Troubleshoot Forecast Data Issues

What you're seeing: Negative values in All-Other Bucket forecasts.

Why this happens: This is usually normal. All-Other Buckets calculate as: Distributor Shipments - Retailer Consumption. When you ship 1,000 units to a distributor in Week 1, but stores sell 250 units per week over Weeks 2-5, you'll see negatives in some weeks. This reflects timing between shipment and retail sales.

How to fix it:

• 1. Check "Weeks to Retail" - Go to Manage > Customers, select your retailer, find Weeks to Retail field. Should be 2-4 weeks typically. Update if incorrect and regenerate forecast.

  2. Verify customer assignments - In Manage > Customers, confirm each retailer has correct distributor in First Receiver section and splits total 100%. Ensure each distributor has an All-Other Bucket assigned.

  3. Assess the pattern - Occasional negatives are normal. Consistent extreme negatives every week suggest setup issues like incorrect distributor splits or weeks to retail.

When to override: If future week forecasts don't match business expectations, click into the cell and enter your override value.

Remember: Negative values in past weeks (actuals) often reflect real supply chain timing and shouldn't be changed.

Issue 2: Outdated Forecast Data

What you're seeing: Forecast doesn't reflect recent revenue uploads, promotions, or pricing changes.

Why this happens: Forecasts create snapshots and don't auto-update when you change data.

How to fix it:

• 1. Go to Insights > Forecast

  2. Click Generate Forecast (top right)

  3. Wait 1-2 minutes for completion

  4. Refresh your browser and check numbers

Best practice: Generate weekly, after major uploads, or before important meetings.

Issue 3: Missing Customer Setup

What you're seeing: Distributor forecasts show zeros or unexpectedly low values.

Why this happens: Missing required customer relationships.

How to fix it:

• 1. Check distributors - Go to Manage > Customers, search for distributors, verify each has an All-Other Bucket. If missing, click Create All-Other Bucket.

  2. Check All-Other Buckets - Find each All-Other Bucket customer, scroll to First Receiver section, ensure parent distributor is listed. Add if missing.

  3. Check retailers - Filter to retailer customers, verify each has at least one first receiver (distributor or "Self"). Add if missing with splits totaling 100%.

  4. Regenerate forecast after changes.

Issue 4: Wrong Revenue Source Configuration

What you're seeing: Significantly lower forecast numbers or zeros despite uploads. 

Why this happens: Revenue sources must match customer types:

• • Retailers use Forecast Revenue Sources (SPINS, IRI, Circana)

  • Distributors use Accounting Sources (NetSuite, QuickBooks, SAP)

How to fix it: 

For Retailers:

• 1. Go to Manage > Customers, select retailer

  2. Check Forecast Revenue Source field (should show SPINS, IRI, etc.)

  3. Go to Revenue > Revenue Dollars, filter to retailer

  4. Verify Source column matches the Forecast Revenue Source

  5. Re-upload with correct source if mismatched

  6. Regenerate forecast after corrections.

For Distributors:

• 1. Go to Settings > Deductions & Revenue

  2. Scroll down to the Select Accounting Sources section

  3. Verify ERP system is checked under Accounting Sources

  4. Go to Revenue > Revenue Dollars, filter to distributor

  5. Verify Source column shows an Accounting Source

  6. Re-upload with correct source if mismatched

  7. Regenerate forecast after corrections.

Common mistake: Don't upload ERP data to retailers or POS data to distributors (unless retailer is direct).

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Issue 5: Conflicting Pricing

What you're seeing: Unexpected revenue calculations or distributor/first receiver mismatches.

Why this happens: Multiple price entries for same product, overlapping timeframes, or distributor/direct retailer price differences. System uses highest price, potentially inflating projections.

How to fix it:

• 1. Go to Manage > Pricing 

  2. Search affected product, look for multiple entries with overlapping dates

  3. Note customer, dates, and price for each entry

  4. Resolve by:

     1. Deleting duplicate entries (keep most accurate)

     2. Adjusting date ranges to eliminate overlaps

     3. Aligning prices between distributors and direct retailers

  5. Regenerate forecast

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Issue 6: Conflicting Distributor Splits

• 1. Go to Manage > Customers, select retailer, view Timeframes
  2. For each timeframe, click Edit and verify splits total 100%
  3. Go to Product Management, search product, check which Product Groups include it
  4. Resolve by:
     1. Removing product from extra groups
     2. Aligning splits across all groups
     3. Using timeframes if splits legitimately changed over time
  5. Regenerate forecast

Issue 7: Monthly vs. Weekly Data Mismatches

What you're seeing: Manually calculated monthly totals don't match monthly view.

Why this happens: Weeks spanning two months split proportionally by days. Week ending Feb 5 with 5 February days and 2 January days splits a 700-unit forecast as 500 to February, 200 to January.

How to workaround this:

• 1. Use Group by: Month/Quarter dropdown in Insights > Forecast instead of manual calculation

  2. Click on Export button

Note: Don't manually sum weekly exports

When to expect differences: Small variances at month boundaries, year boundaries, and forecast start dates are normal.

Issue 8: Conflicting Weeks to Retail

What you're seeing: Unexpected timing differences or revenue in wrong periods.

Why this happens: Different weeks to retail values across customer timeframes cause inconsistent calculations.

How to fix it:

• 1. Go to Manage > Customers, select retailer, view Timeframes.

  2. Check Weeks to Retail for each timeframe, look for inconsistencies.

  3. Confirm correct timing with sales/logistics team.

  4. If consistent: Use same value across all timeframes.

  5. If legitimately changed: Document reason and align timeframe dates with when change occurred.

  6. Regenerate forecast.

Still Having Issues?

Before contacting support, gather:

• • Screenshots highlighting specific incorrect numbers

  • Customer names affected (retailers, distributors, All-Other Buckets)

  • Date ranges showing issues (past actuals vs. future forecast)

  • Recent changes (revenue uploads, customer setup, pricing, promotions)

  • Troubleshooting steps already tried and results

Contact support with:

• • All gathered information above. Send an email to support@govividly.com or open a chat through our chat icon at the left bottom corner of Vividly.