MS Forecaster budgets with MS Management Reporter

Posted by Lisa Suggs

As we move from using Microsoft FRx to MS Management Reporter, MS Forecaster users are beginning to use the Forecaster Data Transfer Tool to import Forecaster budget data into MS Dynamics GP budgets for financial reporting. There are a few considerations of which to be aware:

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1. Forecaster accounts and centers will need to be the same as what is set up in Microsoft Dynamics GP. Because MS FRx could connect directly to MS Forecaster, the MS Forecaster and MS Dynamics GP accounts did not necessarily have to match, although in most cases they did. Pushing budgets into MS Dynamics GP does require that the two sets of accounts match. The Forecaster Data Transfer tool allows for complex mapping to write budget data into multiple GP companies and to translate the Forecaster segments into GP GL account numbers. As centers change, account numbers are added, etc. the MS Forecaster accounts and calculations need to be updated to match the ERP system.                
2. MS Forecaster input set ID’s will need to be set up in MS Dynamics GP as budget ID’s. The transfer tool requires you to match the input set to the budget ID.
3. Transferring data will inevitably result in errors. Once the budget data is transferred to MS Dynamics GP, the data in the Dynamics.. SA_Forecaster7ImportErrorLog needs to be reviewed.

The most common errors will be:

1. Account does not exist in GP. This is true for any account that was created in Forecaster that does not exist in GP.

• Example: The account (such as FTES) is not a GL account and should be ignored.
• Example: Account combinations may exist in Forecaster that are not used in GP. In this case, the budget amount should be zero and these can be ignored.

**It is useful to create a set of scripts to delete the errors for account combinations or zero balances which can be ignored. Doing so will allow you to review only the true errors that need resolution.

• If the budget amount should be transferred to MS Dynamics GP, then the MS Forecaster account needs to be corrected, or the account needs to be created in MS Dynamics GP.
• Account is inactive in GP. If the budget amount should be transferred, then the account needs to be activated or the MS Forecaster account needs to be corrected.