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The Salesforce for Forecast integration includes a variety of tools to help you manage your sales process, from Salesforce Opportunities to Forecast Projects. While you can view Salesforce data in Forecast, the integration also allows you to see Forecast data directly within Salesforce. This article explains which Forecast data is available in Salesforce and where to find it.
This article covers:
- Understanding the Forecast Project Record in Salesforce
- Displaying Forecast Project Data in Salesforce Opportunities
- Viewing the Forecast Projects Report
Understanding the Forecast Project Record in Salesforce
Once an Opportunity has a corresponding project in Forecast, a Forecast Project Record is created in Salesforce linked to the Opportunity. The Forecast Project Record contains the project's budget numbers, progress, and other key information, all of which are reflected in the Opportunity object.
Forecast Project Record Fields
These fields are exposed through the Opportunity and may be added to Salesforce page layouts once the package is installed.
| Field | Description | SF API Name* |
|---|---|---|
| Forecast Project Name | Name of the project | Name |
| Start Date | Start date of the project | __Start_Date__c |
| End Date | End date of the project | __End_Date__c |
| Project Progress | Project progress | __Progress__c |
| Stage | Which stage the project is in | __Stage__c |
| Status | The raw status of the project (RED, YELLOW or GREEN) | __Status__c |
| Project Status | The status of the project interpreted to colors. | __Project_Status__c |
| Project URL | URL to the project | __Project_Url__c |
| Project Contact | Contact person of the project | __Project_Contact__c |
| Baseline budget numbers | Baseline revenue, cost, profit and margin. | __Baseline_Revenue__c
__Baseline_Cost__c
__Baseline_Profit__c
__Baseline_Margin__c
|
| Planned budget numbers | Planned revenue, cost, profit and margin. | __Planned_Revenue__c
__Planned_Cost__c
__Planned_Profit__c
__Planned_Margin__c
|
| Actual budget numbers | Actual revenue, cost, profit and margin. | __Actual_Revenue__c
__Actual_Cost__c
__Actual_Profit__c
__Actual_Margin__c
|
| Forecast budget numbers | Forecast revenue, cost, profit and margin. | __Forecast_Revenue__c
__Forecast_Cost__c
__Forecast_Profit__c
__Forecast_Margin__c
|
| Invoiced | Invoiced total on project. | __Invoiced__c |
| Invoiced paid | Paid of the invoiced total. | __Invoiced_Paid__c |
| Total scope | Scoped hours for the project. | __Total_Scope__c |
| Approved scope | Approved scoped hours for the project. | __Approved_Scope__c |
| Reported | Reported (registered) hours for the project. | __Reported__c |
| Remaining | Remaining hours on the project. | __Remaining__c |
There are three distinct phases in which the Forecast Project Record in Salesforce is updated:
- Opportunity: A Salesforce Opportunity triggers the creation of a Forecast project in the "Opportunity" stage. When the Opportunity changes stage, it is updated with the most recent information from the Forecast project. Additionally, a periodic update runs when changes are made to the Forecast project.
- Project: The Forecast project is moved to the "Planning" stage. The periodic update captures the move and the information in Salesforce is updated.
- Archived: The project is moved to "Done" or "Halted", which locks all of the project's data in Forecast. This action triggers a data update to ensure that "final" data in Salesforce aligns with Forecast.
Aside from the initial creation of a project, data flows from Forecast to Salesforce. The exception to this rule is win probability, which is synchronized from Salesforce to Forecast (where applicable).
Displaying Forecast Project Data in Salesforce Opportunities
It is possible to display Forecast projects as Opportunities related to an account in Salesforce. To do so, the Opportunity Layout must be edited within Salesforce to include Forecast fields. Creating a new section named Forecast Project is recommended allowing you to distinguish Forecast fields from Salesforce fields.
To create a Forecast Project section
- Go to your Salesforce instance.
- Click the cog at the top right and select Setup.
- In the left panel, expand Objects and Fields.
- Select Object Manager.
- Scroll down through the objects list and click Opportunity.
- Click Page Layouts in the left side panel.
- Select Opportunity Layout (or if you have changed the default page, choose your new default).Go to your Salesforce instance.
- Drag the element labeled Section from the grey menu at the top and drop it under Opportunity Detail.
- Name the section Forecast Project, define its layout and click OK.
- The new Forecast Project section appears above Opportunity Information.
To add Forecast Fields to the Forecast Project Section
- From within the Opportunity Layout, select the Forecast fields you wish to include in the Opportunity. Forecast fields display ForecastAppV2 in their name when hovering.
- Drag/drop each field into Forecast Project.
- Once all Forecast fields have been added, click Save.
Viewing Account Related Forecast Projects
Included in the package is a Visualforce Page which displays the list of related Forecast Projects (via opportunities for an Account) from an account's page layout. The Visualforce page is called Account Related Forecast Projects.
Viewing the Forecast Projects Report
A report displaying all of the Forecast Project Records in Salesforce is included in the package. This report is Forecast Projects Report and is accessible via the Forecast Project Reports folder in Salesforce. This report will list various data from existing Forecast projects in your Salesforce instance.
Depending on your Salesforce instance, you may also create custom reports that include Forecast project data.
Related Articles
- Salesforce Integration Resources
- Setting up the Salesforce for Forecast Integration
- Syncing Salesforce Opportunities with Forecast
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