Forecasting Skill

This skill lets the AI Assistant run forecasts directly from chat. Use this skill when you want to project future values for a metric based on historical data, review the forecast in a visualization, and optionally receive a natural language summary of the projected trend. The skill uses the same forecasting configuration that is available in Analytical Designer.

How It Works

The Forecasting skill uses time series analysis and statistical models to predict future metric values based on historical data. When activated, the assistant:

1. identifies the metric, date dimension, and forecast horizon from the user request
2. uses the existing visualization flow to access the historical data
3. applies the platform forecast configuration
4. embeds the forecast visualization in the chat
5. if data sharing is enabled, summarizes the trend, projected range, and important signals in natural language

The skill is designed for users who want to run predictive analysis without leaving the assistant. It can support both modes:

• orchestration only, when data sharing is disabled
• orchestration plus interpretation, when data sharing is enabled

Data Sharing

The Forecasting skill always respects the AI Assistant data sharing setting.

When data sharing is disabled, the assistant can still run the forecast and display the visualization, but it does not use forecast results for natural language interpretation.

When data sharing is enabled, the assistant can also interpret the forecast results, summarize the projected trend, and suggest follow-up actions based on the output.

Examples

Run a Forecast from Chat
The user asks: Forecast revenue for the next quarter.
The AI Assistant then:

• finds the relevant metric and date dimension,
• runs the forecast with the requested horizon,
• shows the forecast visualization in the chat, and
• if data sharing is enabled, summarizes the projected trend.

Forecast and Interpret the Result
The user asks: Forecast revenue for the next quarter and explain the trend.
The AI Assistant then:

• runs the forecast,
• displays the chart with projected values and confidence range, and
• if allowed by data sharing settings, provides a conversational interpretation of the result.

Forecast a Different Business Metric
The user asks: Predict support ticket volume for the next 8 weeks.
The AI Assistant then:

• identifies the metric and weekly time trend,
• runs the forecast,
• shows the resulting visualization, and
• explains any limitations if the data does not meet forecast requirements.

More Example Prompts

• Forecast sales for the next 3 months.
• Predict customer growth for the next quarter.
• Forecast monthly costs for the rest of the year.
• Show me the expected revenue trend for the next 6 periods.

Limitations

• Forecasting is available for line charts only
• The forecast supports one metric trended by date
• Historical data must not contain missing values
• The number of predicted periods must be smaller than the number of displayed data points
• If seasonality is enabled, the number of predicted periods should be significantly smaller than the number of displayed data points
• Confidence level can be configured for the error region
• Forecast interpretation in natural language is available only when data sharing is enabled
• Forecasts are based on historical patterns and may not reflect external business changes

Error Handling

If the forecast cannot be created, the assistant explains the issue and suggests a next step.

Examples include:

• not enough historical data points for the selected forecast horizon
• unsupported input structure
• missing values in the historical series
• a request that does not match the forecast requirements

In these cases, the assistant may suggest shortening the forecast horizon, choosing a different metric, or adjusting the underlying visualization.