This guide covers creating and managing forecasts in the Controller section. You can find the Forecast tool in Netvisor by navigating to Controller > Forecasts. Forecasts are based on actual, budgeted, or imported accounting data from different periods. The guide covers creating, editing, importing/exporting in Excel, and inputting for account groups and cost objects.
Contents
Forecast
A forecast is a tool used to estimate the fiscal year's revenues and expenses based on actual and budgeted values or imported accounting data. The forecast is based on actual months and the entered data for the rest of the fiscal year, budget data for the rest of the fiscal year, or data from a previous forecast for the rest of the fiscal year.
Forecast Input
Creating a forecast begins with the "Create New" option. In the "Create New" section, a name is given to the forecast, and either "Rolling Forecast" or "Forecast for Period" is selected. A rolling forecast is based on the VAT lock date, meaning the forecast starts from the month following the VAT lock date. A forecast for a period starts from the selected start date and shows actual values up to the company's VAT lock date. When copying forecast figures to a new forecast or budget, actual values are included as they appear in the forecast. For the forecast base, you can choose ready-made figures or use a blank template. When using ready-made figures, the latest monthly values are selected for each forecast month from the chosen data. If the base data length is over a year, the first year's figures are brought calendar monthly to the new forecast's first year, the second year's figures to the second year, etc. The choice between "Rolling Forecast" or "Forecast for Period" cannot be changed after the forecast is created, but the duration of the forecast can be edited. The forecast can be deleted, copied, or set as primary through the three dots. The primary forecast appears first, for example, in the report's comparison series selection. When the forecast is retrieved from the Reports view, the original values entered for the forecast are displayed.
A forecast can be in the state of "Ready" or "In Progress." To edit a forecast, it must be in the "In Progress" state. A forecast in the "Ready" state cannot be edited.
If a value is entered in the total column of the forecast, the actual sum on the forecast is first subtracted, and the remaining value is evenly distributed across the forecast months. The remainder is set to the first month of the forecast.
It is possible for multiple users to input the forecast simultaneously. After each forecast value is entered, all changed values are updated in the forecast. This way, values possibly entered simultaneously by other users also become visible.
Keyboard shortcuts can be utilized in forecast input. The following actions can be performed on selected cells:
Copy (Ctrl + c) -> Copies the values of the selected cells.
Paste (Ctrl + v) -> Pastes the copied values into the selected cell and onwards to other cells based on the copy.
Cut (Ctrl + x) -> Removes the values of the selected cells and copies them to the clipboard.
Fill (Ctrl + k) -> Inputs the value of the selected cell (one cell) into the remaining cells of the table's row. The command must be executed from the cell containing the value to be copied.
Delete -> Removes the values from the selected cells.
Forecast Import/Export
Forecast values can be imported/exported to Excel. Only forecast values are exported to Excel, actual values are omitted. Values can be edited in Excel and imported back into the controller. Accounts are matched by number and cost objects and titles by name.
Input for Account Group
When inputting for an account group, the value is saved to the first account of the account group. Inputting for an account group overrides the previous values under the account.
Input for Cost Object
The forecast can also be input for a cost object. Inputting is done by selecting the cost object from the cost object filter. Values can be input for a cost object combination by selecting both, in which case the values go to both cost objects.
The unallocated value of a cost object title is the sum of all estimates that have not been assigned a cost object under that title.
In the cost object hierarchy, values can be at all levels. In this case, the values of the lower levels of the hierarchy are included with the values at the higher levels.
Account View
Values for a single account can be input more efficiently through the account view. The view can be accessed from the forecast view by clicking the account name or using the arrow button next to the selected cell. In the account view, the selected account can be changed from the menu at the top of the table. 
Allocation to Cost Objects
Unallocated shows the value entered for the account that has not been allocated to any cost object. If unallocated is other than 0, values entered for cost objects automatically reduce the unallocated value. Similarly, removing a value entered for a cost object transfers the value to unallocated.
Default Title Selection
Summary rows are added to the table for the default title's cost objects, showing the sum of all cost object combinations containing that cost object. The default title selection is user-specific and does not affect saved values, so it can be changed as needed.
Keywords: forecasts, Controller, rolling forecast, forecast for period, Excel, account group input, cost object, import/export, account view.
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