You can run Forecast Pro Unlimited noninteractively. When the command line to execute the program includes a project filename (*.FPZip or .FPProj if the project is unzipped) and the /b parameter, Forecast Pro will read in the data, create the forecasts, save all output files and then exit. This feature is particularly useful when you are integrating forecasting with other software systems and need a “hands-off” approach. Please note that this feature is not available for Forecast Pro 100.
To run Forecast Pro automatically, follow these two steps.
1.) Prepare a valid project and place it in your project directory. The easiest way to prepare this file is to use Forecast Pro interactively to define all desired project settings, historic data, output formats and (optionally) forecast modifiers and overrides, and then save the project using use File>Save.
Alternatively, you can generate the file externally, but this will require understanding the project file and the (optional) corresponding db file formats.
2.) Run the command “ForecastProUnlimited [Project Name] /b [options…]”. For example,
“C:\Program Files\Forecast Pro\Forecast Pro Unlimited v11 64-bit\ForecastProUnlimited.exe” Test.FPZip /b
runs the program located in “C:\Program Files\Forecast Pro\ Forecast Pro Unlimited v11 64-bit” for a project named Test.FPZip. The project should be in your current project directory. The “/b” parameter is used to indicate that you wish to run in command-line (batch) mode.
You can issue the command in any number of ways, including:
Select Run from the Start menu and issue the command from there.
Set up a shortcut to issue the command.
Issue the command from within a different application using a system call.
The Command Line tab of the Settings>Options dialog box allows you to specify several key command line forecasting options and the output files to save in command-line mode. This tab’s functionality was fully described in the Menu Items and Dialog Boxes section earlier in this chapter.
Command line options include the following:
/BOOKMARK=[Bookmark name] causes the program to load the indicated bookmark prior to generating any output files. If the bookmark is not found, then the program continues using its current settings. Until build 5.1.1.4, this required a case-specific match; now it is case-independent. If the program cannot find the bookmark, processing continues normally to completion.
/LAYOUT=[Layout name] has the same functionality as /BOOKMARK.
/NOSAVE causes the program to forego re-saving the project at the end of command-line execution, regardless of the actual project setting (Settings > Options > Command Line > Project). The latter checkbox setting is respected if /NOSAVE is omitted.
/NOFORECAST the program simply loads the project, assuming it’s in a forecast and reconciled state, and generates the output.
/TITLE=[file title to use for output files] causes the program to replace the project name, e.g. “Project01”, with whatever is specified by the User here to build the output file names. For example /TITLE=Bookmark_1 would result in output files named accordingly, e.g., !Bookmark_1 Exceptions Report.xlsx. This setting is also applied to the ODBC output table, overriding any previous project setting. In the latter case, the User is advised to use a /TITLE value that complies with SQL naming conventions (e.g., no spaces).
/PLOG and /ELOG will force the program to generate project and error log files, respectively. This overrides the corresponding settings in the INI file and in the project definition. If a file title is specified using /TITLE=[…], it will be applied to the log file(s).
The following options allow the User to force the program to output the corresponding outputs/reports, even if they are unchecked within the project settings.
/OUTPUT – forces export of the Numeric Output regardless of the project setting.
/ITEM – forces export of the Item Report regardless of the project setting.
/OUTLIER – forces export of the Outlier Report regardless of the project setting.
/QUERY – forces export of any previously checked Query Report(s) regardless of the project setting.
/PWD=[project password] allows the command line execution of projects that contain a password.
/MODE=[XLSX or CSV or XLS] allows specifying a data mode other than XLSX for the Item, Exceptions, Outliers, and Overrides reports.
Important Notes
1. If there are spaces in the pathname you must include quotation marks as illustrated in the example above.
2. If you do not want the Forecast Pro menu to appear, run the program minimized.