Understanding Sales Order History

The system generates detail forecasts based on sales history data, current sales data, or both, that you copy from the Sales Order Detail File table (F4211) and the Sales Order History File table (F42119) into the Forecast File table (F3460). If you want the forecast to include current sales data, you must so specify in a processing option for the extraction program. When you copy the sales history, you specify a date range that is based on the request date of the sales order. The demand history data can be distorted, however, by unusually large or small values (spikes or outliers), data entry errors, or lost sales (sales orders that were canceled due to lack of inventory).

You should review the data in the date range that you specified to identify missing or inaccurate information. Then you can revise the sales order history to account for inconsistencies and distortions before you generate the forecast.

After you copy the sales order history into the Forecast File table (F3460), you should review the data for spikes, outliers, entry errors, or missing demand that might distort the forecast. You can then revise the sales order history manually to account for these inconsistencies before you generate the forecast.