Minimum Version Required: 25.07
Pre-Conditions
Requires forecast set up to be completed, see help resources for more information on forecasting.
To view the Sub-distributor Sales Forecast dashboard, users must have the 'PurchasePOEdit' permission.
To edit and save forecast data, users must have the 'ForecastEdit' permission.
Steps
Overview:
The Sub-distributor Sales Forecast dashboard allows you to analyze, adjust, and collaborate on sales forecasts for your sub-distributor customers. This ensures that purchasing decisions are based on the most accurate market demand information, preventing both overstocking and understocking of inventory.
Viewing and Analyzing Forecast Data
Navigate to the Sub-distributor Sales Forecast Dashboard.
Apply the necessary filters, such as Customer Type, Product, Supplier, or Purchase Agent. The Customer Type filter is required.
Select how you want to group the data, either by Product or by Customer.
Click the 'Search' button to load the forecast data based on your criteria.
The dashboard will display the relevant forecast information, which can be reviewed and analyzed.
Updating and Saving Forecasts
After loading the data, locate the product and customer row you wish to adjust.
In the 'Forecast' column, click into the cell and override the existing value with the new forecast amount. The field must contain a numeric value; clearing it will set the forecast to 0.
Once a value is modified, the cell will turn gray. The system will automatically recalculate the 'Total Forecast' and 'Forecast %' fields to reflect your change.
After making all necessary adjustments, click the 'Save' button. This action will update the master forecast and lock the adjusted sales forecast from being automatically overwritten.
You can also use the 'Export' and 'Print' buttons to create offline copies of the current view, or the 'Save Report' button to save your filter and view settings for future use.
Fields And Definitions
Filters and Options
Customer Type: (Required) Filter the report to only include customers of a specific type. Normally this shold be the customer type(s) of your distributor customers, such as 'Sub-distributor' or 'Sub-jobber'.
Show products with no customer history: A checkbox that, when selected, includes products that the filtered customers have not previously purchased. Using this option requires you to also apply a Product filter.
Group by: Organize the report data by either 'Product' or 'Customer' for different views of the forecast.
Zero Out Forecast: A button to set all currently displayed forecast values to zero.
Data Columns
Available: The current on-floor inventory minus any pre-sold or allocated quantities.
LY Sales: Last year's total sales for the product and customer during the same time period.
TY Sales: This year's total sales for the product and customer during the same time period.
Forecast: The system-generated or user-adjusted sales forecast for the specific product and customer. This field is editable.
Forecast %: The percentage that this customer's forecast represents out of the total forecast for the product. It is calculated as (Customer Forecast / Total Forecast) * 100.
Total LY Sales: The total sales for the product across all customers at that location during the same period last year.
Total Forecast: The total forecasted sales for the product at that location for the period, including all customer-specific adjustments.
Best Practices
To view products that a sub-distributor has never purchased before, check the 'Show products with no customer history' box. Remember to also apply a 'Product' filter when using this option to ensure the system returns data.
When you manually adjust a customer's 'Forecast' value, the system automatically recalculates the 'Total Forecast' for that product. Review this total to understand the full impact of your adjustment on purchasing needs.
Regularly save your work. If you navigate away from the page with unsaved changes, the system will prompt you to save before leaving.