Using a Distribution Network

While a plan's direct costs are described by its plan items, distribution network describes the indirect costs. Multiple distribution networks may be defined and used with a plan in order to simulate alternative distribution scenarios.

The assignment of a distribution network to a plan is done on the Totals tab of the Plan editor.

Assigning a distribution network to a plan means that in the plan operations, the scheme of indirect costs described by the distribution network will be used for the plan.

When a distribution network has been assigned to a plan, the next step is to recalculate the results. This is done by either of the following actions:

• Distribute Costs

  This action recalculates both distribution costs and distribution details

Recalculating distribution details means that the distribution percentages registered within each distribution are applied to the distribution's source element and assigned as costs to its target element. This is done for all distributions in the distribution network.

Distribution costs are distribution details aggregated according to distribution targets thus representing the sum of indirect costs incurred by each distribution target.

The actions are started form the right-click context menu in the catalog of plans.

After performing the calculation, distribution results are persistently stored in objects of the Distribution Cost and Distribution Detail object type. They can be examined on the Distribution Costs and Distribution Details tabs of the Plan editor. Double-clicking a distribution total in the Distribution Costs tab opens the total in an editor, where it can be examined in detail.