How do you set up inventory forecasting in EBMS ERP?

In EBMS ERP, inventory forecasting is part of the optional Advanced Inventory Management module: you choose a Prediction Type (Average, Linear, Seasonal, Restricted Time Period or Best Fit) for each item and warehouse, and EBMS calculates the item's Minimum and Maximum from its sales history. Without that module, the standard Calculate Stock Level Settings utility can still set min/max from an average.

This guide covers EBMS ERP by Koble (formerly Eagle Business Software). The steps follow Koble's current online help, which does not state an EBMS version, so screen names may differ slightly on older releases. Not every EBMS company owns the forecasting module, so the first section shows how to tell.

Do you have EBMS forecasting?

Forecasting comes with Advanced Inventory Management, an optional add-on EBMS module. If you have it, an Automated button appears below the Stock Levels section on an item's Count tab.

A second clue: the Sales Level tab under Inventory > Options only appears when the advanced inventory module is installed. If neither shows up, Koble's help says to talk to your Koble account manager about the optional modules. Everything in the "without the module" section below still works for you.

Which forecasting method should you pick?

Pick Best Fit unless you know an item's pattern well. EBMS tests each method against the last six months of actual sales and uses the one that predicted best.

Koble advises against Seasonal until an item has built up a lot of history. Until you have multiple years recorded, use Best Fit for seasonal items.

How do you set up forecasting for an item?

Forecast settings live on the item's year history tab and apply per warehouse. Set them once on a representative item or category, then push them down to the rest.

1. Confirm the item is eligible. It must be classified as Track Count and use the Stocked purchase method.
2. Open the item from Inventory > Product Catalog and go to a year history tab.
3. Select a warehouse. The Settings button stays disabled until you do.
4. Click Settings and choose a Prediction Type.
5. Set the Maximum Formula and Minimum Formula. Koble's example takes the average and adds 20% for the maximum and 10% for the minimum.
6. Enter Months Supply, the number of months of projected sales the formulas cover. A value of 3.0 projects three months.
7. Set the options that fit: start automatic calculations a set number of months after the first purchase, exclude drop-ships from predictions, restrict history and predictions to the Months Supply, and include a superseded item's sales history.
8. Apply the settings to a whole group with Filter Down, or set them as category defaults under Inventory > Options, Product Categories tab, Edit Defaults, Count tab, Automated button.

Excluding drop-ships matters. A big drop-ship order never touched your shelf, and leaving it in will inflate the stock level for that item.

What if you don't have Advanced Inventory Management?

Use the standard Calculate Stock Level Settings utility. It needs no extra module and sets Minimum and Maximum from an average volume over a period you choose.

1. Open Inventory > Utilities > Calculate Stock Level Settings.
2. Pick a product category (with Include Subfolders if needed), or a range of items, and a warehouse.
3. Enter the number of months supply you want on hand.
4. Set the history window, for example an average volume over 12 months ending last month.
5. Turn on Calculate Minimum and Calculate Maximum, then click Calculate.

This is a flat average, so rerun it every few months and check seasonal items by hand. Our guide to setting reorder points in EBMS covers the Minimum, Maximum and Reorder Increment fields in detail.

Should you classify items by sales level first?

Yes, if you have the module. Sales Level Classification ranks items into groups such as A, B and C, so you can watch your best sellers closely and review the long tail less often.

Set the percentage tiers and cost pools under Inventory > Options, Sales Level tab, then run the Determine Sales Level utility from Inventory > Utilities. Use at least a year of history so seasonal items rank fairly. The result shows as Sales Classification on each item's Purchasing tab, and you can sort by it on the purchasing screen.

What does a forecast still leave to you?

An EBMS forecast sets stock levels; it does not place orders. Someone still opens Inventory > Purchasing, reviews the suggestions and creates purchase orders.

It also helps to check results against cash. Koble's own case study describes an inventory manager who found one item carrying 209 days of inventory against a 60-day goal once he could see it on a Koble Analytics forecasting dashboard. Our guide on finding overstock in EBMS shows how to run that check with standard reports.

How does ReorderOwl forecast EBMS items?

ReorderOwl is a purchasing agent for EBMS ERP that reads three years of sales history read-only and picks a forecast method for each item automatically. Regular sellers get a trailing average (12 months by default); items that sell only now and then get a method built for spotty demand.

• For spotty items it keeps at least one typical order in reserve, based on the largest order line in the last 12 months, capped at three times the median line.
• Seasonal methods (same season last year, or a three-year seasonal median) are available, but the default is not seasonal.
• It orders to cover forecast demand over the vendor lead time plus safety-stock days (60 by default), plus the EBMS Minimum if you turn Minimums on, rounded up to the order increment.
• Every run returns an Excel workbook with a Forecast Methods sheet and a sentence on each line explaining which method it used, plus an Overstock Value total.

It works whether or not you own Advanced Inventory Management: it computes its own forecast. If Advanced Inventory Management sets an item's Minimum from its sales projection, leave Minimums off for that item when you ask ReorderOwl: its forecast already covers that demand, and adding the Minimum would count it twice. You ask in Slack or ChatGPT, and it drafts purchase orders in EBMS. Nothing goes to a vendor until someone on your team sends it. See how to automate purchasing in EBMS for the full weekly workflow.

Frequently asked questions

Is inventory forecasting included in EBMS ERP?

Not in the base system. Automated forecasting is part of the Advanced Inventory Management module, an optional add-on. The standard Calculate Stock Level Settings utility is included and sets min/max from an average.

Which EBMS forecast method is best?

Koble recommends Best Fit. EBMS tries each method on the last six months of sales and keeps the one that came closest to what actually sold.

Why is the Settings button greyed out on the year history tab?

You need to select a warehouse first. Forecast settings are stored per warehouse.

Does EBMS forecasting create purchase orders?

No. It sets each item's Minimum and Maximum. You still create purchase orders from Inventory > Purchasing, or use a tool that drafts them for you.

Can I keep manual min/max on some items?

Yes. Set the item's Prediction Type to No Prediction and enter the Minimum and Maximum yourself.

Sources

1. Inventory Forecasting Management, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
2. Stock Level Settings, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
3. Sales Level Classification, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
4. Inventory Purchasing Page, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01
5. Gaining a New Perspective with BI Dashboards, Koble Systems, accessed 2026-10-01