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Intro to Traceability add-in for D365 Supply Chain Management | FastTrack Tech Talk Dynamics 365

Introduction

Introduction

Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's Dynamics 365 Tech Talk. Our topic for today is an introduction to the traceability add-in for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. My name is Alejandra, and I will be your moderator. Our presenters for today are Bano, Senior Program Manager, and Lin Jan, Senior Engineering Manager from Microsoft.

Presenters

Bano
Senior Product Manager for the traceability feature.
Contact: [Email/LinkedIn]

Lin Jan
Senior Engineering Manager for the traceability team.
Contact: [Email/LinkedIn]

Agenda

  1. Introduction to the New Traceability Feature
  2. Demo of Out-of-the-Box Integration
  3. Use of Traceability Public APIs
  4. Roadmap and Current Updates
  5. Q&A Session

Introduction to Traceability

The traceability feature aims to solve three primary business problems:

  1. What happened?
  2. How did it happen?
  3. Which items are impacted?

Using as-built BOM and maintain BOM, the feature tracks the composition of objects and logs activities across Supply Chain Management (SCM).

For detailed analysis, the feature includes multiple dimensions such as business time, activity type, and collection of data for each activity. The impact scope is determined using serial numbers, batch numbers, lot numbers, and asset numbers.

Use Case: Koso EV

Koso EV, an electric vehicle manufacturer, faced a situation where customers complained about power attenuation. Marcy, the quality engineer, identified a specific batch of batteries as the issue. She used the genealogy tree report and "where-used" reports to trace impacted vehicles and communicated with the sales and manufacturing teams for recalling and refurbishing the vehicles, respectively.

Business Flow of Traceability

Traceability is designed to track and trace from sourcing and purchasing to warehouse management, manufacturing, quality management, sales, and customer service. The feature tracks two kinds of information:

  1. Genealogy Inventory (as-built and as-maintained BOM)
  2. Custody Inventory (including activities like sales and manufacturing operations)

Data such as vendor information and quality tests can also be collected for custom needs.

Integration Data Flow

Traceability integrates with D365 SCM through a backend process designed for big data query and inside analysis. The out-of-the-box integration includes manufacturing production floor execution, with further plans for integration into purchase, warehouse, sales, quality, asset, and transportation management. Custom integrations can also be developed using public APIs.

Demo

The demo simulates various processes:

  1. Raw Material Purchasing
  2. Batch Order Production
  3. Production Order Execution
  4. API Integration for Sales Confirmation

Detailed steps for each process, including creating purchase orders, production orders, registering serial numbers, and performing operations through various interfaces, were demonstrated.

Roadmap

We are currently in phase two of the public preview of the traceability feature. Here’s what is included and expected in future updates:

Phase Two

  • Data Collection Model
  • Enhanced Where-Used Reports
  • Data Lake for Long-Term Storage
  • Co-Pilot Summary for Reports

Future Enhancements

  • Bi-Directional Search for Data Collection
  • Full Integration with D365 SCM Modules
  • Premium Licensing Post-GA

Keywords

Keywords:

  • Dynamics 365
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Traceability
  • Genealogy Inventory
  • Custody Inventory
  • Data Collection
  • Manufacturing
  • Production Order
  • Integration
  • Public API
  • Co-Pilot Summary
  • Data Lake

FAQs

FAQ:

  1. What happens if the connection between D365 SCM and Traceability is broken temporarily?

    • The transaction data will be stored in a temp table in D365 SCM and later retrieved by the traceability service once the connection is restored.

  2. Is the auto-generation of serial and batch numbers mandatory?

    • No, it is not mandatory. You can input numbers manually or use vendor-provided serial or batch numbers.

  3. What is the licensing model for traceability?

    • During the public preview, no extra subscription is needed. Post-GA, it will follow a premium licensing model similar to the demand planning feature.

  4. Can the traceability feature integrate with other modules?

    • Yes, it can integrate with manufacturing, purchasing, sales, warehouse management, quality management, asset management, and transportation management.

  5. How is data kept for long-term storage?

    • Data Lake is used for long-term storage to meet regulatory compliance which may require keeping data for over 10-20 years.

Thank you, everyone, for attending today's Tech Talk. Feel free to join our Yammer group for the latest updates and contact the product team for any questions. Have a great day ahead!

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