How To Fix M3473 - Material forecast is new; enter the initialization indicator

M3473 - Overview

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: M3 - Material Master

• Message number: 473

• Message text: Material forecast is new; enter the initialization indicator

What causes this issue?

You want to carry out the first forecast for the material. The first
time a forecast is carried out, the initialization indicator needs to be
set.

System Response

The system issues an error message and will not allow you to continue with this transaction until the error is resolved.

How to fix this error?

Enter the initialization indicator.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

M3473 - Details

• The SAP error message M3473 ("Material forecast is new; enter the initialization indicator") typically occurs in the context of materials management and forecasting within SAP's Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) or similar modules. This error indicates that the system has detected that a forecast for a material is being created for the first time, and it requires an initialization indicator to proceed.
  
  Cause:
  
  New Material: The material in question does not have any existing forecast data. This is common for newly created materials that have not yet been forecasted.
  Forecast Initialization: The system requires an initialization indicator to be set to indicate how the forecast should be initialized (e.g., whether to use historical data, statistical methods, etc.).
  
  
  Solution:
  To resolve this error, you need to follow these steps:
  
  
  Access the Forecasting Transaction: Go to the transaction where you are trying to create or maintain the forecast (e.g., transaction code MC88 for forecast maintenance).
  
  
  Enter Initialization Indicator:
  
  Look for