See also:
Why Use This Procedure?
This procedure is used when you perform requirements planning based on sales forecasts. The expected sales for a certain period of time ahead, such as a month, quarter etc., is then used as the basis for the forecasts. The expected sales can in certain cases be estimated or you can for example load it from sales statistics from the previous year. In larger companies, there may be a marketing department that creates this kind of sales forecast estimates.
Under the Forecasts tab, you create sales forecasts using a time interval in number of work days. Under the Forecast rows, one or more forecast rows are linked to each forecast. On each forecast row you enter a part with the quantity you expect to sell and that should be reserved, and the delivery period.
For example, you can enter a forecast-based planning horizon with reservations for individual parts with even intervals, in order to cover the quantity you expect to sell. Another way may be to link the sales forecasts to product groups or sellers. A seller may be responsible for selling a certain assortment of parts. You can then create sales forecasts per seller for a certain period ahead in time.
The forecasts and forecast rows are applied, depending on the requirement.
The system will perform requirements planning using the Run Netting or Requirement Calculation procedures, with the Sales forecasts option activated under Consider... The parts with shortages caused by reservations from sales forecasts, will then have manufacturing order suggestions (M-parts, S-parts and F-parts) or purchase order suggestions (P-parts) generated for them.
In the Forecast List procedure you can print a list of sales forecasts. You can also "delete" or cancel old forecast rows, or reschedule old forecast rows with an old period to a new period in the future. You can also manually change the Quantity and Period for these forecast rows.
Register Delivery Schedule/Sales Forecast from XML File
In those cases when both the customer and supplier use MONITOR, the customer can send a delivery schedule to the supplier as an XML file in an e-mail message. The supplier can then import the XML file by using "drag and drop" from the e-mail message to this procedure. This way a new forecast will be created. Read more about this in the chapter New Delivery Schedule from XML File. To register a new forecast from an XML file in an e-mail message is a function included in the MONITOR-to-MONITOR concept.
Window Functions
Read more about the Window functions under Window Functions in the MONITOR Basics guide.