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Entering a Sales Forecast

To open the Sales Forecast register, first ensure you are in the MRP module. Then, if you are using Windows or Mac OS X, click the [Registers] button in the Navigation Centre and then double-click 'Sales Forecasts' in the resulting list. If you are using iOS or Android, tap the [Registers] button in the Navigation Centre and then tap 'Sales Forecasts' in the 'Registers' list The 'Sales Forecasts: Browse' window is opened, showing Sales Forecasts already entered.

To enter a new Sales Forecast, select 'New' from the Create menu (Windows/Mac OS X) or the + menu (iOS/Android). You can also use the Ctrl-N (Windows) or ⌘-N (Mac OS X) keyboard shortcut. Alternatively, highlight or open a Sales Forecast similar to the one you want to enter and select 'Duplicate' from the same menu. If you don't want to open the 'Sales Forecasts: Browse' window before creating a new record, you can also use the + menu in the Navigation Centre (all platforms).

The 'Sales Forecast: New' window will be opened, empty if you selected 'New' or containing a duplicate of the selected Forecast. Complete the Sales Forecast record as appropriate and as described below, then save it using the [Save] button (Windows/Mac OS X) or by tapping √ (iOS/Android).

Code
Paste Special    Select from another Number Series
The unique identifying number of the Sales Forecast. The default will be chosen as follows:
  1. It will be taken from the first valid row in the Number Series - Sales Forecasts setting.

  2. It will be the next number following on from the last Sales Forecast entered.
You may change the default, but not to a number that has already been used. If you have defined at least one number sequence in the Number Series - Sales Forecasts setting, the number you change to must be inside a valid number sequence.

You will not be able to save a Sales Forecast if the Code does not belong to a valid number sequence. A valid number sequence is one for the period in which the Start Date of the Sales Forecast falls and with unused numbers, so this problem will most usually occur at the beginning of a new calendar or financial year.

If you are working in a multi-user system, the Sales Forecast Number will be assigned when you save the record for the first time, chosen as described above and providing you have not already specified a number yourself.

Version, [New Version]
You cannot change a Sales Forecast after you have marked it as OK and saved it. If you need to change a Sales Forecast, open it and click the [New Version] button. A new Sales Forecast record will be created, a duplicate of the original but with the Version incremented by one. When you mark the new Forecast as OK and save it, the old one will be marked as Closed automatically, rendering it inactive. This allows you to build up and maintain a forecast history. As the old Forecast will be rendered inactive, you should not remove Items from the new Forecast unless you want to remove them from the planning process altogether.

Description
Enter a short description for the Sales Forecast.

One suggestion is to describe the Items included in the Sales Forecast: the Description will be shown in the 'Sales Forecasts: Browse' window, so this will allow you to find Forecasts for particular Items relatively easily. Information such as Dates and Class are shown separately in the browse window, so it is not so necessary to repeat this information in the Description.

Period
Paste Special    Choose date
Use these two fields to specify the Start and End Dates of the period covered by the Sales Forecast record.

The default Start Date will be the first date of the current week (i.e. Monday) or the current month, depending on the Period Type that you have chosen in the Forecast Settings setting. The default End Date will be the last date of the current week or month. If you change the Start Date, the End Date will be updated automatically.

Every Period must begin on the first day of a week (i.e. Monday) or month, and every Period should be a single week or month in duration (again, depending on the Period Type that you have chosen in the Forecast Settings setting). This will ensure the correct quantities are transferred to Production Plans and Purchase Order Plans by the relevant Maintenance functions.

You can use the same Period in more than one Sales Forecast record, providing there is no common Item or Item Group. If you need to use the same Item or Item Group in more than one Sales Forecast record with the same Period, you must give those Sales Forecast records different Classes. This will be the case if, for example, you want to predict sales of the same Item made by different shops separately.

Row Type
Paste Special    Choices of possible entries
Use this field to specify whether you will use the Sales Forecast record to predict sales of individual Items or of all members of particular Item Groups. Use 'Paste Special' to increase input speed.

If a Sales Forecast record contains Item Groups, you can only use it to make sales predictions and for the subsequent analysis in the Sales Forecast Accuracy report. If you also want to use the Sales Forecast record to control the purchasing and production of the Items you expect to sell, then it must contain Items, not Item Groups.

Class
Paste Special    Forecast Classes setting, MRP module
Once you have marked a Sales Forecast record as OK and saved it, you cannot then enter a second Sales Forecast containing the same Item(s) for the same Period. If you need to do this (e.g. you want to predict sales of the same Item made by different shops separately), then you must create Sales Forecast records with different Classes to differentiate them.

Note that while you can use Forecast Classes in Sales Forecasts, you cannot use them in Production Plans and Purchase Order Plans. So, if you use Forecast Classes in Sales Forecasts, you will only be able to create a single overall Production Plan and Purchase Order Plan (or Production and Purchase Order Plans for one Forecast Class).

Creation Date
This field automatically records when the Sales Forecast record was added to your Standard ERP database and cannot be changed.

Last Changed
This field will be updated automatically whenever you save any changes in the Sales Forecast record.

Matrix

Use the grid to list the sales for each Item or Item Group that you predict for the Period.

If you are using Windows or Mac OS X, you can add rows to a Sales Forecast by clicking in any field in the first blank row and entering appropriate text. To remove a row, click on the row number on the left of the row and press the Backspace key. To insert a row, click on the row number where the insertion is to be made and press Return.

You can also bring Items into a Sales Forecast by opening the 'Items: Browse' window, selecting a range of Items by clicking while holding down the Shift key, and then dragging them to the Item field in the first empty Forecast row. You can also copy a list of Item Numbers in a spreadsheet or word processor and paste them in the Item field in the first empty row.

If you are using iOS or Android, you can add rows by tapping the + button below the matrix. To remove a row, long tap on the row number on the left of the row and select 'Delete Row' from the resulting menu. To insert a row, long tap on the row number where the insertion is to be made and select 'Insert Row' from the resulting menu.

Item/Item Group
Paste Special    Item or Item Group registers
Specify the Item or Item Group whose sales you are predicting.

Depending on how you have set the Row Type (above), you can list Items or Item Groups in the matrix (but not both in the same record). The Row Type will also determine what will be listed by the 'Paste Special' function.

Description
Default taken from    Item or Item Group
This field shows the name of the Item or Item Group, brought in from the Item or Item Group registers.

Qty
Specify here the quantity of the Item that you predict you will sell during the Period.

Sum
The field will be updated automatically with the sales value when you enter the Qty (Qty x Item's Base Price). You can change this figure (e.g. you might anticipate a change in Base Price, or a number of discounted sales). If the first column contains an Item Group, the sales value will not be calculated automatically, so you can enter one yourself.

If you will use the Sales Forecast Accuracy report to compare forecast and actual sales, you can compare quantities or values or both.

Footer

OK
When the Sales Forecast record is complete and correct, mark it as OK and save it. This will make it available to reports and to the purchase and production planning functions.

Once you have marked a Sales Forecast record, as OK you will no longer be able to change it. If you find it contains a mistake, use the [New Version] button to correct the mistake, as described above.

You can use Access Groups to prevent certain users from marking Sales Forecasts as OK. To do this, deny them access to the 'OK Sales Forecast' Action.

Closed
Marking a Sales Forecast as Closed and saving it will remove it from reports and from the purchase and production planning functions.

If you create a new version of a Sales Forecast, the old one will be marked as Closed automatically when you mark the new one as OK and save it.
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The Sales Forecast register in Standard ERP:

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