Tutorial - Generating Forecast Data

Create a Time trigger and enter/select the following values:

• Name = Simple Workflow Trigger.
• Task(s) = Simple Workflow
• Forecast = enabled
• Business Days = enabled
   
  

Save the trigger and then enable it. A trigger must be enabled in order to generate forecast data for it.

From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Triggers > Forecast Calendar. The Forecast Calendar identifies Simple Workflow on the days in the forecast period, for the current month, when it will be launched by Simple Workflow Trigger. (By default, tasks within a Workflow are not displayed.)
 

Click any Simple Workflow link in the Forecast Calendar to display a Forecast Details pop-up. Note that the Launch Time and End Time are identical; since the workflow has never been run, there is no data to support estimated times.
 

From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Triggers > Forecasts. The Forecasts list identifies Simple Workflow and every task in Simple Workflow, as well as their Launch Times and End Times, for every day in the forecast period when Simple Workflow will be launched by Simple Workflow Trigger.
 

Re-display the Time Triggers list, right-click Simple Workflow Trigger, and then click Trigger Now to launch Simple Workflow.

When Simple Workflow has completed, re-display the Time Triggers list, right-click Simple Workflow Trigger, and then click Recalculate Forecast.
 

Re-display the Forecast Calendar and click any Simple Workflow link in the Forecast Calendar to display a Forecast Details pop-up, which now contains estimated Launch Time and End Time information based on the Workflow run just completed.
 

Open the Timer Task and change the Timer Duration in Seconds value from 10 to 50, and then click Update.
 

Re-run Simple Workflow.

When Simple Workflow has completed, re-calculate its Forecast; since the updated time for the Timer1 task affected the Simple Workflow End Time (the time it took to run the Workflow), the Forecast information for Simple Workflow is now obsolete.

Re-open the Forecast Calendar and click any Simple Workflow link to see that 20 seconds has been added to the End Time.