reconciliation
775	Demand for Inhibited Item	This is a demand posting warning. The item was set to Inhibited on the Maintain Forecast Item's Model Control page, and the system posted demand in this period.	2	External Demand Data
786	Forecast Adjustment Failed	The system did not make adjustments to the forecast.	1	None
789	Bias for Life Item Chk Profil (bias for life item check profile)	This is a life profile error. The system determined that bias might exist for the life profile item during a forecast calculation or a life profile recalculation.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
790	Est Vol Change of n% for item (estimated volume change of n percent for item)	This is a life profile error. The change in the total expected life volume amount during a forecast generation or a life profile recalculation exceeds the life change threshold percent that was set for the control group.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
791	Life Profile not Found	This is a life profile error. A user entered a life profile code, but the system cannot locate the life profile information.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
792	Life Profile Weights are zero	This is a life profile error. The system located the life profile record, but the sum of the life profile weights is zero. The system considers this a fatal error, and a life profile calculation will not occur.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
793	Life Profile Instances missing	This is a life profile error. A life profile record exists, but associated life profile items (instances) are present. This indicates a data integrity problem.	1	Calculate Life Profile Calculate (DP_CALCLP_AE) Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
794	Forecast Model Change	During forecast calculations, the system changed the forecast model (for example, it may have found seasonal items and changed the model to seasonal).	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
796	Demand filtered for outliers	During forecast calculations, the system used parameters set for outliers to filter demand that exceeded the outlier limit.	1	Forecast Simulation Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
797	New error coefficient > CG (new error coefficient is greater than control group	During forecast calculations, the system determined that the error ratio exceeded the limits that were defined for the control group.	1	Forecast Simulation Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
798	Reopt fail, non-seasonal used	During forecast calculations, the reoptimization failed, and the system used a nonseasonal forecast model.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
799	Invalid FC Method - Reset	During forecast calculations, the system found a forecast method that was not valid and reset the method to best fit.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
831	No Demand Invalid Model	The system did not perform a forecast calculation for this item. The forecast item does not have demand and has an unsupported forecast model.	1	Period End Forecast Calculation
832	Future Effective	The system did not perform a forecast calculation for this item. The system found a future effective date and an unsupported forecast model.	1	Period End Forecast Calculation
833	Not Enough Demand	The system did not perform a forecast calculation for this item. There was not enough demand data to do the calculation.	1	Period End Forecast Calculation
834	Reopt Failed based on periods (reoptimization failed based on periods)	The system did not perform a forecast calculation for this item. Reoptimization failed because the number of seasonality periods is greater than the demand periods.	1	Period End Forecast Calculation
835	Reopt Failed Census X11 periods (reoptimization failed census X11 periods)	The system did not perform a forecast calculation for this item. Reoptimization failed because there was not enough demand data for Census X11 seasonality.	1	Period End Forecast Calculation
888	Calculation Code Update	The system updated a value based on its calculation code.	3	Period End Forecast Calculation Mid Period Forecast Calculation
890	Reconcile Adjustment Excluded	During processing the system did not apply the calculated result for the adjustment due to the established criteria. Use the Exclude when Adjustment in Period changes by more than field on the Reconciliation Specification to set the alert parameters.	4	Period End Forecast Calculation Mid Period Forecast Calculation
891	Reconcile Report % Change	During processing the system detected a percentage change outside of the criteria for an adjustment. Use the Report Work Queue Alert when Adjustment in Period changes by more than field on the Reconciliation Specification to set the alert.	4	Period End Forecast Calculation Mid Period Forecast Calculation
996	Seasonality Profile Factor Set to Zero	The seasonality profile factor was negative, so the system reset the factor to 0.	1	Generate Seasonality Profiles
997	Box Jenkins Data not Valid	The system selected the Box Jenkins model for this control group and used it as the best-fit model, but the data set is not valid for the model.	1	Forecast Simulation Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation
1299	Control Group is not valid for this View	During midperiod or period-end processing, a control group was either blank or missing and the item was not processed.	1	Mid Period Forecast Calculation Period End Forecast Calculation

Defining Work Queue Message Usage

To maintain work queue messages, use the Work Queue Message Maintenance component.

You maintain Work Queue messages to indicate how you want the system to process the message. For example, you indicate whether or not to record the message and how urgent it is. You can update message information at any time.

This section discusses how to define message usage.

Page Used to Define Work Queue Message Usage

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Work Queue Message	DP_MSGSWRKQUEUE	Demand Planning, Define Security, Work Queue Messages	Define message usage by using configuration settings and personalizing the settings.

Defining Message Usage

Access the Work Queue Message page.

The message number that you selected for the search appears with its description. To maintain a message:

Select Record Error to activate the message.

If you do not select Record Error, the system doesn’t create messages for the condition. The system uses this setting in conjunction with the control group's Work Queue setting to determine whether to record Work Queue messages. To record a message at the control group level, select Define Forecast Elements, Control Groups, Define.
Enter the severity of the message condition in the Urgency Level field.

The most severe value is 1; 99 is the least severe.
Use the Assign To field to select the user ID of the person who is responsible for responding to the condition indicated by this message.

Reviewing Work Queue Alerts

After running PeopleSoft Demand Planning transactions that generate Work Queue alerts, check for exceptions using the Work Queue Workbench. You can identify which items have problems and correct them without having to review all the items in the system.

This section discusses how to:

Select alerts for review.
View alert details.
Add memos to Work Queue alerts.

Pages Used to Review Work Queue Alerts

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Work Queue Workbench	DP_WORKQUEUE_FLTR	Demand Planning, Process Forecast, Work Queue Workbench	Select alerts for review by defining selection criteria.
Selection Criteria	DP_WQUESPECSEL_SEC	Demand Planning, Process Forecast, Work Queue Workbench	Define criteria for the field that you selected on the Work Queue Workbench page. See Defining Selection Criteria.
Details	DP_WORKQUEUEDETAIL	Click the Details link on the Work Queue Workbench page.	View alert details that occurred during the processing of forecast items including forecast generation.
Add Memo	DP_WORKQUEUEMEMO	Demand Planning, Process Forecast, Work Queue Workbench, Add Memo	Add memos to the Work Queue alerts and update error details.

Selecting Alerts for Review

Access the Work Queue Workbench page.

This page displays high-level details of the Work Queue alerts that match the selection criteria.

Initially this page opens without entries. When you define selection criteria and click Search, the system displays alerts that meet the criteria. If you do not enter criteria, the system retrieves the first 300 alerts in the Work Queue.

See Defining Selection Criteria.

Search

Click to begin a search based on the selection criteria you enter.

Clear Filter

Click to remove the current selection criteria.

Field Name

Select a field on which to limit the number of alerts that appear in the Work Queue. Fields include:

Alert Status: Indicates the alert's current state. A Closed status indicates that the alert has been reviewed and resolved. An Open status indicates that the alert has not been closed. Action may or may not have been taken for the alert.
Assigned To: Defines the person or organization who reviews alerts that are assigned to that person or organization.
Close Date: Defines the date on which the Work Queue message was closed. This means the message has been reviewed.
Forecast Item: Bases criteria on forecast items. Select an item using the Define Selection Criteria page.
Function Code: Represents the process that generated the Work Queue message. These codes identify the specific functions that process forecast views. For example, EVR is the code for reapply event weights.

See Function Audit Codes.
Level: Defines a forecast level for which you want to review alerts.
Message Number: Identifies specific messages for which the system produces alerts when cycling the forecast.
System Date: Defines the date on which the system generated the alert.
Urgency Level: Defines the severity level of the alerts that you want to retrieve. If you select this value, you can enter a value up to 99. Define urgency values using the Work Queue Messages feature.
User ID: Defines the person or organization that ran the transaction generating the Work Queue alert.
Work Queue Sequence: Defines the Work Queue sequence number that is associated with a specific Work Queue alert. This is not the message number.

Forecast Item Tab

Select the Forecast Item tab.

This tab displays the forecast items on Work Queue alerts that match the selection criteria. After performing a search, you can close all alerts using the Select All check box to select the alerts. The system changes the alert status to closed when you select Save. To clear all selected check boxes, select Clear All.

Level	Displays the forecast view level for this item. The system creates Work Queue alerts at each level in the forecast view.
Forecast Item	Displays the item the system retrieved based on selection criteria.
Details	Click to access the Details page where you can view additional information about the alert.
Alert Status	Displays the state of the alert. A Closed status indicates that the alert has been reviewed and resolved. An Open status indicates that the alert has not been closed. Action may or may not have been taken for the alert.
Close	Select this check box to change the Alert Status to Closed. Clear this check box to change the Alert Status to Open.
Description	Displays the Work Queue message for the alert.

User Fields Tab

Select the User Fields tab.

This tab displays high-level details about user fields of the Work Queue alerts that match the selection criteria.

Occurred Date	Defines when this alert was generated by the system.
Close Date	Defines when this alert was closed.
Sequence	Displays the system-assigned number provided for the alert when it was generated. This is not the message number.

Viewing Alert Details

Access the Details page.

This page displays additional information about the alert and provides a work area for responding to and closing the alert. The Additional Information field displays text that might help correct the Work Queue alert condition, and the Analyst field displays the forecast analyst who is assigned to the message. To assign the analyst, select Define Planning Elements, Forecast Items, Maintain Forecast Items, Forecast Items.

Number	Displays a Work Queue sequence number, which is the unique identifier for the selected alert. The system creates the ID during forecast generation to record and track alerts. This is not the message ID number.
Assign To	Displays the user ID to whom the alert has been assigned.
Alert Status	Select which status you want to assign to the alert. You can open a Closed status or close an Open status. Click Update to change the status.
Enter Notes for this Entry	Enter any comments that you want to retain with this alert.
Update	Click to update the status and save the comments that you enter on this page.

Adding Memos to Work Queue Alerts

Access the Add Memo page.

Use this page to associate memo entries with a Work Queue alert. Memos are comments, instructions or notes regarding the resolution or closing of the alert. For example, after reviewing several Work Queue alerts, you might enter a memo about an item that is then available for viewing by other users in the system or may instruct another person to take a specific action. You can change the date for a memo. The system adds memos to the Work Queue with a description of User Memo.

Use message number 765, User Memo, to add information to a Work Queue alert. Each time you add additional information in a memo, the system creates a new alert.

If you want to use the Work Queue to record alerts that don’t relate to a current forecast item, you can add pseudo items to the forecast Item Master record. For example, you can add a reminder, memo, or a similar pseudo item to the record.

Urgency	Displays the current severity level. You can override this value.
Occurred	Displays the current date and time. You can override the value.
Additional Information	Enter additional comments about this memo.
Level	Select the level in the forecast view at which you want to add this memo. Available levels are those that are defined for the view.
Forecast Item	If this memo isn’t forecast-item related and you have set up a pseudo item—for example, a memo or reminder—you can enter that ID in this field. Otherwise, add a memo for specific items.

Purging Work Queue Alerts

After reviewing and resolving alert conditions, you can close the alert, delete it from the system, or both. Deleting a specific alert that is associated with a message removes the alert, not the message, from the system.

This section discusses how to:

Create Work Queue specifications.
Purge alerts.

Pages Used to Purge Work Queue Alerts

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Work Queue Specification	DP_WQSPEC_FILTER	Demand Planning, Process Deletions, Work Queue Specification	Create Work Queue specifications for purging alerts from the system.
Selection Criteria	DP_WQUESPECSEL_SEC	Demand Planning, Process Deletions, Work Queue Specification	Define selection criteria for the field that you selected on the Work Queue Workbench page. See Defining Selection Criteria.
Work Queue Alerts	DP_WRKQUEPURGE	Demand Planning, Process Deletions, Work Queue Alerts	Purge alerts that are associated with the Work Queue message. This does not delete the message.

Creating Work Queue Specifications

Access the Work Queue Specification page.

Use Work Queue purge specifications to either close or delete multiple Work Queue alerts. Define purge specifications for individual forecast views. For each view, define which types of alerts you want to purge and whether to delete or close the alerts. You must define at least one selection criteria to save the specification.

Update Options

Select an action that you want the system to perform for alerts. Values include:

Close: When you use this specification to purge alerts, the system changes open messages that meet the selection criteria to a Closed status. This does not remove them from the system.
Delete: Removes the message exception from the system.

Prior Days to Update

Enter the number of days prior to the current date that you want the system to close or delete alerts. The system only deletes or closes alerts with a status change that is within the time period that you enter and that meet the selection criteria. If you do not enter prior days to update, the system assumes that you want all alerts that match the selection criteria.

For example, if you select Delete in the Update Option field and enter 60 in this field, the system includes all records that are equal to or greater than 60 days old in the specification and deletes them from the system when you use the specification to purge alerts.

If you select Close, all records with an occurred date that is equal to or greater than the number that you enter are included in the specification. The system closes these records only when you use this specification to purge alerts.

Use the fields in the Selection Criteria grid area to define selection criteria for the Work Queue specification.

Note. If you select Alert Status in the Selection Criteria Field Name field, the available values are either C (closed) or O (open).

Purging Alerts

Access the Work Queue Alerts page.

Use the DP Work Queue Purge process to close or delete conditions that are associated with multiple Work Queue messages. Select the purge specification in the Specification field.