How Sales Schedules Work in Infor LN: Releases and Cumulative Quantities
Infor LN sales schedule release cumulative quantity shipped how it works
Also searched as
- Infor LN sales schedule vs sales order
- LN sales schedule firm and planned quantities
- Infor LN schedule release new release replaces old
- how to process a customer forecast schedule in Infor LN
Short answer
A sales schedule in Infor LN holds a customer's rolling demand as a series of releases, each replacing the last, with lines split into firm and planned quantities. LN tracks cumulative quantities shipped against the customer's cumulative received so that a new release can be reconciled without double counting or dropping demand.
Applies to: Infor LN 10.x with the Sales Schedules functionality; typical for automotive, high-tech and industrial repeat-demand customers
How to process and reconcile a sales schedule
- 1Make sure the customer is set up for schedule-based demand: an order type or sales contract that allows schedules and a schedule type on the business partner.
- 2Receive the release manually or through EDI, and open it in the Sales Schedules area. Confirm the release number is higher than the one held.
- 3Check the cumulative received quantity the customer reports against your cumulative shipped. A difference is the first sign of lost or unconfirmed shipments.
- 4Review the schedule lines: the firm horizon is committed demand, the planned horizon is a forecast that planning may use but you should not ship against without confirmation.
- 5Run the schedule through its approval or process step if your setup needs it, so that the release becomes the active one and the previous release is superseded.
- 6Let planning consume the schedule, and ship against the firm lines using normal outbound processes.
- 7After shipping, confirm cumulative shipped updated and send the despatch advice if the partner expects one.
- 8On the next release, repeat the cumulative check before accepting the new quantities.
Releases replace, orders accumulate
A sales order is a commitment you add to. A schedule release is the customer's latest statement of total demand and replaces the previous release. This difference is the source of most confusion. If a customer sends release 12 with 500 pieces for next week and release 11 had 300, the demand is 500, not 800.
LN keeps releases so you can compare them and see what changed. The comparison matters operationally: a drop from 500 to 200 in the firm horizon is a conversation with the customer, especially if you already built material against it. Many manufacturers add a policy for what part of cancelled firm demand the customer pays for, and LN gives you the data but not the contract.
Firm, planned and the horizons
Schedule lines carry a type. Firm lines are authorised for shipment. Planned or forecast lines tell you what is likely and let you plan capacity and materials. Often there is a third zone, a material authorisation period, where the customer pays for material you purchase but not for finished goods.
These horizons are agreed in the contract, and they should be mirrored in how planning treats the lines. If planning treats forecast as firm, you will overbuild. If it ignores forecast, you lose lead time on long-lead components. Review how your planning setup uses schedule demand types before blaming the schedule.
Cumulative quantities and why they matter
Cumulative quantity is the running total shipped since a reset date, often the start of the model year or a contract start. The customer sends its cumulative received. You hold your cumulative shipped. The difference is goods in transit, goods lost, or a booking error on one side.
Without cumulatives you cannot tell whether a new release's required quantity is net of what you already delivered. With them, a cumulative-based schedule states total required to date, and the net requirement for each period is the required cumulative minus your shipped cumulative.
When the numbers do not agree, do not adjust your cumulative silently. Agree a reconciling figure with the customer, document it, and then correct. Silent adjustments cause disputes at year end.
Net requirement for a period net = customer required cumulative - our shipped cumulative Example: required 4,200, shipped 3,900, net = 300
Common reasons a schedule looks wrong
A schedule that shows no demand often means the release was rejected as out of sequence, or the item or ship-to did not convert and the lines were not created. A schedule whose quantities look doubled usually means a release was loaded as an addition rather than a replacement, or the same release was processed twice. A schedule with past-due lines usually means shipments were not booked against the schedule, so the cumulative never moved.
Check the link between the shipment and the schedule line. If goods are shipped on a manually created order instead of against the schedule, the cumulative does not update and the same demand stays open.
Common pitfalls
- !Adding a new release to the old one instead of replacing it, doubling demand.
- !Shipping on a separate manual order so the schedule cumulative never updates.
- !Letting planning treat forecast lines as firm and overbuilding.
- !Adjusting cumulative shipped without agreeing it with the customer.
- !Accepting an older release number that overwrites newer demand.
How an ERP-grounded AI assistant handles this
ERPray can read schedule releases and shipments to show, per customer, where your cumulative shipped differs from the customer's reported cumulative and how firm demand changed between the last two releases. Answers come with the query shown and respect LN roles. It does not edit schedules; corrections go through the normal sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a sales schedule and a sales order in Infor LN?
A sales order is a commitment that accumulates. A sales schedule holds the customer's rolling demand where each new release replaces the previous one. Schedules suit repeat demand with weekly or daily forecasts, while orders suit one-off or project purchases.
Why are my schedule quantities doubled?
Most often a release was processed twice or loaded as an addition. Compare the release numbers and check the message log for duplicate processing. A correct setup replaces the previous release with the new one.
What is a cumulative quantity?
It is the running total shipped, or received by the customer, since an agreed reset date. Comparing both sides shows goods in transit or lost and lets you work out net requirement for each period.
Should I ship against planned quantities?
Normally not. Planned or forecast lines are not authorisation to ship. Ship against firm lines unless the contract says otherwise, and confirm with the customer before shipping forecast quantities.
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