Order Fulfillment Worksheet does not require MRP, or any material requirements planning process, to function. It works directly from existing sales orders and transfer orders regardless of how those documents were created or planned.
What the Worksheet Actually Needs
The only data the worksheet requires is open sales orders and transfer orders along with current inventory information. It does not care how those sales orders came into existence, whether they were entered manually, generated through an ecommerce integration, or created as a downstream result of an MRP or MPS planning run. The worksheet simply reads the demand that already exists on those documents and compares it against what is physically available to determine what can be shipped.
Why MRP and Fulfillment Are Separate Concerns
MRP and MPS in Business Central are focused on planning future supply, deciding what to purchase or produce and when, based on forecasted or actual demand. Order Fulfillment Worksheet operates on the other end of the process, helping decide what to do right now with orders that already exist and inventory that is already on hand. These are complementary but distinct functions. A company could use sophisticated MRP planning to manage purchasing and still need a tool like the worksheet to manage day to day fulfillment decisions, and equally, a company with no formal MRP process at all, simply entering sales orders and reordering by feel, can use the worksheet exactly the same way.
No Dependency on Planning Parameters
Because the worksheet is not reading planning parameters, reorder points, or forecast data, there is nothing to configure on the planning side before the worksheet becomes useful. Setup for the worksheet itself involves defining sort and filter views, availability rules such as which bins or lot statuses to exclude, and pick creation preferences, none of which relate to MRP configuration.
When Planning Tools Still Help
While MRP is not a prerequisite, companies that struggle with purchasing and want a better way to determine what to buy and when, particularly in warehouse and distribution environments, often benefit from pairing fulfillment tools with a stronger planning tool. Native Business Central MRP and MPS can be difficult to use effectively in a pure warehousing and distribution context, since they are built with broader manufacturing scenarios in mind. A dedicated planning tool designed for distribution style purchasing can make sure enough inventory is available to fulfill going forward, while Order Fulfillment Worksheet manages what to do with the orders that exist today.
Related Tools
Order Fulfillment Worksheet requires no MRP process and works from sales orders and transfer orders regardless of how they were created. Enhanced Planning Worksheet is a purchasing and planning tool built specifically for distribution and warehousing environments, and pairs well with fulfillment tools for companies that also want to improve how they plan replenishment. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central.
In short, MRP is entirely optional and unrelated to whether Order Fulfillment Worksheet can be used.