Forecast quotas, periods, and fiscal year
Key Takeaway
Fiscal years, forecast periods, and forecast quotas are linked. Changing the fiscal year or the forecast period, or deleting a custom fiscal period or quarter, can delete quotas and adjustments.
The fiscal year sets the months, quarters, or custom periods that Salesforce uses for reporting, opportunities, and forecasting. Forecast period settings control which of those periods users see on the forecasts page. Forecast quotas are the sales goals that forecasts are measured against. Because the three are linked, a change to the fiscal year or the forecast period can delete quota and adjustment data.
Standard and custom fiscal years
A standard fiscal year follows the Gregorian calendar but can start on the first day of any month. Use it when the company only needs a different start month.
A custom fiscal year is for structures that don't follow the Gregorian calendar, such as a 4-4-5 quarter or a 13-period year.
Defining or editing fiscal years requires the "Customize Application" permission.
Northwind's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30 and uses normal calendar months. A standard fiscal year that starts in July fits Northwind. A retailer that closes its books every four weeks has 13 periods a year, which doesn't follow the Gregorian calendar, so the retailer needs a custom fiscal year.