# Infor M3 Scheduling Options (APS162 and Job Scheduling)

> Source: https://netray.co/erp-help/infor-m3-scheduling-options-aps162-job-scheduling
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: ERP Help

## Short answer

Scheduling in M3 has two meanings. Planning scheduling sets dates and capacity for manufacturing orders, forward or backward, with infinite or finite capacity. Job scheduling runs batch programs such as MRP at set times. We cannot verify APS162 details from public sources, so confirm what that program does in your release before you change it.

## Kind

how-to

## System

infor-m3

## Erp

Infor M3

## Module

Planning / Scheduling / Job scheduler

## Query

infor m3 scheduling options

## Alternate Queries

- infor m3 aps162pf
- m3 aps162
- m3 job scheduler setup
- m3 manufacturing order scheduling

## Applies To

Infor M3 manufacturing and planning, with or without advanced planning and scheduling. Program names vary by release.

## Steps

### Choose and configure scheduling

**Items:**

- Decide the planning question: do you need dates only (infinite capacity), or a plan that respects work center load (finite capacity)?
- Check item and warehouse planning parameters such as lead times, which feed the scheduling dates.
- Check routings and work center capacity, calendars and efficiency. Scheduling is only as good as these.
- Choose the scheduling direction for orders: backward from the due date for make-to-order, forward from the start for urgent jobs.
- If you use advanced scheduling, review the options in the scheduling program you use, including APS162 if it appears in your menu, and read its documentation for your version first.
- Set up the job scheduler for the batch runs: MRP, scheduling regeneration and clean-up, with sensible times and a named owner.
- Test in a sandbox with a copy of production data, compare planned dates to reality, then tune.

## Sections

### Planning schedule versus job schedule

**Body:**

Planning scheduling calculates start and finish dates of manufacturing order operations from routing times, work center calendars and lead times. Infinite scheduling ignores load and gives you dates quickly. Finite scheduling places operations into available capacity and exposes overloads, at the cost of heavier master data and more tuning.

Job scheduling is different. It decides when background jobs run. MRP, for example, is normally scheduled for off-hours. A job that never ran is a common reason planned orders are stale.

### About APS162

**Body:**

People search for APS162 along with scheduling options, which suggests it is a program in the advanced planning area. We have not found a reliable public reference that defines each of its options, so we do not describe them here. Do not copy a settings list from a forum. Open the program, read the field help, and check the Infor documentation for your version.

If you inherit a configuration, export the current values before changing anything so that you can roll back.

### Getting good dates

**Body:**

- Most bad schedules come from data: routing times that are guesses, work centers without calendars, and lead times that nobody maintains. Fix these before reaching for finite scheduling.
- Compare planned versus actual order completion over several weeks. That error is the real measure of your scheduling quality.

## Pitfalls

- Turning on finite scheduling with poor routing data.
- Changing scheduling parameters in production without a sandbox test.
- Relying on a batch job that silently failed overnight.
- Copying APS option values from another site.
- Not exporting current settings before a change.

## Ai Angle

An assistant can report which orders slipped, which work centers are overloaded and which scheduled jobs failed last night, from live data and with the query shown. Netray builds this as a read-only layer that can run on-prem, and leaves parameter changes to your planners.

## Faq

### Does M3 do finite capacity scheduling?

**Answer:** M3 offers capacity-aware planning and scheduling, with the depth depending on the modules you license. Many sites run infinite scheduling and review load separately.

### How do I schedule MRP to run nightly?

**Answer:** Use the M3 job scheduler to create a job for the MRP run with its parameters and a time, and check the job history for failures.

### What is APS162?

**Answer:** It appears in the advanced planning area, but we cannot confirm its options from reliable public sources. Check the field help and Infor documentation for your release.

## Search terms

infor m3 scheduling options, infor m3 aps162pf, m3 aps162, m3 finite capacity scheduling, m3 job scheduler, m3 manufacturing order scheduling, m3 mrp schedule nightly, infor m3 advanced planning

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