Integrations / ERP / Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management
SkyPlanner APS for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management: Finite Capacity Production Scheduling
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management that makes every production order, resource, operator, tool and material finite at clock time, across the whole horizon. D365’s own finite capacity is partial. Planning Optimization is finite only inside the capacity time fence. Microsoft says not to use finite capacity when your capacity changes with shifts (source), and job scheduling books one order at a time (source). SkyPlanner schedules all orders together, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
SkyPlanner integrates with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management in both directions: production orders, route operations, resources, released products and purchase orders flow in, and scheduled dates and resources flow back. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your Supply Chain Management setup during onboarding.
Pricing is from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, and each extra workstation is 20 € per month. The free trial runs for 30 days with up to 20 workstations and no credit card.
What changes in your production
The whole plant in one schedule.
D365 SCM job scheduling places production orders one by one, around the capacity already reserved. SkyPlanner schedules every open order together against real capacity, so the order scheduled first no longer takes the best slots by default.
Shifts that really count.
Every machine and person gets finite capacity with real shifts, absences and overtime. Shift-based capacity is exactly where Microsoft advises against using finite capacity in master planning. SkyPlanner is built for it.
Fewer changeovers.
SkyPlanner knows the changeover time between each pair of products, in both directions. Blue to red can take 30 minutes and red to blue 60. The engine runs jobs in the order that loses the least time to setups.
Shared tools and crews booked finitely.
A mold in use on one machine is never booked on another at the same time. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. When a resource is busy, work moves to an alternative machine or person.
A schedule that respects material.
SkyPlanner checks stock and incoming purchase orders. A job waiting for a vendor delivery is planned after that delivery date instead of stopping on the floor.
Rush orders replanned in seconds.
When a machine stops or a rush order lands, Autopilot reschedules automatically. Your locks and priorities stay in control, and planners adjust jobs on an interactive Gantt timeline.
Operators see their queue.
Each operator sees the next jobs on a phone or tablet and logs work as it happens. The office sees progress live.
SkyPlanner reviews from manufacturers
2 hsaved every week
“SkyPlanner has taken our production planning from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production optimization.”
Kalle Kalliomäki, Supply Chain Specialist
UTU · Electrical switchboards and switchgear
Production planning saves 2 hours of working time every week, and a new work queue reaches the line in seconds.
+90%production efficiency
“Efficiency has gone up 90% in production.”
Abdul Rucyinga, Head of IT
Laboratory & Allied · Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Production efficiency is up 90%, and a three-month optimized plan across all workstations takes under 30 minutes.
1,000swork orders scheduled automatically
“Production is under control in a different way, and our understanding of capacity is on a completely different level.”
Hannu Ryynänen, CEO
Mamec · Industrial mixers, pumps and high-tech contract manufacturing
Thousands of work orders are scheduled automatically, with a real-time view of production for the whole organization.
6 monthsof free capacity visible to sales
“SkyPlanner creates the foundation and reliability for all production planning.”
Anu Järvinen, Production Manager
Fredman Operations · Food-safe packaging papers
Sales sees free capacity six months ahead, and schedule-change requests that took an hour or more are answered in seconds.
How the Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management integration works
- Supply Chain Management sends the work. Firmed and released production orders with their route operations and BOM lines flow into SkyPlanner, together with resources, calendars, on-hand inventory and purchase orders.
- SkyPlanner builds the schedule and keeps it current. The Arcturus engine plans every operation across all resources in seconds and replans as production changes.
- Dates go back to Supply Chain Management. Scheduled start and end times and the chosen resource return to the production order and its route operations. SkyPlanner webhooks push every schedule change as it happens.
Supply Chain Management stays your system of record. It keeps released products, BOMs, routes, Planning Optimization, purchasing, inventory and costing. SkyPlanner owns the sequence and timing of every operation.
| Dynamics 365 SCM object | SkyPlanner object | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Released products | Products and materials | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| Bill of materials, production BOM lines | Product structure, subproducts | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| Route, route operations, operation properties | Process steps with setup and run times | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| Resources, resource groups, capabilities | Workstations, workstation groups, efficiencies | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| Working time calendars | Shifts | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| Production orders, route operations, route jobs | Orders and jobs with due dates | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| On-hand inventory, purchase order lines | Stock and incoming material | SCM → SkyPlanner |
| Scheduled start and end, resource | Planned operation dates and workstation | SkyPlanner → SCM |
| Route card journal | Logged hours and quantities | SkyPlanner → SCM |
SkyPlanner connects through Supply Chain Management’s standard data entities over the OData REST endpoint, authenticated with a Microsoft Entra ID app registration. There is no add-in to install. Every plant runs D365 SCM differently, so the SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your setup during onboarding and supports it after go-live. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs. Your Dynamics partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented API (API reference).
Entities, write-back rules and pitfalls are in the Dynamics 365 SCM integration guide for production scheduling.
Job scheduling, Planning Optimization and finite capacity scheduling
D365 SCM is only partly finite. Planning Optimization is finite inside a time fence and infinite beyond it. Job scheduling books jobs with finite capacity, but one order at a time around capacity already reserved by earlier orders (source). Microsoft’s own documentation sets the limits:
- Finite master planning assumes fixed capacity. For master planning, Microsoft advises: “If your capacity can change as requirements change (for example, when you’re working with shifts), you shouldn’t use finite capacity functionality.”
- Finite only inside a time fence. Outside the Finite capacity time fence, master planning is infinite. Microsoft notes “a single-day time fence is probably too low for most manufacturers.”
- Order by order. Job scheduling places each production order forward or backward around existing reservations and picks resources by shortest lead time or priority. Setup is time on the operation, and job scheduling handles at most 32 resources per operation. Master planning can sequence planned orders by product attributes such as color and size (source).
- The Gantt chart for manual adjustments. Planners schedule selected jobs from a menu, arrange jobs on a resource and reassign jobs to another resource. Drag and drop moves one job at a time on the same resource. (source)
Beyond the time fence, and wherever shifts change your capacity, D365 master planning is a rough-cut plan. SkyPlanner schedules every order, machine, person, tool, material and changeover finitely together in one engine, across the whole horizon, and Autopilot replans automatically when production changes. Every detail is explained in Does Dynamics 365 SCM have finite capacity scheduling?
Dynamics 365 SCM today and with SkyPlanner
| D365 SCM standard scheduling | D365 SCM with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Production orders scheduled one by one around existing reservations | All production orders scheduled together in seconds |
| Capacity | Partly finite: master planning only inside a time fence and not for shift-varying capacity; job scheduling one order at a time | Every machine, person, tool and material finite at clock time, with real shifts and absences, across the whole horizon |
| Changeovers | Setup time per operation; attribute sequencing of planned orders | Jobs ordered for the least total setup time |
| Tools and crews | Tool and worker resources booked order by order | Shared tools and multi-operator jobs booked across all orders |
| Materials | Finite materials per order | Jobs start when stock or incoming deliveries are there |
| Changes | Planner reschedules orders and adjusts jobs in the Gantt chart | Autopilot replans the whole plant within your priorities |
| Shop floor | Production floor execution | Mobile Confirmations: operators see their queue and log work on phone or tablet |
How to choose a scheduler for Dynamics 365 SCM
For a mid-sized plant moving off spreadsheets, the choice is D365’s own job scheduling and Planning Optimization, or SkyPlanner. D365 gives you finite capacity inside a time fence and one order at a time. SkyPlanner gives you a finite schedule for the whole plant. Choose SkyPlanner over D365 job scheduling and Planning Optimization when:
- All production orders compete for the same resources. In job scheduling, you set a start or end date and run scheduling, and the engine picks the resource with the shortest lead time around reservations already made (source). The first order scheduled gets the best slots. SkyPlanner schedules all orders together in seconds.
- You want finite capacity across the whole horizon, on real shifts. Planning Optimization is finite only inside the capacity time fence, and Microsoft advises against finite capacity in master planning when capacity changes with shifts (source). SkyPlanner plans every machine and person finitely on real shifts, overtime and absences, across the whole horizon.
- Changeovers decide your output. In job scheduling, setup is time on the operation, added to run time (source). SkyPlanner’s setting time matrix holds the changeover time for every product pair, in both directions, and orders jobs for the least total setup.
- Shared tools, crews and material arrival decide what can run next. Tools are finite, multi-operator jobs get all their people, work moves to alternative workstations, and jobs start when stock or incoming deliveries are there.
- The plan changes several times a week. Autopilot replans automatically on every meaningful change, and the new dates go back to Supply Chain Management.
- You want a finite schedule within weeks. The 30-day free trial runs on your own data, plans start from 199 € per month, and operators log work with Mobile Confirmations in the same tool.
How to get started
- Start the free trial. 30 days, up to 20 workstations, all Basic features, no credit card.
- Model your production. Create machines, people and shifts in SkyPlanner, or import them from your resources and calendars. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your production orders. Export open production orders and route operations from D365 SCM with a data management export project or the Excel add-in. Import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your current plan.
- Connect Supply Chain Management. The SkyPlanner team configures the two-way integration and supports it once you are live.
Pricing. Plans are billed monthly per workstation, and you can add or remove workstations or cancel at any time. See pricing for the details. Other ERPs are listed in the ERP integrations hub.
FAQ
What is the best scheduling add-on for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management in both directions: production orders, route operations, resources, released products and purchase orders flow in, and scheduled dates and resources flow back. Every resource, operator, tool and material is finite, and a directional setting time matrix sequences jobs for the least setup. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. Pricing is from 199 € per month, and the free trial runs for 30 days.
Does Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management have finite capacity scheduling?
Only partly. Planning Optimization is finite only inside the capacity time fence, and Microsoft advises against finite capacity in master planning when shifts change your capacity. Job scheduling books jobs finitely, but one order at a time around capacity already reserved. SkyPlanner APS adds one finite schedule for all orders, machines, people, tools and materials across the whole horizon.
Should we use D365 job scheduling and Planning Optimization or SkyPlanner?
Use Planning Optimization for material planning and SkyPlanner for the finite schedule. D365’s finite capacity is partial. Planning Optimization is finite only inside the time fence, and Microsoft advises against finite master planning when shifts change your capacity. Job scheduling places one order at a time around existing reservations, so the first order scheduled takes the best slots. SkyPlanner schedules every order, machine, person, tool and material together, with a setting time matrix for changeovers, and Autopilot replans automatically on every meaningful change. The SkyPlanner team configures and supports the two-way integration, and you are live within weeks. Plans start from 199 € per month, with a 30-day free trial on your own data.
Do we need to install an add-in in Supply Chain Management?
No. SkyPlanner runs in the cloud beside D365 SCM and connects through its standard data entities over OData. Your administrator registers a Microsoft Entra ID app and maps it to a user with the needed roles.
Does SkyPlanner replace Planning Optimization or D365 SCM manufacturing?
No, it works on top of them. Planning Optimization keeps planning materials and proposing planned production orders. Supply Chain Management keeps products, BOMs, routes, purchasing and costing. SkyPlanner schedules the firmed production orders against real capacity and sends the dates back.
Is SkyPlanner only for Business Central?
No. Business Central and Supply Chain Management are separate Microsoft products, and SkyPlanner integrates with both. This page covers Supply Chain Management: production orders, route operations, resources and resource groups. Business Central has its own page.
How much does SkyPlanner cost for a Dynamics 365 SCM plant?
From 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, plus 20 € per month per extra workstation. A workstation is a production resource with its own scheduled work queue. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan, so you see the full cost before you start.
How long does implementation take?
Implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts, even for large companies. The team maps your resources and routes, connects production orders and purchase orders, and sets up the write-back. Everything is tested against your current plan before go-live.
Can we test SkyPlanner before integrating with Supply Chain Management?
Yes. The 30-day trial runs on an export of your production orders, route operations and resources. You see a finite schedule of your own production before any integration work starts.
