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The forecast line in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central gives you a period-by-period overview of how your inventory develops over time. By selecting a period view such as month, you see one line per period, including periods where no forecast exists.
The start inventory column shows the inventory at the beginning of each period, and it includes history. That means it reflects the actual inventory on the first date, then carries the calculated balance forward into each following period.
The end inventory of one period equals the start inventory of the next period, so you can follow the inventory development directly across the columns.
The forecast line inherits any filter you set at the top of the page, such as a project filter, so you can narrow the view to only the relevant sales and purchase lines.
Reading the start inventory and inventory development
When you select month as your period and update the forecast, you view the lines per month. Even if there is no forecast in a specific month, the line is still shown.
The start inventory column tells you the inventory at the beginning of that specific period. This figure includes history, so it takes into account what the actual inventory was on the first date.
From there you can follow the development of the inventory across the columns. The calculation takes into account all the columns you see on the right-hand side, as well as the hidden columns such as transfer quantity, production quantity, and assembly quantity. The inventory calculation pulls in all your inventory movements and displays the resulting inventory value.
If today is somewhere in May, everything up to that point is history, and the figures after that are future expectations based on open sales orders and forecast.
Purchase, sales, and planning quantities on the forecast line
The purchase quantity column shows what you expect to purchase for the item. For a purchased item, you see the relevant quantities here, and you can drill down on the forecast quantity to see the detail behind it. For a manufactured item, you would instead expect to see a lot of activity in the hidden production quantity columns.
The sales quantity is the quantity on open sales orders. If you drill down on this field, you see the list of sales order lines in that period. The same drill-down works on the purchase quantities.
The planning quantity is the quantity coming from planning lines, for example when you use the requisition worksheet or the planning worksheet.
The end inventory is the calculated ending inventory for the period, which then becomes the start inventory in the next period.
Historical columns for purchases, sales, manufacturing, and assembly
The quantity purchased and quantity sold columns show the historical quantity on the posted documents. You also have historical columns for manufacturing and assembly. These are columns you can choose to show or display on the page if you want to see that history as well.
Filtering the forecast by project
The forecast line inherits the filter you set at the top of the page. If you apply a project filter and update the forecast, the lines only reflect that project filter. That means you only see the sales lines and other entries that match the filter, which makes it easy to focus on a single project or project range.
Q&A
What does the start inventory column show on the forecast line?
It shows the inventory at the beginning of each period. The figure includes history, so it reflects the actual inventory on the first date and carries the calculated balance forward.
Does the forecast line include periods with no forecast?
Yes. When you select a period view such as month, you see one line per period, even for periods where no forecast exists.
What is included in the inventory calculation on the forecast line?
The calculation takes into account all visible columns and the hidden columns, including transfer quantity, production quantity, and assembly quantity. It pulls in all inventory movements and displays the resulting inventory value.
Where does the planning quantity come from?
The planning quantity comes from planning lines, for example when you use the requisition worksheet or the planning worksheet.
What is the difference between sales quantity and quantity sold?
The sales quantity is the quantity on open sales orders, representing future expectations. The quantity sold is the historical quantity on posted documents.
Can I filter the forecast line by project?
Yes. The forecast line inherits the filter you set at the top of the page. If you apply a project filter and update the forecast, the lines only show the sales and purchase entries that match that filter.
How does the end inventory relate to the next period?
The end inventory of one period equals the start inventory of the next period, so you can follow the inventory development continuously across the columns.