Simulate Future Values of your Data with Rollforward

Learn how to use the Rollforward function to simulate your existing data into the future.

When initially setting up your Value Driver Model, you will likely only have actual data and some plan data available. However, for more elaborate analyses you might want to simulate events further in the future. In order to do that, you of course have to have data available in those future years. This can be achieved by using the ROLLFORWARD function.

If you use the Rollforward function, the last available value for that specific Node will be used and simply applied to all following years as a sort of base value for more Assumptions. You can either enter these Assumptions about the development of your data in the Scenario Manager, or you can do so directly in the Model with the ROLLFORWARD function. 

If you just want the last available value from your data input to be available in the next years, you don't need an extra Node to rollforward your initial Node, you can just use the following function:

For the Node that you want to rollforward enter the operation ROLLFORWARD( 'Original Node').

If, however, you want to expand the data on your costs into the future, you might not want the costs to remain static after your last year of input, but you would rather want them to be influenced by inflation. In this case, if you don't already have one, you would create a data Node "Inflation" with the respective information, and then use this to rollforward your costs. In this example, the inflation would most likely be available as percentage values.

You can however also use absolute values. For example, if you assume that your profit will develop in accordance with your revenue, you can simply use your existing revenue Node to rollforward your profit. The tool will then automatically calculate the percentage change in revenue from year to year and will then apply this percentage change to the profit.