6.1 - Create forecasts using different methods

This tutorial explains the steps to create forecast measures using the different methods available in the planning sheet.

1. To begin, navigate to the Model ribbon.

1. Select Forecast.

1. Edit the name of the forecast measure.

1. To edit the forecast period, select the calendar icon and then select the open period range using the calendar. Consider Jan 2026 - Dec 2026 in this example.

Forecast using existing measure

1. Configure the closed period values by using either a measure or a formula. Choose Measure for this example.

1. Next, choose the required measure from the Linked Measure dropdown. Revenue measure is chosen here.

1. Similarly, you can configure the open period values using a measure, a formula, or data input. Choose Measure.

1. Next, select the required measure from the Linked Measure dropdown. In this case, the previous year's revenue values, PY Revenue is chosen.

Forecast using formula

1. To configure open period values using a formula, you can choose Formula option instead of Measure.

1. Enter the formula to derive open-period values. You can reference existing measures in the formula. In this example, the open-period values are configured to be 12% higher than the previous year's values for the corresponding period.

1. Select Create.

1. Select Save in the next step.

1. The forecast is now configured. Closed period columns are greyed out, as seen for 2025 values below.

Forecast using data input

To create a forecast that allows data input, follow these steps:

1. Choose the Data Input option from the Open Period dropdown.

1. Use the Default Value dropdown to choose between different types of default values. You can choose between a static value, a measure, a formula, or none.

1. Select None to create blank data input columns without any default values.

1. Choose Static to enter a set value at the leaf (lowest) level of your hierarchy. In this example, 15 million is entered as the default value.

1. Choose Measure to add default values that dynamically refer to an existing measure (PY Revenue is used in the example below).

1. Choose Formula to enter formulas that reference existing measures and functions. In this example, the default revenue forecast value is set to 12% higher than the revenue values from the previous year for the same time period (PY Revenue).

1. You can select Add Breakdown to enable multi-dimension allocation as needed.

1. Select Create.

1. Select Save in the next step. For more information about this window, see Open period configuration using source data.

1. You can now edit the forecast data input value by selecting the desired cell and entering the value in the formula bar.

Open period configuration using source data

For forecast columns that require data input, you can configure open period values by sourcing them from existing data.

1. To begin, set up the target period by choosing any subset of your open period. For example, you can select the first quarter of 2026.

1. Use the Copy Source dropdown to copy values from a specific source. You can choose to import values from a file, or select an existing measure. Revenue measure is chosen in this example.

1. Select Apply Operation to choose whether to copy values from a period range, a single period, or the average of a period range. In this example, the open period Jan 2026 - Dec 2026 is split into quarters to demonstrate each method.

1. Choose Period range if you want to copy values directly from the source period. Select the source period by using the calendar icon. As shown here, you can also select values from closed periods.

1. Select + Add Range to add another period range.

1. Set up the target period, source to copy, and source period as discussed earlier for this period range, Apr 2026 - Jun 2026.

1. For this range, select Single Period to copy values from a single source period.

1. For the Single Period option, you can only select a single period (a single month in this example).

1. The Average of Period Range option allows you to copy the average of the values from the source range to all cells in the target period. This operation is chosen for the period range Jul 2026 - Sep 2026.

1. You can also choose the None option to insert blank cells instead of copying values from a source. This option is chosen for the period range Oct 2026 - Dec 2026.

1. Select Save to save changes.

1. The forecast values with the configured period customizations are now inserted. Since this forecast is a data input column, you can select the cells and edit their values.