In this chapter, we have dealt with analyzing inventory data, although the kind of analysis in this chapter can be applied to all sorts of status-oriented data.

We have discussed different ways to model this kind of data, how to calculate inventory status at some point in time, and how to compare actuals with targets.

You have also seen different ways to look into the future. As inventory is typically needed to fulfill sales orders, being able to estimate future stock levels is a valuable capability. We have covered creating a future inventory outlook through sales forecasts and through extrapolation based on average shipment volumes. We have also shown you how to do linear regression in DAX, providing a slightly more sophisticated method to predict future shipments and extrapolate current inventory levels to the future.

More advanced ways to extrapolate or predict future inventory than the ones covered in this chapter are possible as well; you could create extrapolations...