What are buffers ?

Buffers are a safety measure, to maintain extra stock and mitigate the risk of shortfall of items caused by uncertainties in supply and demand.

To learn more about how buffers work, the different type of buffers that exist, an how they impact stock exports, refere to the working with buffers page

Managing buffers

Buffers can be managed by API, ideal for large imports, or from the Oder Management Center, ideal for managing buffers on the fly, consulting buffers or testing them during the onboarding phase.

You can learn more about API buffer management in our API documentation portal

Managing buffers from the OMC

Buffers can be managed from the dedicated page wich is listed in the main menu.

This page is only available to certain roles, please check out role rights in the User page

Create a buffer

Click on the "Add Buffer" button to initiate the buffer creation process. The process consists of 5 distinct steps:

Item: Define the item scope by selecting either an individual item, an item query, or all items.
Group: Groups play a vital role in buffers as they enable the grouping of buffers under a common reference, allowing their deduction in stock queries. You can either choose an existing group or create a new one. When selecting an existing group, note that if the group is already being deducted in a stock query, the new buffer will automatically be considered in these stock queries. On the other hand, setting up a new group will automatically be taken into account by stock queries that deduct all buffer groups. However, it will not be deducted in stock queries with a fixed list of buffer groups (you will need to add the new buffer group to the list for it to be considered). Refer to Stock queries for more insights on buffer deductions in stock queries.
Value: Specify the buffer value. For instance, setting a buffer of 10 with an available stock ranging from 1 to 10 will result in 0 available stock. If the stock increases to 12, there will be 2 available stock. You can opt for a specific value or choose to exclude all, which will apply the maximum possible buffer value of 2147483647.
Type: Choose between stock location and global options.
- Stock location buffers are considered in stock queries when the buffer group is assigned to the stock query for stock location buffer deduction. These buffers are subtracted when generating both unified and detailed stock requests. For further details, refer to Stock queries.
- Global buffers are factored into stock queries when the buffer group is specified for global buffer deduction. These buffers are only subtracted when creating a unified stock request. More information is available at Stock queries.
Stock Location: Define the stock location scope by choosing an individual stock location, a stock location query, or all stock locations.

Item Query Buffers: 5-Buffer Limit by stock query

Item query buffers are designed to give you flexible control over buffer quantities across multiple items simultaneously. To maintain fast stock export performance and simplify buffer management, the system supports up to 5 item query buffers by stock query and by group.

Adding a new item query buffer to an existing group can exceed the group's limit or stock queries limit using this group, and block buffer creation when as the limit is reached.

How It Works

Each item query buffer lets you set a buffer quantity for items matching your query. With five buffers available by group and stock queries, you can create distinct item groups, each with its own buffers. This approach offers flexibility while keeping your system efficient.

Item query are configured in the Item Query Page an then selected in the buffer creation form.

When you need to adjust which items receive a particular buffer quantity, simply modify the existing query to include or exclude items as needed.

Practical Example

Let's say you manage seasonal inventory with different buffer requirements for different countries:

Scenario: You have two item categories (markdown, not markdown) and three different sales channel

For France:
- Buffer of 5 for markdown items
- Buffer of 2 for not markdown items
For UK:
- Buffer of 10 for markdown items
- Buffer of 3 for not markdown items
For Italy:
- Buffer of 20 for markdown items
- Buffer of 10 for not markdown items

Solution: Create 6 item query buffers

For each country you can create the following groups:

items_buffer_markdown_fr: Targets items with category markdown in France
items_buffer_not_markdown_fr: Targets items not markdown in France
items_buffer_markdown_uk: Targets items with category markdown in UK
items_buffer_not_markdown_uk: Targets items not markdown in UK
items_buffer_markdown_it: Targets items with category markdown in Italy
items_buffer_not_markdown_it: Targets items not markdown in Italy

Making Changes: If you later decide that all markdown items need a buffer of 20, simply update items_buffer_markdown_fr and items_buffer_markdown_uk to 20.

Viewing and Editing Buffers

When viewing the list of buffers, you have the option to filter them based on various criteria to locate specific buffers efficiently.

Within the detailed view of a buffer, you can edit its value, observe its current setup (non-editable), delete it, duplicate it, and review the list of associated stock queries. These queries are considered based on the buffer's assigned group (more details on buffer groups can be found in the buffer creation section).

It is essential for buffers to remain unique. When duplicating a buffer, you will need to revisit the creation process and adjust the buffer's configuration before saving the duplicate.

Bulk edit

In the table view, you have the ability to select and modify multiple buffers simultaneously. Simply click on the "Select All" button to choose all displayed buffers and then proceed with the desired editing or deletion actions.

Limitations

Buffers are unique, you can not have two buffers with the same configuration. Important, the quantity of the buffer is not part of its configuration.
It is not possible to export buffers. You can retrieve all buffers through our APIs.
Buffers are not included in the scope of the OMC migration tool. They need to be exported by API and reimported in the target environment, or, created manually.