Forecast Templates
In TRASER DMS 365, forecast templates are used to create the actual forecasts in sales calculations. For more information on sales calculations, see the Sales Calculation section.
This chapter is divided into the following sections:
Creating a Forecast Template
This section describes how to create a forecast template. Please proceed as follows to create a forecast template:
Note
Before you can create forecast templates, you must set up a number series for forecast templates. For more information regarding number series, please click here.
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the page Forecast Templates.
- The page Forecast Templates is displayed.
- Click New in the menu bar.
- A window is displayed in which you have to specify the following information:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| In Stock As | Optional Select whether the service item should be in stock as a fixed asset or current asset. |
| Vendor No. | Select from the drop-down menu the vendor for which you want to create the forecast template. |
| Manufacturer | Select from the drop-down menu the manufacturer of the service item for which you want to create the forecast template. |
| Category | Select from the drop-down menu the category of the service item for which you want to create the forecast template. |
| Subcategory | Select from the drop-down menu the subcategory of the service item for which you want to create a forecast template. |
| Model | Select from the drop-down menu the model of the service item for which you want to create the forecast template. |
| Service Item No. | You can either select a service item here or leave this field empty. |
- Click OK to create the forecast template.
- The forecast template is being created.
- Fill in the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| No. | This field is filled with a number from the set up number series by the system. |
| Description | Enter a description for the forecast template in this field. |
| Return Type | Specify whether you would like to take a machine back from the customer. You can choose between Trade-In, Purchase or Agency Business. If you select trade-in, the system will create a credit memo, whereas if you select purchase the system will create an invoice. |
| Vendor Name | Select the vendor for the forecast template. This value is normally already preset with the name of the vendor that you have entered in the window for the forecast template. |
| Location Code | Enter the location code for the forecast template in this field. |
| Service Item No. | In this field, enter a service item number, if you haven’t done so in the previous step. |
| Status | This field is not editable. It shows the status of the forecast template. The following statuses are possible: Open means that the forecast template has not been checked and released. Released means that this forecast template has been released and can be used. |
| Base Code | Use this field to enter the base code. |
| Base Machine Net Price | Use this field to enter the machine net price. |
After you have filled in the header of the forecast template, you can calculate the service item in a Sales Calculation. The forecast template consist of the following basic areas:
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Configuration | In this part of the forecast template, you can specify all configurations of the basic machine. The prices are shown in the Forecast Calculation factbox below the Configurations line. Configurations mean equipment packages (work lights, climate control etc.) as well as devices (telematic system). These equipments/configurations have to be deposited for every machine model in the system. You can find more information about this in the chapter Configuration. |
| Purchase Discounts | In this area of the forecast template you can set up purchase discounts. You can choose between standard discounts and customised discounts which are applied as fixed price discount or percentage discount. The base amount of the used discounts can also be changed. You can find more information about this in the chapter Purchase Discounts. |
| Sales Discounts | In this area of the forecast you can set up sales discounts. You can choose between standard discounts and customised discounts which are applied as fixed price discount or percentage discount. The base amount of the used discounts can also be changed. You can find more information about this in the chapter Sales Discounts. |
| External Equipment | In the External Equipment area, the prices for attachments and components are calculated. External equipment means all parts that are not part of the basic machine from the manufacturer. Examples for external equipment may be a bucket (structural engineering) or front hydraulics (agricultural engineering) of a different manufacturer. You can also include necessary works (workshops) for the attachment of the external equipment in the forecast template. You can find more information about this in the chapter External Equipment. |
| Workshops | Below the Workshops area, all works concerning the machine are listed. This means among other things the delivery check in the garage, conversion works (e.g. For external equipment) and final assemblies. You can also create standard jobs for these works which are calculated with fixed prices. You can find more information about this in the chapter Workshops. |
| Costs | In this area of the forecast template you can make entries that don’t fit any of the other areas. One possible example may be approval costs or the transport to the company/farmer. You can find more information about this in the chapter Costs. |
- Add the respective entries to the areas to create the forecast template and to use it in a sales calculations.
Configuration
This section describes how to add a configuration of a service item to a forecast template. The following description presupposes that you have already opened a forecast template.
- Switch the view to the Configuration tab. To do so, click on Show > Configuration in the menu bar.
- Enter the configuration of the service item in the lines under the Configuration tab. Use the following lines types for this:
| Line Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Comment | Use this line type to add comments to the configuration. |
| Item | The line type Item is used for including configurations as for example a light package consisting of additional working lights for a agricultural or construction machine into the forecast template. |
| Option | This line type is used for equipment that you want to include in the forecast in addition to the basic machine. If you want to import options from an Excel list, click on the selection field in the No. column and then on the selection field in the menu bar. Select Import Options Excel to import equipment via Excel. If you would like to export the template instead, select Export Options Template. |
| Attribute | Use this line type to add attributes to the configuration. |
Tip
If you would like to add a line of text that will be added as a general comment line, click on Add Text Lines in the menu bar of the Configuration FastTab. In the text editor, you can then enter the text that will be added as a general comment line. This line is transferred to sales and purchase documents and included in printouts. If you would like to add an internal remark line that refers to another line, such as an item or option line, select a line and click on Add Comment to Line in the menu bar of the Configuration FastTab. To edit the comment in the text editor, e.g. if there are several comment lines, click on the selection field in the menu bar of the page and then on Add Text Lines. Internal comment lines are not displayed in the lines of the forecast and are also not printed on sales or purchase documents.
Purchase Discounts
This section describes how to add purchase discounts and discount schemes to a forecast template. The following description presupposes that you have already opened a forecast template. Please proceed as follows to enter the purchase discounts:
- Switch the view to the Purchase Discounts tab. To do so, click on Show > Purchase Discounts in the menu bar.
- To add a discount scheme to the forecast template, select Manage > Select Default Purchase Discount from the menu bar in the Purchase Discounts tab.
- The window Default Purchase Discounts is displayed. The list contains all discount schemes that can be used for this service item.
- Select a discount scheme from the list und click OK.
- The default purchase discounts are added to the forecast template.
Note
You can also enter a discount manually. For this, click in the Discount Type column and select the discount from the drop-down list.
You have added one or more purchase discounts to the forecast template. You can find an overview of the accumulated discounts in the Total Discounts field beneath the tab.
Sales Discounts
This section describes how to add sales discounts and discount schemes to a forecast template. The following description presupposes that you have already opened a forecast template. Please proceed as follows to enter the sales discounts:
- Switch the view to the Sales Discounts tab. To do so, click on Show > Sales Discounts in the menu bar.
- To add a discount scheme to the forecast template, select Manage > Select Default Sales Discount from the menu bar in the Sales Discounts tab.
- The window Default Sales Discounts is displayed. The list contains all discount schemes that can be used for this service item.
- Select a discount scheme from the list und click OK.
- The default sales discounts are added to the forecast tamplate.
Note
You can also enter a discount manually. For this, click in the Discount Type column and select the discount from the drop-down list.
You have added one or more sales discounts to the forecast tamplate. You can find an overview of the accumulated discounts in the Total Discounts field beneath the tab.
External Equipment
This section describes how to add external equipment to a forecast template. External equipment means attachments and components for service items that are not part of the configuration of the service item (machine). The following description presupposes that you have already opened a forecast template.
Please proceed as follows to enter external equipment:
- Switch the view to the External Equipment tab. To do so, click on Show > External Equipment in the menu bar.
- To add external equipment to a forecast template, select the item type in the Type column. You can choose between Item, Service Item or Comment.
- In the No. column, select the item or service item that you would like to add to the forecast template.
- Complete the following information for the line:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Choose between the values Service Item, Item or Comment for this column. |
| No. | In this column, the number of the item or service item is inserted by the system. |
| Linked to Workshop | This field shows if the item is linked to a workshop. You can find more information on how to link an item in a forecast template to a workshop in the Workshop section. |
| Description | Here the system specifies the description of the item. |
| Unit Of Measure | Use this field to enter the unit of measure of the item. This field may be filled by the system. |
| Quantity | This field shows the quantity of the item. |
| List Price | This field shows the list price for the item or service item. |
| Disc. % | This field shows the discount for the item or service item. |
| Purchase Price | This field shows the purchase price for the item or service item. |
| Line Amount | This field shows the line amount for the external equipment parts. The value is determined from amount × purchase price. |
| Margin % / Surcharge % | Specifies the margin or the surcharge in percent. |
| Margin/Surcharge | Specifies the amount of the margin or surcharge. |
| Calculate Separately | Deactivate this field for external equipment parts to not show the line amount seperately. The line amount is added to the configuration amount. |
| Show In Sales Documents | Activate this checkbox to show the external equipment parts in sales documents. |
| Comments Exist | This checkbox indicates if there are comments for this line. |
| Vendor Name | This field shows the vendor of the item. |
- Every added item or service item updates the information Total List Price, Total Costs and Total Calculated Sales Price.
You have added one or more external equipment lines to the forecast template.
Tip
If you would like to add a line of text that will be added as a general comment line, click on Manage > Add Text Lines in the menu bar of the External Equipment FastTab. In the text editor, you can then enter the text that will be added as a general comment line. This line is transferred to sales and purchase documents and included in printouts. If you would like to add an internal remark line that refers to another line, such as an item or service item line, select a line and click Manage > Add Comment Lines in the menu bar of the External Equipment FastTab. To edit the comment in the text editor, e.g. if there are several comment lines, click on the selection field in the menu bar of the page and then on Add Text Lines. Internal comment lines are not displayed in the lines of the forecast and are also not printed on sales or purchase documents.
Workshops
This section describes how to add workshops to a forecast template. Workshops mean standard tasks which result as part of the delivery and selling of the service item.
Note
To add a workshop to a forecast template, standard service codes have to be set up in the system.
Please proceed as follows to add workshops:
- Switch the view to the Workshops tab. To do so, click on Show > Workshops in the menu bar.
- To add a workshop line to the forecast template,click into the Default Project column in the Workshops tab. The picklist of the available standard service codes is displayed.
- Select the standard service code you would like to add to the Workshop tab.
Note
If you want to calculate the line amount for this workshop line at the machine price, deactivate the option Calculate Separately.
You have added a standard service code to the forecast template.
Costs
This section describes how to add other costs to a forecast template. The following description presupposes that you have already opened a forecast template.
Please proceed as follows to enter other costs:
- Switch the view to the Costs tab. To do so, click on Show > Costs in the menu bar.
- Complete the following information for the line:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Cost Type | Select the type of cost you would like to add to the forecast template. |
| Description | Enter a clear description for the added costs. |
| Amount | Enter the amount of the added costs. |
You have added additional costs to the forecast template. You can now use the forecast template in Sales Calculations. Furthermore, you can create purchase orders directly from a forecast template. For more information, click here.
Creating a Service Item Calculation via a Forecast Template
This section describes how to create a service item calculation using a forecast template. A service item calculation is a calculation created specifically for one service item, which you can later insert as a forecast in the Sales Calculation. Proceed as follows to create a service item calculation via a forecast template:
- Use the quick search (ALT+Q) to find the page Forecast Templates.
- Select a forecast template.
- In the menu bar of the forecast template list, click on Create Service Item Calculation.
- A dialog window is displayed. In the Service Item No. field, enter the number of the service item that you would like to create a service item calculation for.
- Confirm your selection with OK.
- A second dialog window is displayed. Confirm the dialog window with Yes to open the service item calculation.
You have successfully created a service item calculation via a forecast template. The details from the forecast template have been transferred to the service item calculation. You can now use this service item calculation in a sales calculation. You can find more information on this here.