Start with a file.
Build from there.

The project brief

One store. One clear question.

You can start the layout with a PDF or CAD file. The steps below help scope the additional context needed for the decision you want your digital twin to support.

1. 01

   Choose the decision

   Describe the store change you want to evaluate: a promotional display, a planogram, shopper access, or a checkout arrangement. Name the store or merchandising owner who will review the result.

2. 02

   Start the spatial foundation

   Start Storegen with a PDF or CAD file. For the wider twin project, add fixture and checkout details, reference photos, and location identifiers as the scope requires.

3. 03

   Prepare a representative data sample

   Gather the product master, relevant POS and stock exports, and existing planograms or brand rules. Note the date range, units, time zone, source system, and gaps. Include observations if the question involves shopper movement.

4. 04

   Agree the project scope

   Agree the wider project with the dg2n team: data mapping, baseline, scenarios, success measures, and deliverables. Keep this scope separate from the file needed to start Storegen.

Prepare for your facility type.

The material below supports a wider digital twin project. It is not a prerequisite for starting Storegen with a PDF or CAD file. Agree which inputs your decision actually needs.

See what useful input looks like.

These small CSV files contain fictional warehouse data. They illustrate how records connect; they are preparation examples, not a production upload schema. Confirm the mapping for your source system with the dg2n team.

For a retail store, use your product master alongside existing planograms or a product-to-fixture list and a relevant POS export. Include brand rules as a separate reference. Record the date and level of detail: store-level sales cannot establish fixture-level performance or shopper paths on their own.

Start with exports. Define the connection.

A representative export gives the team a concrete starting point. For ongoing data sharing, discuss file transfer or an API connection to your POS or inventory system during scoping. For warehouse and fulfilment projects, include the relevant WMS or OMS sources. Confirm the available connection method for your system before planning an ongoing integration.

Mapping

Identify stable product, store, department, and fixture keys where available. Document field names, units, and missing values; keep mappings explicit when POS data has no fixture identifier.

Refresh cadence

Agree whether the project needs a snapshot, periodic files, or a direct integration. Record when each dataset was last updated.

Access & ownership

Nominate a source-system owner and agree the access method and required fields with your technical team.

Quality checks

Check duplicate IDs, missing locations, timestamps, and totals. Resolve mismatches before using the data as a baseline.

Review the model before acting.

The model is only useful when the baseline and assumptions represent your operation. Use this checklist with the facility owner.

• Confirm floor plan dimensions, fixture locations, and report-to-location mapping.
• Reconcile sample inventory and activity totals against the source reports.
• Document trading or demand patterns, staffing, movement and service assumptions, brand constraints, and excluded conditions.
• Compare the baseline with observed operations and explain material differences. Treat simulated shopper behavior as an assumption to validate, not measured customer preference.
• Keep assumptions consistent when comparing alternatives; record each intended change.
• Have the operations owner review the proposed pilot, then measure its real-world outcome.

Agree what the project should deliver.

Use these as a scoping checklist. The final handoff should reflect your selected modules and the agreed project scope.