Database Table - Date Item Types - "F" Type Forecast Date Field

This allows forecasting by adding a number to a date (D-type or E-type) or comparing the system date to a date item already defined.  Both the relevant data items must have been specified previously in the record.  There are eleven different types of forecast, with different types of result:

– Forecast type D – to the date (Base) add a number of days (Plus) and show the output in the standard date format defined for this database

– Forecast type E – as for forecast type D above, except that the year is always shown with four characters, not two

– Forecast type W – to the date (Base) add a number of weeks (Plus) and show the output as YYWW — year and week number in the year

– Forecast type M – to the date (Base) add a number of months (Plus) and show the output as YYMM — year and month

– Forecast type A – compare the date (Base) to the current system (today’s) date and give the result as the number of days since the base date to today

– Forecast type 1 – compare the date (Base) to the current system (today’s) date and give the result as the number of years since the base date to today.  If less than a year, the answer is zero.  If between 1 and two years, result is 1

– Forecast type 2 – compare the date (Base) to the current system (today’s) date and give the result as the number of months since the base date to today, ignoring any years.  The result is always between zero and 11

– Forecast type 3 – give the day of the week for the date (Base) in the text form SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY etc. (capital letters)

– Forecast type 4 – give the day of the week for the date (Base) in the text form Sunday, Monday, Tuesday etc. (capital and lower case letters)

– Forecast type 5 – give the day of the week for the date (Base) in numeric form 1 for Sunday, 2 for Monday, 3 for Tuesday, etc.

– Forecast type 6 – to the date (Base) add a number of weeks (Plus) and show the output as just the week number in the relevant (differs from type W).  Week 1 is always the week in which 1st January falls

 Key F <Enter> for the data item type; and input the values for forecast Type, Base and Plus, keying <Enter> after each value.

 For example, "Type D  Base 11  Plus D12” would take the date found in data item 11, and add to this the number of days found in data item 12, displaying the result in the usual date format.  Note that the number of days to be added usually comes from an N-type number item; if it is taken from, say, an L-type item, the decimal places in that item are ignored.  Instead of using the value in a data item for "Plus”, the value of a constant can be used — to use the value in constant number 5, type "C5”.  The use of a negative constant value will have the effect of calculating backwards from the base date rather than forwards.