Specifying Plan Parameters

The Forecast Generation Details page is displayed. The forecast method that you selected previously determines which fields are displayed on this page. See Forecast Methods. All the fields that are available are described under this topic.

Forecast Name

Displayed only if Create New Forecast was selected on the previous page.

The name of the plan to generate. This name also becomes the layout name after the plan is generated.

Existing Forecast

Displayed only if Update Existing Forecast was selected on the previous page. Select the locked generated plan to update using the Existing Forecast lookup.

Forecast Description
A brief description of the plan.
Reference Budget

Select the reference budget using the lookup. Use this data as a reference when creating or updating the plan. This data can be a budget or last year’s (LY) actuals.

A budget must be imported before you can reference it. See Importing a plan.

You must also point certain columns on the Worksheet to this budget. See Pointing the Plan to the Actuals and Budget.

The Budget Creation module uses the MIN HOURS and MAX HOURS from this budget.

The Budget Management module uses the SALES, PAYROLL PERCENT, AHR, SPH, and PAYROLL from this budget.

Selecting the reference budget from the imported budgets populates the time period and location hierarchies.

Release Forecast

This feature automatically releases the forecast to the lowest level in the location hierarchy as part of the solicitation process:

  • Select this check box to automatically release the forecast after it is generated.
  • Clear this check box if you want to manually release the forecast after generation from the Worksheet. See Releasing the Forecast after Generation.
Note: If you try to release to a location for which the corresponding location type has been excluded from the solicitation process, an error message is displayed. For details about the message, see Messages and Comments when Releasing. For information about the exclude from solicitation feature, see Excluding All Locations of the Same Location Type.
Exclude Non-Productive Hours Estimation

Selecting this check box excludes the estimation of non-productive hours, such as vacation, sick days, and holidays, aggregated from employee timesheets, from the bottom-up projection. The columns are still displayed on the Worksheet for editing, but their initial values are 0.

BUP Layout

The layout in which the generated projection will be displayed on the Worksheet. For descriptions of these layouts, see Worksheet Columns in the Budget Creation Module.

Base Growth Percentage

Growth Adjusted Trend and Bottom Up Growth Adjusted Trend forecast methods only. This growth percentage is applied to all drivers, including sales. The range of supported values is -999.999 to 999.999. Default value is 0.

AHR Growth Percentage

Growth Adjusted Trend and Bottom Up Growth Adjusted Trend forecast methods only. This growth percentage is applied only to AHR. The range of supported values is -999.999 to 999.999. Default value is 0.

Include Time Periods

Enabled when you select a budget in the Reference Budget field, above. The time period for which to generate the forecast. To select a child time period, first expand the node (parent) time period. See Selecting the Time Period for Generating a Plan.

Unlock Forecast

Enabled only if you selected Update Existing Forecast on the Forecast Generation page.

  • Select this check box to automatically unlock the forecast after it is generated. You must select this check box when updating a locked forecast.
  • Clear this check box if you want to manually unlock the plan after generation from the Worksheet. See Unlocking the Worksheet.
Forecast Locations
  • Budget Management module: Enabled when you select a reference budget, above.
  • Budget Creation module: Always enabled, but resets when you select a reference budget, above. The location for which you want to generate the forecast. To select a child forecast location, first expand the node (parent) location. Make sure that the number of locations selected does not exceed the maximum allowed. See Maximum Number of Locations in a Manually Generated Plan.