Flexible Forecast provides three different overviews of Forecast entries per Items

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Flexible Forecast in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central gives you three different two-dimensional views of your forecast data. You access all three directly from the item card. Each view answers a different planning question, so you can analyse your forecast from the angle that makes sense for the task at hand.

The first view, Forecast per Period, shows one item across many periods and displays the forecast quantity for each period.

The second view, Forecast per Dimension, shows one item in one fixed period, split out by dimension such as global dimension 1.

The third view, Forecast in Period for All Items, shows one period and lists every item that has a forecast, so you can see the complete forecast for that period in one place.

You can switch between the three views and call one from another, which makes it easy to navigate without leaving the forecast.

Three views of forecast data from the item card

Flexible Forecast provides three different two-dimensional views that you can open directly from the item. Each view fixes one parameter and varies another, so you always look at the forecast from a clear angle. To get started, open an item, for example item number 1000, and search for the forecast. The three views appear in the header.

Forecast per Period: one item across many periods

The first view, Forecast per Period, shows you a single item across the period interval you have defined. Within the period option you have set, it displays only that one item across the different forecasting periods and shows the forecast quantity for each one.

In short, this view is one item only, many periods, displaying the forecast quantity. Use it when you want to see how the forecast for a specific item develops over time.

Forecast per Dimension: one item split by dimension

The second view, Forecast per Dimension, still shows only one item, but for one fixed period that you can change. Each line represents a dimension combination. For example, one line could be item number 1000 with the project code that is your global dimension 1, value 12, followed by all the figures for that combination.

This view is one item, the numbers for the full period, divided by dimension. Use it when you need to understand how the forecast for a single item breaks down across dimensions like project, department, or area.

Forecast in Period for All Items: one period across all items

The third view, Forecast in Period for All Items, displays one period that you set, and lists all the items that have a forecast. You can display this per month if you want to see the complete forecast for a single month across your whole item range.

Use this view when you want an overview of the total forecast for a given period rather than focusing on one item at a time.

Switching between the views

With these three views, you can look at forecasts in different two-dimensional layouts, which makes the data easier to overview. You can also call one view from another, so navigating between them is quick and you do not have to start over each time you change perspective.

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