Enhanced Planning Worksheet by Insight Works

The Enhanced Planning Worksheet app by Insight Works is designed to provide in-depth support for MRP and inventory management in Dynamics 365 Business Central. This demand planning app for Business Central integrates with the core planning module and adds advanced demand or supply analytics, demand forecasting, and procurement automation. Its goal is to “bring inventory to demand” and optimize supplier orders by solving the problems associated with manual planning, siloed data, and standard MRP limitations. The app centralizes planning tasks in a single interface and provides interactive graphs and detailed summaries. Insight Works positions this Microsoft Dynamics app as a key tool for manufacturing and distribution companies lacking the standard capabilities of NAV/Business Central.

Key features of Enhanced Planning Worksheet

The application offers a fully integrated Enhanced Planning Worksheet. It includes features such as:

• Demand Forecasting and Planning: Advanced forecasts based on historical sales, with support from Azure ML/Cortana Intelligence. The ability to dynamically update business forecasts and automatically apply them to MRP calculations.
• Calculation of stock parameters: Can calculate safety stock, reorder point, and maximum inventory using customizable formulas.
• Multi Warehouse planning: All the stock in the system, and you can also move stuff between different stock types right from the worksheet.
• Supplier management: Keep track of order thresholds for each supplier, like minimum orders and purchase amounts, and we analyze purchase history. All the data on interactions with suppliers is available on a single dashboard.
• Procurement automation: Making purchase order (and move order) proposals based on how much we need to buy and the amounts specified.

Interactive reports and visualization: There are graphs and summary reports on demand/supply, sales/purchase, and stock trends. The interface is user-friendly and has filters for products, categories, and warehouses.

• Fine Tuning Tools: Can change the planned parameters (order point, order size) directly on the worksheet. You can also create custom expressions and formulas for calculations.
• Integration with core BC functionality: The app is like an AL add-on to Business Central. It uses the standard tables Item, DemandForecast, Purchase Line, Prod. It’s a pretty straightforward process, but it does add its own objects (like internal tables for worksheet rows) and pages. According to the Insight Works documentation, when the extension is installed, new worksheet pages and code units register subscribers to BC events (e.g., order or inventory changes) to dynamically recalculate data. The updated forecast and parameter values are written back to BC (e.g., to Demand Forecast or to a product card). This way, the app works as one planning and shipping tool in BC, working closely with the MRP engine and standard purchasing/production functions.

Installation steps of Enhanced Planning Worksheet by Insight Works

You can find the app on Microsoft AppSource. There’s a free version too, it’s just for one user. If you want to install the solution on your own, here’s how: 

• To install, go to the AppSource page and click “Install Now” (for BC Online, this will automatically download the extension to the environment).
• Once you install it, you’ll need to assign a license at the admin level it as a per-user or per-tenant subscription.

Setup involves entering key parameters: often setting up stock calculation formulas and thresholds on a configuration page.

You’ll also need to specify what types of documents are involved in planning (sales/purchase orders, planning schedules, moves) and set up links to supplier data. Insight Works provides video demos and documentation to guide you through the first steps and help you understand what settings to configure for your supply chain.

Pros and Cons of Enhanced Planning Worksheet App

Insight Works’ Enhanced Planning Worksheet brings a single, customizable planning engine into ERP with AI-guided demand forecasting, dynamic order logic, and multi-warehouse coordination. Here are the main pros and cons of the product.

Benefits of the App

Enhanced Planning Worksheet has some great features that are built right into Dynamics 365, which makes it a top pick for a lot of businesses.

• Enhanced planning accuracy: Automatic point-of-order and safety stock calculations allow you to keep optimal stock levels and avoid shortages or oversupply.
• Graphical Interface and Analytics: Clear supply/demand charts and dashboards help you spot trends and bottlenecks quickly. This makes decision-making faster. 
• Managing multiple locations: It supports multiple warehouses/branches, so you can do cross-documentation directly from the worksheet. That way, you can save inventory by reallocating it.
• Intelligent Forecasts:  Integration with Azure ML provides more accurate AI-based demand forecasts than standard BC charts. This is especially important for companies with unstable demand.
• Flexibility & Scalability: The system lets you tweak the formulas to fit your business (like different products, suppliers, margin calculations). The application can support small businesses with one user and large enterprises. It’s scalable, so it can handle growing volumes.
• Unified Environment: Everything works in Business Central, so there’s no need to switch to third-party systems.

Downsides of the App

Despite its many benefits, Enhanced Planning Worksheet has a number of limitations that need to be considered when implementing it.

• Language and technology issues: The app is only available in English, which makes it tough for non-immersive users to learn. Also, only Dynamics 365 Business Central versions are supported (i.e., NAV/GP versions aren’t eligible).
• There are limited customization options: The app is closed, so there’s no source code available to change the logic. You can only change the settings that are provided. If you need something specific, you’ll have to reach out to our partners at Insight Works to see about adding on functionality or making changes.
• Licensing: There’s only one user that’s free. If you want to use it for the whole team, you’ll need to pay for a subscription (you can’t find the prices on AppSource, so you’ll need to contact Insight Works or a partner).

Common Use Cases of Enhanced Planning Worksheet App

This section of the Enhanced Planning Worksheet app review outlines practical applications of the tool across various cases. It’s pretty flexible and can help you improve different parts of the supply chain.

• Managing inventory and transfer orders across different warehouses – With multiple warehouses, planners use the Enhanced Planning Worksheet to analyze current and recommended balances for each location. The worksheet automatically generates transfer orders to reallocate products between sites, so you don’t have to make unnecessary purchases.
• Predicting changes in demand for the season – For companies with strong seasonal sales (like FMCG manufacturers), the sheet is where they put historical sales data, tweak forecast periods, and use AI models (Azure ML) to adjust their inventory in advance. This helps them avoid shortages during busy times.
• Planning purchases for retailing in an organized way – The store network looks at demand for each product group and automatically creates purchase proposals from different vendors in one interface. This makes manual entry simpler, considers the lowest and highest orders depending on the vendor, and keeps shelves up-to-date at all points of sale.
• Vendor monitoring and analytics – Procurement managers get a summary of key performance indicators for each vendor in one place (like purchase volumes, compliance with minimum lots, delivery time), which helps them compare efficiency and optimize the assortment. They can also generate POs right away, taking into account the specified KPIs.

Licensing and Price of Enhanced Planning Worksheet by Insight Works

There’s a free version on AppSource, but it’s just for one user. If you’re going to use it for a long time, you’ll need to get an Insight Works subscription. The AppSource page says “Buy – contact me,” so the price is set by partners. Usually, the licensing model is an annual “per user” subscription. Two BC editions are supported: Here are the essentials, and then we’ve got the premium option (you’ll need the premium option for production functions). 

There are some things to keep in mind when it comes to individual limitations. For example, if you’re working with Azure ML (Azure services) to calculate forecasts, Insight Works has you covered. If you need more details about the license and rates, you can get in touch with an Insight Works sales representative or partner.

As a D365 demand planning app, Enhanced Planning Worksheet stands out for its native integration with Business Central, unlike many standalone or partially integrated planning tools.

Alternative Planning Worksheet Apps 

Here are three third-party solutions that can replace or supplement Enhanced Planning Worksheet functionality. We’ll go over their main features and key differences from the native MRP extension for Business Central.

RetailEdge POS Software

RetailEdge – It’s a POS solution with all the bells and whistles, plus advanced inventory management, perfect for retailers. The offline and web versions support point-of-sale and online store operations, and they work with mobile POS on iPhone, iPad, and Android, as well as with payment systems (EMV, Apple Pay), gift cards, and loyalty programs. RetailEdge doesn’t integrate directly with Dynamics 365 Business Central, so you need a separate accounting platform, which can cause problems with data synchronization. It also doesn’t have the AI forecasting or fine-grained MRP logic of Enhanced Planning Worksheet.

Fishbowl Inventory

Fishbowl Inventory – It’s a solid warehouse and production management platform that’s all tied into QuickBooks and Xero accounting systems. It automatically syncs up your purchasing, sales, and inventory data. The solution lets you track things in real time across different locations, including keeping track of bins and racks, and moving goods between warehouses quickly. But Fishbowl doesn’t work with Business Central, so we need to develop connectors to exchange data. Also, the built-in MRP capabilities are mostly just for basic production scenarios, and they’re not very integrated with ERP processes.

Katana MRP

Katana MRP – is a cloud-based inventory and production management solution designed for direct interaction with e-commerce and business systems via APIs. The platform offers real-time inventory, integrations with popular e-commerce platforms and accounting solutions, as well as Shop Floor and Warehouse mobile apps to control operations in the production and warehouse area. Katana is a standalone SaaS that requires a separate subscription and integration with Business Central via APIs, while Enhanced Planning Worksheet is installed as an extension within BC and directly operates on ERP data.

Conclusion: Should You Use Enhanced Planning Worksheet by Insight Works?

Enhanced Planning Worksheet – This is a really powerful “next level” tool among D365 demand planning apps. It provides companies with complex planning (multi-warehouse distributors, manufacturers, and organizations with unstable demand) with a single interface for demand/supply analysis and procurement automation. 

In this review of the Advanced Planning Worksheet application, we took an in-depth look at its key features, such as artificial intelligence-assisted demand forecasting and dynamic inventory management. If you’re in the market for a demand planning app d365 that works like a charm with BC, look no further. This solution is one of the best out there. Azure ML AI models let you do dynamic optimization that follows the same principles as Dynamics 365 planning optimization. In the enhanced planning worksheet dynamics app review, we looked at the technical architecture of the solution and showed real-life examples of how it’s been successfully implemented into business processes. Since there aren’t many apps for Dynamics 365 that have such native integration and scalable functionality, the Enhanced Planning Worksheet is an obvious choice. Insight Works says this tool is “your key to unlocking efficiency” when it comes to planning and forecasting.

Oleksandr Volkovitskiy

Oleksandr is a passionate technical professional with extensive expertise in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (D365 CE) customization, Canvas App development, and Power Automate solutions. His skill set includes Azure Function and Azure Durable Function development, Logic Apps, and seamless integration of PCF components into Canvas Apps. With a deep understanding of Azure technologies and a strong background in developing tailored solutions for D365, Oleksandr brings a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach to enterprise application development. He enjoys exploring new Microsoft solutions and shares his insights with the readers.