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Forecasting management FAQs

This article answers frequently asked questions about forecasting management in Dynamics 365 Sales.

Questions are organized by topic:

Who owns the forecast?

The forecast owner is defined in the Permissions step of the forecast configuration. To find the owner:

  1. In the Sales Hub app, select App Settings.
  2. Under Performance management, select Forecast configuration.
  3. Select the forecast configuration, then select the Permissions step.
  4. Check the Owner lookup field to see who owns the forecast.

Screenshot of the Owner lookup field in the Permissions step.

For more information, go to Define the forecast owner.

How do I change the forecast calculation for lost opportunities?

By default, lost opportunities use Actual Revenue in the forecast. To switch to Estimated Revenue:

  1. Go to App Settings > Forecast configuration.
  2. Select your forecast and go to the Layout step.
  3. Find the Lost forecast category column and open its settings.
  4. In the Amount field, select Est. Revenue.
  5. Save your changes.

For more information, see Choose layout and columns.

How should I mark an opportunity as Won or Lost in a forecast?

Always close the opportunity using the Close Opportunity dialog in the opportunity form. The forecast category (Won or Lost) is then updated automatically by the system.

Important

Don't manually set the forecast category to Won or Lost in the opportunity form. Doing so can cause the opportunity to disappear from your forecast, because forecasts are configured to recognize Won only when Actual Revenue and Actual Close Date are available. Manually setting the category bypasses this logic and produces inaccurate rollup values.

For more information, see Close opportunities as won or lost.

Why is my forecast showing $0 or unexpected values?

There are a few common causes:

  • Opportunities aren't in the forecast hierarchy: Check whether your opportunities are assigned to users or territories that are part of the forecast hierarchy.
  • Forecast category mismatch: The opportunity's forecast category might not match the columns defined in your forecast layout. For example, if you use a custom option set instead of the default forecast categories, ensure the column selectors are configured to match. See Choose layout and columns.
  • Data hasn't been recalculated: If you recently updated opportunities on the Opportunities page, trigger a manual recalculation. See Recalculate forecasts manually.
  • Access permissions: You may not have been granted access to the forecast. Contact your administrator. See Provide permissions to access a forecast.

How do I exclude an opportunity from the forecast?

Set the opportunity's Forecast Category to Omitted. The opportunity's revenue won't be included in any forecast column totals, but the record remains in the system. See Capture forecast category for opportunity.

Can I have multiple active forecasts at the same time?

Yes. You can activate multiple forecast configurations simultaneously. For example, you can run a revenue-based org chart forecast alongside a product-quantity forecast. Each forecast is independent. See Configure forecasts in your organization.

How often does forecast data refresh automatically?

  • Changes made on the Forecasts page (including value adjustments): Reflected immediately.
  • Changes made on the Opportunities page: Reflected by end of day for the current period.
  • Past and future periods: Only updated by a manual recalculation.
  • Predictions (premium forecasting): Recalculated every seven days automatically; can't be triggered manually.

For a full breakdown, see Forecast recalculation methods.

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