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Small and medium business | Business Central, N...
Suggested Answer

Cash Flow forecast

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Posted on by 21
Hi! Guys,
I have been trying to work with Cash Flow Forecast for quite a few days. Basically, Forecast is like to predict the future based on the historical data.
I have Created a forecast. Linked the GL Budget with the forecast. Registered the Worksheet lines.
  Mar-26 Mar-26 April-26 April-26 May-26 Jun-26 Jul-26
  Forecast Actual Forecast Actual Forecast Forecast Forecast
               
Recieveables  $            370,370  $           566,696  $            374,519  $            476,824  $            361,380  $            422,849  $        903,365

This excel report makes some sense. But in the CF by Period, BC displays amount based on the Due date of the transaction. 
Along with that Azure AI is Enabled for the forecast but the Azure AI Values are not getting displayed in the Role center chart. 
If there is a better way for cash flow forecast or if I have missed something, do tell me. 
I would really appreciate your opinions.

Thanks.
 
 
 
I have the same question (0)
  • Suggested answer
    OussamaSabbouh Profile Picture
    17,799 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at
    Hello,
    BC cash flow is not really “Excel-style forecast from actuals”; it is more of a cash timing forecast, so yes, Receivables/Payables are shown mainly by Due Date, because BC is trying to predict when cash is expected to move, not when revenue/expense was posted. Your GL Budget link is good for planned/budgeted cash items, but open invoices, orders, manual revenues/expenses, taxes, etc. also feed the forecast, then worksheet lines must be suggested/registered and the Role Center chart must be Recalculate Forecast. For Azure AI, it does not simply show a separate “AI value” everywhere; it uses historical receivables, payables, and tax data, grouped by the Period Type, and if there is not enough history or the values vary too much, Microsoft says it may not generate a prediction. So I’d check Cash Flow Setup → Azure AI enabled, Historical Periods, Period Type, then recalculate; if you need a management forecast like your Excel layout, keep using budgets/manual cash flow lines for planned values and treat BC’s CF by Period as due-date cash movement, not P&L forecasting.
    Regards,
    Oussama Sabbouh
  • CU02121744-0 Profile Picture
    21 on at
    Thanks. 
    It gave a clarity on the process. 
  • Suggested answer
    Grigorios Mavrogeorgis Profile Picture
    2,574 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at
    Hi,
    Cash Flow Forecast in BC is strong but a bit tricky to setup properly, and what you describe is very common
     
    On the period display, BC uses Due Date by default, this is by design. Receivables show on the day you expect the customer to pay, not on the invoice date. You can change the source on Cash Flow Setup, but honestly most companies just leave it like that because Due Date is closer to reality. We do the same on most projects.
     
    On the Azure AI part, this is where everyone gets stuck. The AI prediction needs at least 12 to 24 months of historical data, otherwise it has nothing to learn from and the Role Center chart stays empty. Sounds silly but I have seen it many times, customers complain the AI does not work, and the reason is just that the company is too new in BC. Also check the Azure AI toggle in Cash Flow Setup, the API URL and key, and the Job Queue, the Update Cash Flow Forecast must run regularly, otherwise nothing refreshes.
    For better forecast, link it with Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Service Orders and Fixed Assets, not only with G/L Budget. G/L Budget alone gives a rough picture, in my experience the result becomes useful only when more sources are connected.
     Tick the checkbox below to mark the answer as verified, if it helped resolve your question.
     
    Regards
    Gregory Mavrogeorgis
     
    ,
     
  • Suggested answer
    YUN ZHU Profile Picture
    102,049 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at
  • Gerardo Rentería García Profile Picture
    27,280 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Hi, good day
    I hope this can help you, and give you some hints.

    Analyzing Cash Flow in Your Company
    Forecasting API overview
    Setting Up Cash Flow Analysis

    Best Regards
    Gerardo

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