1. Administering FreeForm
  2. Accessing More Administrative Tasks
  3. Administering Forms
  4. Creating Forms
  5. Designing Specific Types of Forms
  6. Designing Forms for Rolling Forecasts
  7. Creating Rolling Forecasts

Creating Rolling Forecasts

Note:

Only Service Administrators can create and work with rolling forecasts. This includes the ability to see the rolling forecast option when designing a form, the ability to move a rolling forecast from the user interface, and the ability to delete or modify substitution variables.

To design a form for a rolling forecast:

  1. Create a new form.
  2. In the Layout tab, drop the Years and Period dimensions in the column axis.
  3. Right-click the column segment header and select Rolling Forecast Setup.

    The Rolling Forecast Setup menu option is only available when the Years and Period are in the same grid axis (row or column).

  4. In the Rolling Forecast Setup dialog box, enter the following information:

    Table 19-22 Rolling Forecast Setup Options

    Option Description

    Prefix

    Allows rolling forecast substitution variables to be distinct from other substitution variables; for example, 4QRF designates that the forecast is a 4-quarter rolling forecast.

    Reuse existing substitution variables

    		 Select if you wish to specify a prefix that you have previously used.

    Start Year

    The year in which the rolling forecast starts; for example, FY11.

    Either enter the start year or click Member Selector icon to open the Member Selection dialog box.

    If you entered a prefix that matches the prefix of an existing rolling forecast substitution variable and selected Reuse existing substitution variables, the Start Year is automatically filled in with the start year of the existing substitution variable.

    Start Period

    The period in the year in which the rolling forecast starts; for example, Q1.

    Either enter the start period or click Member Selector icon to open the Member Selection dialog box.

    If you entered a prefix that matches the prefix of an existing rolling forecast substitution variable and selected Reuse existing substitution variables, the Start Period is automatically filled in with the start period of the existing substitution variable.

    Number of Periods

    Number of year/period combinations that will be generated as separate segments.
  5. Click Generate.

    The defined substitution variables are created, and additional column segments are created in the form that contain the substitution variable combinations for the rolling forecast.

Note:

  • Substitution variables are based on the periods selected for the Start Year and Start Period.

    See Selecting Substitution Variables as Members.

  • When designing a form, if the Rolling Forecast Setup dialog box is brought up from a row or column with the Year and Level 0 time period selected (for example,FY12/Jan), the Start Year and Start Period are automatically filled in. Values are not automatically filled in if members in the column are selected using functions, variables, or non-level-0 members.

  • To reuse the rolling forecast variables in a different form, right-click the column header in the new form to invoke the Member Selector.