Work Smarter with Data

Most organisations use their data to look backwards, reporting on what happened.

But that same data can be used to look forward.

Machine learning helps you turn historical data into a smarter starting point for what comes next.

In this month’s Work Smarter with Data, we’ll introduce machine learning in Microsoft Fabric and show how it can be applied to sales forecasting.

Most forecasts still start the same way—copying last year’s numbers, applying a percentage uplift, and making manual adjustments. That works to a point. But it doesn’t account for factors like changing trends, shifting seasonality, or the patterns hidden across products, locations, and customers.

This is where machine learning adds value.

In this session, we’ll walk through a practical example using historical sales data to build a forecast that adapts to patterns your spreadsheets can’t easily capture.

In this session, we’ll show you how to:

• Use your historical data to generate a more realistic forecast baseline.
• Gain a clear, beginner-friendly understanding of how machine learning works.
• See how machine learning enables different forecasting approaches based on your data and business context.
• Combine data-driven forecasts with real business knowledge.
• Improve forecasting without starting from a blank spreadsheet.

Watch to explore what this could look like in your organisation.