Forecast categories and stage mapping
Key Takeaway
By default, an opportunity's stage sets which forecast category the deal counts toward. In Lightning Experience, the opportunity owner can set the Forecast Category to any value, overriding that mapping.
A forecast category is the group in the sales cycle that an opportunity is assigned to based on its stage, such as Pipeline, Best Case or Commit. Forecasts add up opportunity amounts by forecast category. The mapping between each Stage picklist value and a Forecast Category value decides which forecast number a deal counts toward.
The standard forecast categories
The standard forecast categories are Pipeline, Best Case, Commit, Closed and Omitted. The forecasts page shows totals and subtotals for Pipeline, Best Case, Commit and Closed. Opportunities in Omitted are not included in forecasts.