What is the Forecast?
Forecast predicts future values based on your data history.
You provide your past data (sales, revenue, visits) and the system calculates what to expect over the coming days or months. Every number comes with its margin of error, so you know how far to trust it.
Usage examples
- Forecast next month's sales to plan inventory
- Estimate future revenue for financial planning
- Anticipate demand for products or services
- Project growth in visits to the website or app
Quick start
Five steps, from spreadsheet to result.
- Prepare your data as CSV or Excel with two columns: date and value.
- Upload the file on the upload page.
- Set up the analysis: frequency, periods and seasonality.
- Wait for processing, which usually takes 2 to 5 minutes.
- View the charts and the forecast values.
How to organize your data
Organize your data in an Excel or CSV spreadsheet with two columns:
Column 1
Data
When did it happen? For example: 01/01/2023, 15/03/2024.
Column 2
Value
How much was it? For example: 1500, 2300, 1890.
| date | sales |
|---|---|
| 01/01/2024 | 1500 |
| 02/01/2024 | 1620 |
| 03/01/2024 | 1480 |
| 04/01/2024 | 1750 |
Tip: you can use any names for the columns. It could be sale_date and total, or day and revenue. What matters is having one column with dates and another with numbers.
Forecast Settings
These are the questions the new analysis screen asks. When in doubt, keep what is already filled in.
- Date column name
-
What is the name of the column that contains the dates in your spreadsheet?
Example: data
- Column name of values
-
What is the name of the column that contains the numbers you want to predict?
Example: vendas
- Frequency
-
How often do you record the data?
Daily there is a record every day
Monthly one record per month
- How many periods to forecast
-
How far into the future do you want to predict?
Monthly data and you want to forecast 1 year: enter 12
Daily data and you want to forecast 30 days: enter 30
- Recurrent patterns
-
Do your data have variations that repeat regularly?
Weekly standard lower sales on Sundays, higher on Fridays
Annual standard higher sales in December, lower in January
With Auto the system decides on its own whether the pattern exists.
- Holidays
-
The system can take into account the impact of your country's holidays on the forecast.
BrazilUnited StatesPortugal
Understanding the results
After processing your data, you get charts that show not only the forecast, but also the patterns found in your history.
Main chart: your forecast
Illustration with made-up values, only to show the parts of the chart.
- Neutral lineThese are the data you submitted. What has already happened in the past.
- Blue lineIt is the forecast. What the system believes will happen in the future.
- Light blue bandShows the margin of error. The actual value may vary within this area.
Other charts: patterns found
Overall trend
Shows whether your numbers are growing, declining, or remaining stable over time.
Example: your sales have been growing 10% a month over the last 6 months.
Yearly pattern
Shows in which months your values tend to be higher or lower.
Example: sales always go up in December and drop in January.
Weekly pattern
Shows on which days of the week your values tend to be higher or lower.
Example: sales are higher on Fridays and lower on Sundays.
Holiday impact
Shows how holidays affect your numbers.
Example: sales drop 20% at Christmas and New Year.
Important: The forecast is based on past patterns. If something changes significantly in the future (new competition, market shift, economic crisis), the results may be different.
Videos
Full tutorial: Forecast
From uploading the spreadsheet to the result
How to interpret the results
What each chart shows
Need help?
Contact us: contato@grabatus.com