to find an existing key resource.Use this screen to establish information on available key resources, including the resource's capacity to meet production requirements. You can specify both internal and external resources, including:
Manufacturing equipment and/or work centers
Personnel
Vendors
Key resources are typically set up for critical or potential bottleneck resources only. After they are set up, they can be linked to work centers, operations, and routings lines in the Routings module. Once linked to routing lines, they can be used by the Create/Update Planning Routings application to determine key resource usage by end item.
When you generate rough-cut capacity plans via the Master Production Scheduling Menu, MPS compares the capacity of the key resource entered here versus what will be consumed (load), by date, based on open independent demand (sales orders, forecasts, and issue reservations).
In a multi-company environment, key resources are linked to the company they were set up in. Key resource IDs cannot be reused in different companies.
You can also access this screen in Routings.
Enter an alphanumeric identifier for a new key resource or click to find an existing key resource.
This field displays the description of the equipment, personnel, work center or vendor that you specify in the Key Resource field. You can modify this name.
Select this check box to indicate that the resource is active. Inactive key resources are not included in rough-cut capacity planning calculations.
Enter the code for the resource type or click 
to find a resource type. For example, a resource could have the type ARCH for Architect, or MACH for Machinery. If you need to set up more resource type codes, use the Manage Resource Types screen.
Specify the unit of measure MPS uses to display resource capacity for scheduling and rough-cut capacity calculations.
Hours — This is the default option.
Other — If you select this option, you can use the field to the right to specify a different unit of measure. Either enter the unit of measure code or click to find one.
When determining the key resource for a given week, the Create/Update Rough-Cut Capacity Plan application selects the capacity row with the latest starting effective date that is earlier than or equal to the week's end date. Any week before the earliest row's date is assumed to have a capacity of zero. Any week with a date past the last row's starting effective date uses that row's weekly capacity.
For each key resource, you must indicate when the resource becomes available and at what rate. For example, you could specify that the resource becomes available on June 1, 2012 and is available for 20 hours per week.
Specify the beginning date the weekly capacity become effective for this key resource. This capacity figure is used for all weeks until the next row's starting effective date.
Specify the capacity, in the unit of measure entered above, of this key resource during a production week.
You can insert additional rows to indicate fluctuations in capacity. For example, you could indicate that a resource is available 20 hours per week for the month of June, 40 hours per week in July and August, and then 20 hours per week again in September.