0. INTRODUCTION
1. SCOPE
   1. Functional definition
   2. Field of application
   3. Principles
2. REFERENCES
3. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
   1. Standard terms and definitions
4. MESSAGE DEFINITION
   1. Segment clarification
   2. Segment index (alphabetical sequence by tag)
   3. Message structure
      1. Segment table

This specification provides the definition of the Sales forecast message (SLSFCT) to be used in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) between trading partners involved in administration, commerce and transport.

A message to enable the transmission of forecast data related to products or services, such as corresponding location, period, product identification, pricing, monetary amount, quantity, market sector information, sales parties. It enables the recipient to process the information automatically and use it for production, planning, marketing, statistical purposes, etc.

The Sales forecast message may be used for both national and international applications. It is based on universal practice related to administration, commerce and transport, and is not dependent on the type of business or industry.

The message intent is to provide sales forecast information for one or more locations for a series of products within a specified time period.

The message is transmitted either from a seller to its supplier or from a headquarters, coordination or distribution centre to a manufacturer, supplier or a third party.

It allows the recipient to know sales forecast for a specific product by:

• Sales location
• Sales period
• Product identification
• Product selling price, quantity and value of the sales
• Additional Identification of the products such as promotional flags, product group or family identification and internal identification numbers
• Periodical Turnover of a specified location
• Global specified product sales, i.e. total sales of a product in all locations
• Sales channel, market segment end use, if known.
• Sales parties identification, if known.
• Outlet identification, if known.

Though the message is location driven, it is conceivable that the recipient process the data to derive information based on other variables such as a specific product and all its related sales locations and/or addresses or forecasted periodic turnover and the related locations.

See UNTDID, Part 4, Chapter 2.3 UN/ECE UNSM - General Introduction, Section 1.

See UNTDID, Part 4, Chapter 2.3 UN/ECE UNSM - General Introduction, Section 2.

This section should be read in conjunction with the segment table which indicates mandatory, conditional and repeating requirements.

The following guidelines and principles apply to the whole message and are intended to facilitate the understanding and implementation of the message:

All specified dates/times should be in the format 'yymmdd'/'hhmm' unless all parties involved in the transaction agree that there is a functional requirement for an alternative format. Periods should be specified as whole numbers representing the required period as indicated in the format qualifier (weeks, months, etc.)

Where a choice of code or text is given only the code element should be used wherever possible.

Conditional data that is not required in the message should not be included.

Care must be taken that the segment qualifier in dependent segments do not conflict with the segment qualifier of the trigger segment of a group.

Free text information within the message should be avoided as this inhibits automatic processing.

0010 UNH, Message header

A service segment starting and uniquely identifying a message. The message type code for the Sales forecast message is SLSFCT.

Note: Sales forecast messages conforming to this document must contain the following data in segment UNH, composite S009:

0020 BGM, Beginning of message

A segment by which the sender must uniquely identify the sales forecast by means of its type and number.

0030 DTM, Date/time/period

A segment specifying general dates and, when relevant, times related to the whole message. The sales forecast report preparation date and the forecast period covered by the report must be specified using this segment.

0040 Segment Group 1: NAD-SG2

A group of segments identifying the parties with associated information.

0050 NAD, Name and address

A segment identifying names and addresses of the parties, in coded or clear form, and their functions relevant to the Sales Forecast Message. Identification of the sender of the report and the recipient is mandatory for the Sales Forecast Message. It is recommended that where possible only the coded form of the party ID should be specified e.g. the sender and receiver of the sales forecast are known to each other, thus only the coded ID is required, but when a new address might have to be clearly specified, this should be done preferably in structured format.

0060 Segment Group 2: CTA-COM

A group of segments giving contact details of the specific person or department within the party identified in the NAD segment.

0070 CTA, Contact information

A segment to identify a person or department, and their function, to whom communications should be directed.

0080 COM, Communication contact

A segment to identify a communications type and number for the contact specified in the CTA segment.

0090 Segment Group 3: RFF-DTM

A group of segments for giving references and, where necessary, their dates, relating to the whole message, e.g. contract number.

0100 RFF, Reference

A segment identifying the reference by its number and, where appropriate, a line number within the document.

0110 DTM, Date/time/period

A segment specifying the date/time related to the reference.

0120 Segment Group 4: CUX-DTM

A group of segments specifying the currencies and related dates/periods valid for the whole sales forecast message. Segment Group 4 may be omitted in national applications but will be required for international exchanges.

0130 CUX, Currencies

A segment identifying the currencies specified in the sales forecast message, e.g. the currency in which the forecast amounts or product prices are expressed. A rate of exchange may be given to convert a reference currency into a target currency.

0140 DTM, Date/time/period

A segment specifying the date/time/period related to the rate of exchange.

0150 Segment Group 5: LOC-DTM-SG6

A group of segments providing details of the location for which forecasted sales are being reported and the period or sub-period during which the sales will take place. There must be at least one occurrence of Segment group 5 within a sales forecast message.

0160 LOC, Place/location identification

A segment indicating in coded form the location to which the forecast data being reported apply, e.g. a retail outlet, a geographic area.

0170 DTM, Date/time/period

A segment identifying the sub-period during which the forecast sales being reported will occur if different from the period specified in the heading section. e.g. within a biweekly sales forecast message as specified in the heading section, sales forecasts are reported in sub-periods of one week.

0180 Segment Group 6: LIN-PIA-IMD-PAC-RFF-DOC-ALI-MOA-PRI-SG7

A group of segments providing details per location and period of the individual products to be sold in terms of product family or group, planned promotional flags, total forecast sale monetary amount and planned sale price.

0190 LIN, Line item

A segment identifying the line item by the line number and configuration level, and additionally identifying the product or service to be sold.

0200 PIA, Additional product id

A segment providing either additional identification to the product specified in the LIN segment or providing any substitute product identification. In the Sales Forecast Message the PIA segment can be used when a product specified in LIN has to be associated with a group or family of products whose identity could be specified in PIA.

0210 IMD, Item description

A segment for describing the product in the line item.

0220 PAC, Package

A segment specifying the number and type of packages.

0230 RFF, Reference

A segment for referencing documents or other numbers pertinent to the line item.

0240 DOC, Document/message details

A segment identifying and providing information relating to documents.

0250 ALI, Additional information

A segment indicating that the line item is subject to special conditions owing to origin, customs preference, embargo regulations or commercial factors. In the Sales Forecast Message the ALI segment can be used to specify planned promotions, e.g. to indicate what type of promotion if any will be in effect when the product specified in LIN is to be sold.

0260 MOA, Monetary amount

A segment specifying any monetary amounts relating to the product. For the sales forecast message the MOA segment can be used to express the forecast total monetary amount of the product to be sold, held, distributed, produced in one location for one period.

0270 PRI, Price details

A segment to specify the price type and amount. The price used in the calculation of the forecast total sales monetary amount will normally be the average forecast selling price.

0280 Segment Group 7: QTY-MKS-NAD

A group of segments identifying the quantity to be sold and if relevant through which market sector, sales distribution channel, end-use type, etc.

0290 QTY, Quantity

A segment identifying the product quantity, i.e. forecast quantity sold, held, produced, distributed.

0300 MKS, Market/sales channel information

A segment to specify to which market sector and/or through which distribution channel and/or for which end-use the forecast sales of product/service are to be made.

0310 NAD, Name and address

A segment identifying the name and address of a party being the recipient of a proportion of the forecast quantity.

0320 UNT, Message trailer

A service segment ending a message, giving the total number of segments in the message (including the UNH & UNT) and the control reference number of the message.