Manage production order links

Production Order Linkage  •  Article  •  2/2/2026  • 

Production order links connect upstream production order output to downstream production order component demand, creating clear visibility into multi-level production flows.

A production order link is a relationship between:

  • Upstream Prod. Order Line: The order/line that produces an item.
  • Downstream Prod. Order Component: The order/line that consumes that item as a component.

Each link tracks:

  • Allocated quantity (Base).
  • Allocated ratio % (used for proportional propagation).
  • Posting and allocation tracking (for example, posted allocated quantity).

Links can be created through:

  • Manual Creation: Select upstream and downstream orders explicitly.
  • Auto-suggestions: System generates suggestions based on configuration (MTO policy, date window, item settings).

Links are maintained when:

  • Production orders change status (Simulated > Planned > Firm Planned > Released).
  • Batch split operations create new order lines.

Links are removed when:

  • Deleted manually.
  • Production orders are deleted (behavior controlled by link deletion policy in setup).

Allocation and propagation

The Allocation Quantity field tracks how much upstream output is allocated to each downstream component. You can allocate upstream output across multiple downstream orders using different allocation strategies.

The Allocated Ratio field determines the proportional distribution when upstream quantities change. If upstream output quantity increases by 10%, each linked downstream component's required quantity increases by 10% according to its allocated ratio.

For quantity propagation, when the Upstream Propagation Type field value is configured on the Production Order Linking Setup page, quantity changes can propagate as follows:

  • Forward propagation: Changes to upstream output quantities propagate to downstream orders.
  • Reverse propagation: When the Enable Reverse Propagation toggle is turned on, quantity changes made in downstream orders can propagate back to upstream orders.
  • Multiple downstream orders: If an upstream change affects multiple downstream orders, the system displays a preview dialog showing the previous and updated quantities before applying the changes.

For date propagation, when the Enable Automatic Date Propagation toggle on the Production Order Linking Setup page is turned on, date and time changes propagate as follows:

  • The upstream finish date and time drive the downstream start date and time.
  • The system calculates dates using Business Central routing offsets, including wait time and safety lead time.
  • If a downstream order is locked, the system prevents the date update and displays a clear error message explaining why the change cannot be applied.

You can access the Production Order Links list page to view all production order links in the system, filter by upstream/downstream order numbers, see allocation quantities and ratios, and review tracking information and posted allocations.

In production order link tree, you can view hierarchical relationships from any production order to see upstream suppliers and downstream consumers, identify allocation ratios and lock statuses, and detect conflicts and scheduling issues.

On the Order Links FactBox, you can view the number of upstream links (as consumer), number of downstream links (as supplier), and quick access to related links.