Complete the projected and/or actual forecasting of a menu

Note: each action performed in the application is subject to access permissions. If you cannot carry out the recommended actions in the articles you are viewing, this may mean that the necessary rights have not been activated for your user profile. Contact the Support team, or your administrator, to find out more.

Start from: The Easilys menu.

SET DEFAULT FORECASTED HEADCOUNTS ON A MENU TEMPLATE

It is possible to indicate forecasted headcounts when creating a menu template. This way, the application always pre-fills these forecasted headcounts by default.

For more information on creating a menu template, see the article Create a menu template from the menu templates screen.

MANUALLY INDICATE FORECASTED AND/OR ACTUAL HEADCOUNTS

It is possible to modify forecasted and actual headcounts manually directly from the menus by selecting the headcount box at the bottom right of each recipe added in the menu.

Note: the actual headcount is automatically filled in by Easilys whenever a forecasted headcount exists and the date has passed. To ensure this actual headcount is correct, you can modify it.

Select the tabs Menus > Menus.

Select the menu template containing the menus for which you want to manually add forecasted headcounts.

Note: there are several menu display types. You may not be in the view that allows you to enter headcounts. In that case, select Display and choose the option Enter quantities.

In a menu box containing a recipe, select the small box visible at the bottom right.
Enter the headcount in the box.
- If you enter the headcount on a future date, Easilys considers it a forecasted headcount.
- If you enter the headcount for today or a past date, Easilys considers it an actual headcount.
Once entered, press Enter on your keyboard to validate or select a new box in the menu.
A message will prompt you to save your changes.
Select Save now.

Note: you can make several changes before selecting Save now. Just make sure you do so before leaving the menus page, or you will lose your modifications.

COMPLETE FORECASTED AND/OR ACTUAL HEADCOUNTS USING THE MENU QUATITIES SCREEN

Select the tabs Menus > Menu quantities.

Select a service to expand the detail by dish included in it.
Enter the forecasted headcounts in the P box and the actual headcounts in the R box under each dish.
- The P box corresponds to forecasted headcounts.
- The R box corresponds to actual headcounts.
As soon as the actual is entered, this is the information Easilys will use in the various monitoring reports.

Note: for a past date, the total is greyed out and the R box is highlighted. This is where you must enter the actual headcounts.

Once entered, press Enter on your keyboard to validate or select a new box in the menu.
A message will prompt you to save your changes.
Select Save now.

You can also download the Count per meal type report from the Menus screen. This will give you a spreadsheet showing weekly headcounts per dish and service.

Select the tabs Menus > Menus.
Select Reports.

Select Count per meal type.

Download the report in spreadsheet format (ods, xls, xlsx).
Modify this file and re-import it from the Menu quantities screen (Menus > Menu quantities) by selecting Import headcounts.

COMPLETE FORECASTED AND/OR ACTUAL HEADCOUNTS USING THE MENU QUANTITIES V2 SCREEN

This entry screen is particularly useful if you need to enter headcounts for several child sites. For example, if you manage a central kitchen, it allows you to enter and view headcounts for your delivery points:

Select the tabs Menus > Menu quantities V2.

Display the desired week using the scroll arrows or the calendar.
Select the site for which you want to enter headcounts. You can use the search field or the site tree.

You will then see an entry line for each menu template of this site. The headcounts you enter here will be applied identically to all services of the day.

If you want to enter different headcounts depending on the services:

Select the menu template from the list on the left.
For each service, view the details of the recipes offered in the menu.

Note: You can hide or display the recipe details either service by service (arrow next to the service) or globally (the Expand all option).

If you want to fill in the forecasted headcounts of a future period with the headcounts from another period (past or future), you can also use the Duplication function:

Select the Duplicate a reference period function at the top right.

Enter the origin period and the target period.
Select the desired copy option.
Click Validate.

Note: Depending on the selected period, the available options and the information message will update. Take the time to carefully read this message as well as the summary table that appears when copying a period of more than one day to fully understand the impact of your action.

Message when duplicating a single day:

Message when duplicating a period with the option to respect the order of days:

Message when duplicating a period with the option to respect the days of the week:

Manage budgets from the Analytics sales tool

Start from: The Analytics module.

Select Sales from the main menu.

Configure the Sales screen to display the data you need OR choose an existing Scenario where you use a Budget as a Comparison Scenario.

To learn more about Sales configuration, see Filter and navigate through Sales data.

Select from the dropdown the Budget you want to view and manage.

Select Accept to see the configuration result on the Sales screen.

Select the Budget button.

A Sales Budget modal will open where you can manage four blocks:

Budget Scope

In this section, you will set the general budget data.

Select the budget to manage from the Budget* dropdown.
Select the Data Source for that budget. It can be POS or Cash Sheet.

Select the Center* for which you will configure that budget.

Set the From* and To* dates that will govern that budget.

Select the Sale Types included in that budget. Use the Individual or Group switch to set whether it will be a single group of sale types or several.

Select the Sale Periods established for the budget.

Notes: Fields marked with * are mandatory.

Reference Data

In this block, you will set whether the budget will use reference data from another center, date, or source.

In Reference Center, select whether you want to use the same center in a previous year or another specific center.

Select whether you want to use Historical Data or another Budget as Reference Source.

In Reference Date, you can set the specific time range you will use as reference for your budget. It can be the same day of the week in a previous week, same date in a previous year, or a comparable day in a previous year.

Depending on the parameter you use in Reference Date, you can select the Previous Year or Previous Week you will use as reference.

Select whether you will Use budgeted data as reference for future dates. If you do, then set the Budget for Future Dates.

Projection Method and Assumptions

In this section, you can set how you want to project the budget and whether you want to establish variations to the references you have set.

Select the Projection Method to use. It can be Sales, Tickets and Average Ticket, Customers and Average Ticket per Customer, or Trend.

In Sales Assumptions, set a Percentage variation, Specific variation or Particular value. You can set a single value for All days or a different one By days of the week.

Set a reference parameter for Tickets and Customers. It can be Same growth as in Sales, Same number of Tickets/Customers as in Reference Date, Same growth as Tickets/Customers and Average ticket per customer.

Distribution by Sale Types and Periods

In this block you can set specific budget distributions by periods and sale types.

Choose whether you want to make the distribution Based on Reference Data or not.

Choose whether you want to Show all Sale Types or not.

You can Load a base distribution by choosing a specific date from the reference data.

Set the distributions in percentage. In the table, rows correspond to sale types and columns to periods.

Keep in mind that the sum of all distributions must equal 100%. You can view this in the Total row.

Once you complete each of the blocks, select Accept to save changes OR Cancel to discard them.

Submit real-time sales via API

Start from: Your server-to-server integration (API client).

Real-time Sales API

The Real-time Sales API is a RESTful service for submitting live sales data securely.

Key Benefits:

Immediate updates to sales figures.
Secure server-to-server connection (HTTPS + JWT).
Supports flexible filtering by business unit and business day.

Generate a JWT token

POST to: https://login.mapal-os.com/connect/token

Parameters:

grant_type=password
username=
password=
client_id=wf_wap_tp
client_secret= (contact Customer Support to obtain)

Successful response includes: access_token, expires_in, token_type, refresh_token, scope.

Include the token in requests

Add header: Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

Submit real-time sales

Base domain: https://api.workforce.mapal-os.com/sales
Endpoint path: /api/v1/business-unit/{unitId}/real-time-sales
Method: GET (if your OpenAPI specification shows a different method, follow the specification)

Parameters / payload fields

unitId (route, integer)
businessDay (string, yyyy-MM-dd)
realTimeSales (array of objects):
- currencyId (string)
- salesTypeId (string)
- timeSlotStart (string, date-time)
- netSales (decimal)
- grossSales (decimal)
- numChecks (integer)
- numGuests (integer)

Check submitted sales

Navigate to Analytics > Sales in Mapal OS.

Notes:

All requests must use HTTPS.
Tokens expire (expires_in) and must be regenerated.
Tokens can be revoked if compromised.

Error handling

400 Bad Request: Invalid unit ID; business day mismatch; currency or sales type mismatch; invalid time slots.
401 Unauthorized: Invalid or missing token.
404 Not Found: Tenant or tenant configuration not found.
500 Internal Server Error.

Configure outlier dates to improve accuracy

Start from: The Analytics Dashboard.

Navigate to Configuration > Outlier Dates.

Select the Year and the Site for which you want to configure non-representative dates. These dates are set on the current year's calendar but are used to adjust the sales budget for the following year.

Example: If you mark dates in 2024 as outliers, they will not influence the sales budget calculations when 2024 is used as the historical reference for 2025.

Review system-suggested outliers

Days outlined in red are Potentially Non-Representative Days. These are flagged automatically based on the sensitivity setting and variations detected in the data source (POS or cash sheet).

Adjust the sensitivity using the slider control to detect fewer or more outliers.

Manually mark non-representative days

Click on any date to mark it as Non-Representative.
The selected day will appear in yellow.
Add a comment to justify the selection (e.g., “Bank holiday” or “Local event”).

Select Accept to confirm or Cancel to discard.

Generate a report

To get a global overview of all configured outlier dates for a specific site:

Select Report at the top of the grid.
A PDF summary will be generated listing all the dates marked as Non-Representative for the selected site and year. This report helps provide visibility and traceability for forecasting decisions across your organisation.

Create and manage sales and financial budgets

Start from: The Analytics module.

Navigate to Configuration > Budgets.

Select the Budgets ? button.

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Enter the name of the budget.
Select the + button to create it.

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Once created, find the new budget in the table and flip the switch in the row of each role to enable the roles that will have access to it.
Permission levels include:
- View – Users can access budget details but cannot make changes.
- Close – Users can lock budgets once finalized.

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Edit and rename budgets

Select the Budgets ? button.
Locate the existing budget and select Edit.
Rename the budget and press Accept.

Delete budgets

Select the Budgets ? button.
Locate the existing budget and select Delete.
Select Delete again in the confirmation window.

Manage scheduling forecasts

Start from: The Workforce module.

Select Scheduling > Scheduler 2.0 from the main menu.

Parameterize the scheduler to be able to access the main grid.

To make the parameterization, see Access the scheduler.

Select the Scheduling Forecast button.

Notes: This access will be controlled by configurable user rights in Analytics > Configuration > Budgets. Here, the View user right must be activated for the Scheduling Forecast budget.

Once in the Scheduling Forecast screen, you will find a list with three available views:

By type of sale;

Notes: If you select the By type of sale view, you will be able to modify the cell values.

By sales type group;

By date

Access to sales budget editing

Once inside, you will find access to the Sales Budget modal. In the first tab, the Budget and Data Source fields are locked with the Scheduling Forecast and POS options, respectively. This is because, when accessing the budget modal from the shifts, the tool only affects the Scheduling Forecast budget, and the data source will always be the one obtained through the POS.

How to modify the values of a budget?

The budget editing tool is divided into five sections:

Budget Scope

In this section, you will choose the business unit for which you want to modify the budget, the date range, and the type(s) of sales you want to modify.

Reference Data

In this section, you can select the data on which you base your budget modification.

In the Reference Business Unit, you can choose the same center or select another one to which you have access.

In the Reference Source, choose historical data accompanied by the date or budget.

Projection Method and Assumptions

In this section, you can select the modification among several projection methods, such as:

Sales
Checks and average check
Guests and average guest check
Trend

Here you can modify the records in percentage, add a value to the existing one or define a new one. This modification can be applied in the same way for all days of the week or set up a customized one for each day.

Distribution by sales type

In the distribution section, you can base it on reference data or not. In both cases, it will be mandatory to define the grid with values for such distribution. The sum of the different amounts must always be 100%. As long as this percentage is not met, the screen will display an alert and will not allow you to continue with the process.

If you want to see the distribution values reflected in the grid obtained from the reference source marked in the Reference Data tab; you can modify the dates and click on the Reload button:

Distribution by Time Slots

As in the reference data section, here you will find a combo where you can select the reference data of the same or a specific center. In the Reference Date section, you will again find the same options: Same weekday in previous week, Same date in previous year, Comparable day in previous year.

By selecting Same weekday in previous week in this section, the combo becomes a multiple selection of up to 5 weeks:

Finally, you will find a drop-down menu Distribution % of Reference where you will select how to distribute the sale in terms of fifteen-minute slots with the following options:

Same type of sale

Same sales group

Total

Notes: Each center can configure its opening hours to the public, which means that there may be times when some centers may have sales recorded according to their opening hours to the public. In this case, you control it by activating or deactivating the Limiting projection during Public Opening Hours.

Once the configuration is complete, press Accept to save the settings OR Cancel to discard them.

You will now be able to see the forecast configured in the Scheduling Forecast screen.

Manage favourite shifts and sequences

Start from: The Workforce module.

Select Scheduling > Scheduler 2.0 from the main menu.
Select the Configuration button on the main shift screen.
Select Favourite Shifts from the drop-down menu.

To learn how to create new favourite shifts and sequences, see Set up favourite shifts and sequences.

Tools

Once in the Favourite Shifts screen, you have two tabs: one for favourite shifts and one for sequences. In each of the tabs you can find three buttons:

New - Allows you to create new favourite shifts or sequences.
Filter - Facilitates the search for favourite shifts or existing sequences using certain parameters.
Export - Allows you to export the list of favourite shifts or sequences.

Edit or delete favourite shifts

Favourite shifts can be edited. However, for those shifts that have already been assigned, only details such as description, colour, and abbreviation can be edited. Only unassigned shifts can be edited in their entirety. To edit the favourite shift:

Select any point in the row of the shift to be edited.
In the Edit Shift pop-up window, make the appropriate changes.
Select Accept to save the changes OR Cancel to discard them.

If you wish to delete the favourite shift, select the trash can icon in the shift's row and then press Delete in the confirmation pop-up window. Notes: You will only be able to delete a favourite shift that has not been assigned. If the shift is assigned, you must unassign it to delete it.

Edit or delete sequences

Unlike favourite shifts, sequences can be edited or deleted even if they have already been assigned to an employee. To edit a sequence:

Select any point in the row of the sequence to be edited.
In the Edit Sequence pop-up window, make the appropriate changes.
Select Accept to save the changes OR Cancel to discard them.

If you wish to delete the sequence, select the trash can icon in the shift's row and then press Delete in the confirmation pop-up window.
To assign favourite shifts or sequences to an employee, see Assign favourite shifts and sequences.

Configure sales forecast

Start from: The Workforce module.

Select Scheduling > Scheduler 2.0 from the main menu.

Once in the scheduler screen, select the < button to open the favourite shifts catalog and sequences in the side panel.

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The catalog is divided into two tabs: one for favourite shifts and the other for sequences. Both tabs work in the same way.
Select the appropriate tab.

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Enter the name of the shift or sequence in the Search field.
Indicate how many times the assignment of the selected shift or sequence is to be repeated.

Notes: This functionality is very useful when you must make the same assignment for an employee repeatedly on consecutive days.

Select the shift or sequence from the list (the selection is marked with a blue ball).

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Select in the grid the day and employee to whom you will assign the shift or sequence.

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Notes: As long as the catalog panel remains open, the shift or sequence will be assigned the indicated number of times starting from the day and for the employee you have selected in the grid. To create new favourite shifts and sequences, see Set up favourite shifts and sequences. To change or delete existing favourite shifts and sequences, see Manage favourite shifts and sequences.

FAQs

I am planning for a week, and I have selected a shift to be assigned for 10 days in a row. When I go to look at the following week the days over the last week are not with the favourite shift assigned, why?

The favourite shifts, when we apply a repetition, are only assigned until it reaches the indicated number of repetitions or the last day of the selected period in parameters, whichever conditions that is met first.

To assign a shift 10 times we must have the 10 days we want to assign loaded in the planning.

I've assigned a sequence with time off and it gives me an error, why?

This is because we don't know the timetable of the time off to apply until we assign it to an employee and it can happen that the employee's time off's center timetable, overlaps with other shifts of the same sequence or other shifts already assigned to the employee for the same day where the time off corresponds.

I have assigned a shift or a sequence, but it gives me an error indicating that it cannot be assigned because the day for that center is not in process, why?

This is because the center that has the associated favourite shift or sequence for the day where we want to assign this favourite shift is in a different status to "On Going" and therefore cannot be edited.

Enter forecast, ordered and invoiced quantities

Note: Each action performed in the application is subject to a permission. If you cannot carry out the recommended actions in the articles you are viewing, it may mean that the required permissions have not been enabled for your user profile. Contact the Support team or your administrator to find out more.

Start from: The Easilys menu.

Select Menus > Menu quantities.
Select the desired site in the site tree displayed on the left. A search area is available to search by name if that is easier than using the tree.
You will then see in the central table the daily quantities for each menu template of this site.
Depending on the choices in the filter panel (on the left), you will see one, two or three columns for each date, allowing you to view the forecast, ordered and/or invoiced quantities.
The quantities you view and/or enter in this table are for the complete template, and are reported identically for all services (meals) of this template. You can make entries and modifications directly from this display if this day-by-day mode suits you.

If you want to enter different quantities depending on the services or go into recipe detail, you need to proceed template by template.

To do this:
- Select the desired template in the lower table on the left side,
- The detail of the quantities by service and recipes will then be displayed.
- You can enter or modify forecast quantities (only for the future), ordered or invoiced.
- If a mistake was made during entry, it is possible to revert to the previous value using the rounded arrow icon next to the quantity, as long as the user is still on the screen.

To know:

Navigation and entry help:
- It is possible, by selecting options in "Site settings", to ensure that certain sites do not appear on this screen so that it only contains sites for which quantities need to be managed.
- For faster entry, you can use the "tab", "enter" and up/down arrow keys to reach the desired entry box.
- The cursor at the top right allows you to display all service details or collapse everything with one click.
- When you enter a forecast value, it automatically populates the ordered and invoiced values identically to save time and only correct quantities by exception.
About the consideration of entered values:
- The values indicated in the "ordered" column are taken into account in the calculation of order preparation as well as in production, packaging and shipping reports.
- The concept of "forecast" (quantities and numbers) allows you to keep a history of forecasts compared to the quantities actually ordered and invoiced.
- Currently, entries in the "invoiced" column are for information only and have no impact on calculations or other screens.
About ordered quantities:
- When a quantity is entered in the ordered column, a blue marker appears on the box. This allows you to differentiate cases where a value has been entered from those where the box is automatically populated by the forecast value.
- If you delete a value in the "ordered" column, the system considers that the client has not placed an order (no color marker) and the value is reset to the forecast value.
- If you enter 0 in a value in the "ordered" column, the system considers that the client has confirmed they do not want this recipe/meal/day.

If you want to fill in the forecasted staffing levels for a future period based on the staffing of another period (past or future), you can also use the Duplication function:

Select Duplicate from a reference period at the top right.
Enter the origin period and the target period.
Select the copy option you want.
Click Validate.

Note: Depending on the chosen period, the available options and the information message will update. Take time to read this message carefully, as well as the summary table that appears if you copy a period longer than one day, so you fully understand the impact of your action.

Message when duplicating a single day:

Message when duplicating a period with the “respect the order of days” option:

Message when duplicating a period with the “respect the days of the week” option:

The report "Status of ordered quantities by tour/site" can be launched from this screen by clicking the report button. It allows you to know, tour by tour, which sites have placed their order and thus have the list of sites and their contact details to follow up with them.

Use the order preparation screen

Start from: The Easilys menu.

Navigate to Supplier Orders > Order Preparation.

By default, the calculations on the Order Preparation screen are based on menus and forecasted headcounts (possibly supplemented by guest orders). This is the typical calculation mode used in institutional catering or any organisation using menus. For this mode, the top toggle must be set to “From menus.”

If you are a production lab type of structure with child sites placing product orders through the supplier orders screen, and you use the Site Supply screen (in Shipping), set the top toggle on the screen to “From site orders.”

If you use the Sales Forecast screen (in the Sales menu), keep the top toggle set to “From menus” and check “Include sales forecasts” in the Menu template filter.

Once you have selected the correct mode for your use case, continue as described below.

Indicate for which period you want the application to calculate the needs by using the "Production period" filter.

You can tick the "Optimise packaging" box. This allows you to manage needs according to the packaging modes configured in Production.
You can tick the "Include child sites" box if needed. This allows you to obtain the needs for all sites.

Note: This option is not available if the calculation mode (top toggle) is set to From site orders.

You can tick the "Include stock" box so that Easilys takes into account the quantities already in stock.
You can tick the "Include supplier orders" box so that Easilys takes into account both the needs and the orders in "In progress", "Pending", and "Sent" status.

Note: To use the options "Include stock" and "Include supplier orders", you must generate the needs from today’s date, otherwise the calculation will be incorrect.

Select Refresh now in the "Production period" filter to launch the calculation of needs, which will then be displayed on the screen.

If there are no headcounts on the recipes in your menus (or, depending on the selected calculation mode, no orders from your child sites or no sales forecast), the application considers the need to be 0, and no items are proposed in the list of products to order.

Check the list of needs, adjust if needed

You can search for a product in the list using the filters or the search bar.
Select a product to see the details of the need.
You can modify the quantities if needed.
You can uncheck the box to include the product so that this need is not taken into account when generating the order baskets from this list.

The colour of the product name provides information:

The product name is in GREY
These are generic ingredients and not products. They appear this way because no supplier product is linked to them. You must manually link them.
The product name is in RED
Red indicates that the selected supplier products do not fully meet the existing Smart Selection criteria. They are still orderable.
The product name is in BLUE
Blue indicates that the selected supplier products meet the existing Smart Selection criteria. If no Smart Selection rule is in place, supplier products still appear in BLUE.

Note: If the message "No compatible delivery date found" is displayed, it means that the order lead time entered on the supplier file does not allow the product to be ordered in time for the need.

Generate order baskets from this needs list

Select Export to Order.

The application creates the order baskets in the SUPPLIER ORDERS screen where you can send them.