Scheduling helpers

Enter parameters to set up scheduling helpers to perform parallel processing in master scheduling.

Comment

Enter brief, descriptive text. This text is also displayed on the Generaltab of the Session logform. Optionally, enter a comment.

Master plan

Select the master plan to use in the calculation.

Principle

Select the master scheduling method to use.

• Regeneration– Deletes existing planned orders and generates new planned orders based on all known requirements.

• Net change– Generates planned orders to cover only new or changed requirements that have occurred since the last master scheduling. However, action and futures dates are updated for all requirements. This option is available only if you calculate a dynamic master plan.

• Net change minimized– Generates planned orders, together with action and futures dates, to cover only new or changed requirements that have occurred since the last master scheduling. This option is available only if you calculate a dynamic master plan.

Number of helpers

Enter the maximum number of scheduling helpers to use. The actual number of helpers that is used depends on the number of available batch threads among the batch servers.

Item distribution factor

This field is used to calculate the number of items that are processed at a time by each helper. The program calculates the number of items by using the following formula:

(# of helpers + 1) * Item distribution factor

The value of this field affects the master scheduling performance. A value that is too low could result in a high load being placed on the helper synchronization mechanism. A value that is too high could result in a situation where helpers sit idle and wait for each other to finish before they all can proceed.

Test results show that 20 is a reasonable starting level for this field. You can adjust the value based upon customer-specific factors, such as data composition and hardware setup.

Track item process duration

Select this check box to store the processing duration records that are created for each processing round during the master scheduling run. You can use the records to analyze the efficiency of the planning process and adjust the scheduling helper parameters.

Note
Using this parameter affects master scheduling performance, so you should limit using this option to fine-tuning the planning process.