Unleashed keeps the operational record. Optimal Chain adds product-level forecasting, stock investment decisions and budget-first purchasing. Connect with an API ID and key, analyse the catalogue, then return approved recommendations as Parked purchase orders for review in Unleashed.
The connector removes the usual export, upload and column-mapping work. An account owner provides the same API ID and key used by other Unleashed add-ons. Optimal Chain pulls the records, checks the data and starts the analysis.
Paste the API ID and key from Unleashed API Access.
Products, stock, allocations, suppliers, sales and open POs are pulled.
Forecasts, stock risks and a budget-ready purchase plan are calculated.
Funded recommendations go back as Parked POs for buyer review.
Unleashed remains the source of operational records. Optimal Chain converts those records into one consistent planning dataset, then returns only the purchase drafts a buyer chooses to push.
| Products | Product code and description, landed or purchase cost, minimum order quantity and default supplier. |
|---|---|
| Inventory | Stock on hand summed across warehouses, plus allocated stock so available-to-promise remains accurate. |
| Suppliers | Supplier records and delivery lead times, with recent purchase orders used to identify the supplier when a product has no default set. |
| Demand history | Sales order lines and dates. Deleted orders and quotes are excluded from demand. |
| Inbound stock | Open purchase order quantities, net of anything already received. |
| Writeback | Parked purchase orders grouped by supplier. The connector refuses to create a committed order. |
This is not a replacement project. Your team keeps its products, warehouses, suppliers, sales and purchasing workflow in Unleashed. Optimal Chain sits beside it and concentrates on the decisions that determine stock investment.
| Capability | Unleashed role | Optimal Chain role | Connected workflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operational record | Products, stock, suppliers, sales and POs | Reads and checks the planning inputs | Unleashed remains the source |
| Product forecasting | Demand forecasting through its planning features | 18 methods compete for each product, with scores visible | Current records feed product-level model selection |
| Fixed purchasing budget | Holds supplier and purchasing records | Allocates the spend limit across products and suppliers | Funded drafts grouped by supplier |
| Supplier delay scenario | Holds lead times and open orders | Shows the £ impact and recalculates the plan | Review the adjusted plan before writeback |
| Purchase approval | Buyer reviews and places the PO | Creates Parked drafts only | Human approval stays inside Unleashed |
| Optimal Chain price | Your existing Unleashed subscription | Published by catalogue size | From £199/month, full list published |
The API ID and key are used in memory for that request only. They are not saved or logged. You paste them again for a later refresh or PO push.
A Parked PO is a draft. Optimal Chain cannot silently commit stock or spend. The buyer checks quantities, prices and suppliers in Unleashed before placing anything.
No. Unleashed remains the operational system for products, stock, suppliers, sales and purchase orders. Optimal Chain reads those records, works out what the stock position means and prepares the purchasing decisions. The two products do different jobs.
The Unleashed account owner copies the API ID and API key from Integration, then Unleashed API Access. Paste both into the Optimal Chain connection screen and the catalogue analysis starts without spreadsheets or column mapping.
No. The API ID and key are used in memory for the connection request and are not stored or logged. You paste them again when you want to refresh data or return draft purchase orders.
Optimal Chain can create one Parked purchase order per supplier from the funded plan currently on screen. Parked means draft: no order is placed and no stock or spend is committed. A buyer reviews and places each order inside Unleashed.
The data quality view identifies the affected products before recommendations are used. A missing lead time is shown with a 14-day planning default and a review warning. A missing MOQ defaults to one. Source-specific instructions explain where to correct the record in Unleashed.
Start with a free full-catalogue blueprint, then try the connected workflow on your own data for seven days. No card. Setup included.
Request Your Unleashed BlueprintUnleashed is a trade mark of The Access Group. This page describes independent software interoperability and does not imply endorsement by or affiliation with Unleashed.