MicroStrategy ONE

ForecastV

The ForecastV function uses data recorded for certain time periods to calculate and display the expected value of data for an unknown time period. This is most commonly used to predict future metric values based on historical data. For example, based on revenue data for three years, you want to predict what your Revenue will be for the coming year.

You can use ForecastV to predict values for any point in time, including dates that have known data. However, this type of function is meant for predicting future, unknown values.

This function uses a linear equation to predict future values. Therefore, it is best suited to predict values that are increasing or decreasing in a linear trend. For example, if your profits are increasing by $10,000 each year, this is a scenario that is well suited for a prediction based on a linear equation.

For a function that predicts values in a similar way for data that is increasing or decreasing exponentially, see GrowthV.

Syntax

ForecastV <FactID>(FutureTime, KnownData, KnownTimeIntervals)

Where

  • FutureTime is the point in time for which to predict the data. This is commonly defined as an integer. For example, to predict values for the year 2029, you would enter the value 2029 for FutureTime (this assumes your year data is defined with IDs that match the year).

  • KnownData is an object representing a list of values. This list of values is the known data to use to predict a future value for. KnownData is commonly used for metrics that represent data such as revenue, profit, and so on.

  • KnownTimeIntervals is an object representing a list of values. This list of values provide the time intervals for which data is known. KnownTimeIntervals is commonly used for attributes that represent intervals of time such as year, quarter, month, and so on.

    Since this function allows you to enter a list of time intervals, it can account for missing time intervals more accurately than the TrendV function.

  • FactID is a parameter that forces a calculation to take place on a fact table that contains the selected fact.

For additional information on and an example of this function, refer to the MicroStrategy Functions Reference.