End-to-End Workflow: From Data to Signed-Off Forecast
Here is the complete linear workflow for producing a forecast in Galdera. Each step builds on the previous one.
Step 1: Connect your data sources- Create a Source from a CSV/Excel file, Databricks share, or an enabled Snowflake connection
- Map columns to measures and dimensions
- Wait for ingestion to complete (status: "Active")
- Create a new Forecast Version
- Configure it: select the training data (ingestions), choose the measures to forecast and their strategy (Independent, Dependent, Roll forward, or Derived), and set the date range
- For balance-sheet and cash-flow lines, see Modelling the Three Statements
- Click the Play button to run the baseline forecast
- Wait for the run to complete (status: "Ready") and review the baseline numbers
- Click the Lock toggle to designate the run as the version's official baseline
- Locking is what makes the baseline available for overlays and exports
- Create overlays under the version for your business assumptions (e.g., "Q4 Pricing Increase")
- In each block, set the operation (Scale, Override, or Offset), target measure/metric, values, date range, and the scenario the block belongs to
- Scope to specific dimensions if needed (e.g., only the "Enterprise" segment)
- Open the overlay (it runs against its version's locked baseline)
- Click the Play button to compute the overlay's impact
- Wait for the run to complete (status: "Ready")
- Review the adjusted forecast vs. the baseline
- Click the Lock toggle to pin the run as the overlay's official output for this version
- Repeat for each overlay you want to finalize
- Overlay results carry the scenario tags set on their blocks (e.g., "Base Case" vs. "Upside")
- Compare scenario-tagged outputs side-by-side to evaluate different planning assumptions
You can also work on multiple overlays in parallel -- steps 4-6 can be repeated independently for each overlay. The linear flow above is the simplest path from raw data to a signed-off forecast.