Distribution – Inventory Analysis

What is a Inventory Analysis Dashboard? Inventory Dashboards are considered operational analysis tools and are used by finance teams and inventory managers to analyze inventory KPIs. Some of the main functionality in this type of dashboard is that it provides a big picture view of essential metrics such as: 1) Order cycle time, 2) Inventory value by product/category, 3) Inventory trend, 4) Inventory efficiency ratio, and 6) Order accuracy trend. The filters seen on the top right of the dashboard enable drill down into individual warehouse locations and periods. You find an example of this type of dashboard below.

Purpose of Inventory Analysis Dashboards Distributors use Inventory Analysis Dashboards to give managers an easy and powerful way to monitor  the inventory KPIs that matters most to them. When used as part of good business practices in a Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) department, an organization can improve and speed up its product purchasing- and inventory planning strategies, and it can reduce the chances that money is lost due to poor tracking of key trends and exceptions.

Who Uses This Type of Dashboard? The typical users of this type of dashboard are: Finance officers, analysts, inventory managers, purchasing managers. Other Reports Often Used in Conjunction with Inventory Analysis Dashboards Progressive Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) departments sometimes use several different Inventory dashboards, along with sales forecasts, detailed inventory reports, sales dashboards, purchasing reports and other management and control tools.

Where Does the Data for Analysis Originate From? The Actual (historical transactions) data typically comes from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like: Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) Finance, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC), Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Sage Intacct, Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage 500, Sage X3, SAP Business One, SAP ByDesign, Acumatica, Netsuite and others. In analyses where budgets or forecasts are used, the planning data most often originates from in-house Excel spreadsheet models or from professional xFP&A solutions.

Built for distribution finance teams and aligned with Solver's xFP&A platform, this Solver report template connects directly to your ERP data via the Solver Data Warehouse, enabling near real-time analysis with minimal setup. Designed for QuickStart deployment, it can be activated rapidly so your team can focus on analysis and decisions — not data preparation.

What is the Distribution – Inventory Analysis in Solver? The Distribution – Inventory Analysis is a pre-built xFP&A report template in Solver designed for distribution organizations. It delivers key financial and operational metrics in a single, easy-to-use interface — purpose-built for distribution finance workflows.

Who uses this Solver report template? This template is primarily used by CFOs, operations managers, and distribution finance teams in distribution organizations who need accurate, timely data to support planning, reporting, and decision-making. It is particularly valuable for distribution finance teams managing budgets, forecasts, and performance reviews.

Where does the data come from? Data is sourced automatically from your ERP system through the Solver Data Warehouse, which integrates with platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance, Acumatica, Sage Intacct, and other leading ERP solutions. Once connected, the template updates in near real-time with no manual data entry required.

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