Why Business Central’s Built-In Inventory Forecasting Falls Short (And How to Fix It)

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central includes built-in inventory forecasting, but if you’ve used it for planning, you’ve probably run into limitations. The sales forecast on the item card gives you a basic view of future demand—but it’s static. You can’t filter it, adjust it, or use it to update item planning fields. It’s a starting point but not a planning tool. The Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet app from Insight Works builds on Business Central’s forecasting by making it interactive and practical. This app delivers precise, customizable inventory forecasting to prevent stockouts and optimize stock levels. Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet lets you adjust forecasts, apply filters, and push the results into your planning process—all within Business Central.

What Business Central’s Default Forecast Can’t Do

Open an item card in Business Central to see a simple forecast chart. It looks fine, but you can’t change the forecast period, filter by location, or apply different logic by item category. You also can’t send that forecast into your demand planning or update the item’s planning settings.

In short, it gives you a picture—but not much else.

What Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet Adds

The Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet uses the same Azure AI model as Business Central but gives you much more control over how you use that data.

You define the forecast time range, how far back you can look at sales history, the time unit (week, month, quarter), and even which forecasting model to use. Once set, you run the forecast and get detailed, editable results.

This flexibility enables you to tailor forecasts to your business cycle, whether you are planning short-term promotions or long-term seasonal trends. Controlling forecast parameters creates more relevant and actionable predictions, reducing the guesswork in procurement and production planning.

Update Demand Forecasts Automatically

After generating the forecast, you can push the data directly into Business Central’s Demand Forecast table by selecting Update Demand Forecast.

As a result, your demand forecast becomes part of the planning engine, supporting MPS and MRP processes without manual entry. By sending forecasts directly into Business Central’s demand planning system, you eliminate manual data entry and enable MRP and MPS to automatically generate purchase and production suggestions based on accurate forecast data.

Automating the handoff between forecasting and planning increases accuracy and saves time—key advantages for lean teams and fast-moving environments.

Automate Item Planning with Your Own Logic

You can also calculate planning fields like:

• Safety Stock
• Reorder Point
• Maximum Inventory
• Reorder Quantity

Instead of manually entering these values, you define formulas using variables such as avg_daily_usage, lead_time_days, and forecast_qty.

For example: Safety Stock = avg_daily_usage * lead_time_days

Click Update Item Planning, and the app pushes the results into the Planning FastTab of each item.

Custom formulas let you define how to calculate planning values—using logic that matches how your business operates. Automating these calculations reduces errors and frees up your planning team to focus on higher-value work like strategy and supplier negotiations.

Forecasting That Adapts to Your Inventory

Not every product or location follows the same pattern. The Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet lets you filter and forecast based on:

• Specific item categories
• Individual items
• Separate locations or warehouses

You can adjust the forecast confidence level for critical items, use different algorithms for different product groups, and avoid applying one-size-fits-all rules across the board.

Targeting forecasts by segment allows more accurate planning at a granular level—so you don’t overstock low-volume items or understock high-priority SKUs. Flexible filtering and algorithm selection mean your forecast reflects operational reality—not averages. That precision leads to better stock levels and fewer shortages or surpluses.

Summary

Business Central provides a basic forecast. That might work for simple needs—but not for businesses wanting control over inventory planning.

Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet gives you that control. You can calculate forecasts using your criteria, apply them to your demand planning, and update item settings using formulas that reflect how you operate.

It’s still Business Central—just with more capability where it counts.

Ready to Improve Forecast Accuracy?

If you’re using Business Central and want more from your forecasting, the Enhanced Forecasting Worksheet is free for one user.

Try the app via Microsoft AppSource or contact your Microsoft Partner to get started. You can start experimenting with forecasts in just a few minutes.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ENHANCED FORECASTING WORKSHEET