Specifies basic information for the production forecast, such as the forecast date, item number, unit of measure code, and forecast quantity. The program copies this information from the Production Forecast window and the item card. The only field in the entry table that can be changed is the Description field.
A production forecast states the estimated future demand for an item within a specified time period. There can be a production forecast for an item that is an end sales item or a component item. You specify this forecast type for each item that you enter in the production forecast.
The program uses the information that you enter in the Production Forecast window to calculate the gross requirements for an item within the forecast period. In this process, called netting, the actual demand for an item reduces the production forecast quantity by that amount. If the actual demand for an item exceeds the forecast quantity, the production forecast is, in effect, removed from the gross requirements and replaced by the actual demand. When the program calculates gross requirements, independent demand nets the forecast for sales items and dependent demand nets the forecast for component items.