Business Numbers, Planning Parameter

Business Numbers:

OTM auto-generates IDs for business objects — shipments, order releases, invoices — using Business Number Rules. By default, shipments get a simple sequential number (e.g. 01001). A custom rule lets you embed the date, a prefix, or a domain-specific sequence into the generated ID, making it easier to identify records and align with your organisation’s numbering conventions.

The default shipment number looks like this:

Default OTM shipment number showing sequential ID format

To customise the shipment number format, edit the Business Number Rule for the TCRP domain:

Business Process Automation > Power Data > Business Numbers > Business Number Rule > Search for %SHIPMENT%

You will see a default rule at the TCRP domain level for generating the XID. Edit this rule:

Business Number Rule list showing the default SHIPMENT rule for TCRP domain

Build a new rule using a combination of static and dynamic expressions:

'SHIP' — static prefix

{dddddddd:id=1} — date in YYYYMMDD format (dynamic)

'-' — static hyphen separator

{nnnnn:start=01000} — five-digit sequence starting at 01000 (dynamic)

Business Number Rule editor showing the four expression components

With this rule in place, planned shipments generate IDs in the format SHIP20200822-01000:

Shipment list showing newly generated ID in the custom format

Planning Parameter:

A Planning Parameter Set controls the behaviour of OTM Bulk Plan — consolidation rules, time windows, cost optimisation settings, and more. Each domain should have its own parameter set so plan settings can be tuned independently.

Create a new parameter set for the TCRP domain:

Shipment Management > Power Data > General > Parameter Sets > New

Parameter Set ID: TCRP_PLAN

Planning Parameter Set screen for TCRP_PLAN with default values

Note: All parameters in the set control how the Bulk Plan algorithm works — consolidation windows, maximum stops, weight/volume thresholds, etc. For this scenario we proceed with default values. In production these are tuned to match business planning rules.

Set TCRP_PLAN as the default planning parameter for the TCRP domain so it is pre-selected each time a Bulk Plan is submitted:

Configuration and Administration > Domain Management > Domain Settings > Search > Select TCRP > Edit > Set Parameter Set ID = TCRP_PLAN > Finished

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Bulk Plan

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