If no historical data exists for a material that the system can use for the forecast, it is possible to base the forecast on another material. To make this possible, you must define a so-called "reference material" for the consumption values as well as a reference plant, a validity date and a multiplier.
If a reference material has been defined, the system will access the historical data of this material during the forecast up to the validity date specified. From the validity date, the system then uses the material's own historical data.
By entering a multiplier, you can determine that only a certain percentage of the historical data of the reference data is used in the forecast.