Guides
Formulas, examples and calculators for people who work with data.
How to calculate OEE, DSO, contribution margin and stock coverage, how to measure a forecast, how to read Modbus and OPC UA, what an MCP server does: every guide starts from the definition, shows the formula and an example with real numbers, and says where people most often go wrong.
By Muvia · Updated October 21, 2026
Sales, receivables and finance
- Accounts receivable aging: what it is, past-due buckets and an exampleAn accounts receivable aging report splits open invoices by days past due (0-30, 31-60, 61-90, over 90): a ten-customer example and how to read it.
- DSO calculation: formula, the countback method and a calculatorDSO calculation explained: the standard and countback formulas, a monthly and quarterly example, DSO vs DPO and DIO, and a calculator to use right away.With calculator
- Sales pipeline: how to manage it and which KPIs to useWhat a sales pipeline is, its stages, the KPIs (conversion, weighted value, sales cycle) with formulas and an example that joins CRM and ERP.With calculator
- Contribution margin: formula, break-even point and a calculatorContribution margin per unit, in total and as a ratio: formulas, a worked example, the break-even point, how it differs from gross margin, a calculator.With calculator
- Customer churn rate: formula, worked example and calculatorHow to calculate customer churn rate and retention rate: the formula, monthly vs annual churn, revenue churn, a worked example and a calculator to use.With calculator
Purchasing, stock and suppliers
- Demand forecasting: methods, forecast error and a calculatorHow to forecast demand: the data you need, methods from naive to machine learning, and forecast accuracy with MAE, MAPE, WAPE and bias, plus a calculator.With calculator
- Days of inventory coverage: the reorder point and safety stockDays of inventory coverage from forecast demand, the reorder point formula, safety stock by service level, turnover and DIO, with a coverage calculator.With calculator
- Supplier OTIF: what it is, how to calculate it and how to use it in vendor ratingOTIF (on time in full) explained: what it means, how to calculate it line by line, why OT × IF misleads, supplier vendor rating and a calculator.With calculator
AI and choosing tools
- Power BI alternatives for small businesses: an honest comparisonPower BI, Looker Studio, Qlik, Metabase and Muvia compared for a small business: licences, data in Italy, PDF reports, AI and who maintains the model.
- MCP server: what it is and how to connect AI to company dataWhat an MCP server is, how it connects Claude and ChatGPT to company data, what the assistant can see, permissions, consent and a step-by-step example.
- Claude connectors: what they are and which to use for company dataWhat Claude and ChatGPT connectors are, how to add one, which categories exist for company data and what to check before you connect one.
Production and maintenance
- 4.0 interconnection: requirements and proof from machine dataThe interconnection requirements of the 2026 hyper-depreciation and the 4.0 scheme, what the expert report asks for and how to prove a machine is connected.
- Production KPIs: 15 indicators with formulas and examplesOEE, first pass yield, takt time, scrap, MTBF, energy per part: the production KPIs with formula, example and what they tell you, in a single table.
- OEE calculation: formula, worked example and calculatorHow to calculate OEE: availability × performance × quality, a worked example on a 480-minute shift, world-class values and a free OEE calculator.With calculator
- Micro-stops and the six big losses of OEEWhat micro-stops are, how to count them and where they land in OEE: the six big losses with examples, the usual threshold and how to see them by the hour.
- MTBF and MTTR: formulas, calculation and a practical exampleMTBF, MTTR and MTTF explained with formulas and an example on a press: how to calculate them, how they give availability and how to read them on a dashboard.With calculator
- Predictive maintenance: what it is, examples and how to startWhat predictive maintenance is, how it differs from preventive and condition-based, the signals it uses, the P-F curve and the sums on a compressor.
- Energy consumption monitoring: KPIs and how to startHow to map a company's energy consumption: which meters to read, KPIs per line, shift and part, ISO 50001 and the energy audit, with an example.
- Modbus or OPC UA? Differences and when to use eachModbus TCP, OPC UA and Siemens S7 compared: data model, security, performance, when you need a gateway and how to get data out of the PLC.
Quality and SPC
- X̄-R control chart: limits, constants and rulesHow to build an X-bar R chart: 3σ limits, the control chart constants A2, D3, D4, the 4 Western Electric rules and a worked example on real weighings.
- Cp and Cpk: formulas, difference and calculatorCp measures capability, Cpk adds centering. Formulas, an example with real tolerances, minimum values (1.33 and 1.67) and an online Cpk calculator.With calculator
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