# Setting Up Long Term Planning

Long Term Planning allows you to build a demand plan that spans multiple years. You can enter plans at any level in your Item and Customer Group hierarchies, and the data reconciles down to the lowest Item @ Customer Group level via reconciliation.

## What's Already Set Up

Claret seeds some data for new tenants. Before starting, check what already exists:

* **Calendars** — Default calendars and calendar definitions have been created. Review at Master Data > Calendars.
* **Hierarchy Structures** — Default Finished Goods Item Hierarchy and Customer Group Hierarchy structures exist.

## Prerequisites

* Review [Global Settings](https://docs.claret.app/using-claret/getting-started/global-settings) to confirm calendars align with your fiscal year definitions
* If you've already set up Sales Collaboration, most of the master data below is already done

## Setup Steps

Long Term Planning requires the following master data to be configured:

| Step | Data                     | Description                                     | Instructions                                                                             |
| ---- | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | Item Hierarchy           | Define how your finished goods are organized    | [Item Hierarchy](https://docs.claret.app/master-data/item-hierarchy)                     |
| 2    | Items                    | The products you sell                           | [Items](https://docs.claret.app/master-data/items)                                       |
| 3    | Customer Group Hierarchy | Define how your customers are organized         | [Customer Group Hierarchy](https://docs.claret.app/master-data/customer-group-hierarchy) |
| 4    | Customer Groups          | Who you sell to                                 | [Customer Groups](https://docs.claret.app/master-data/customer-groups)                   |
| 5    | Item @ Customer Groups   | Which items are sold to which customers         | [Item @ Customer Groups](https://docs.claret.app/master-data/item-customer-groups)       |
| 6    | Sale Types               | Categories of sales data (Budget, LTP, History) | [Sale Types](https://docs.claret.app/master-data/sale-types)                             |

{% hint style="success" %}
**Quick Win:** If you've set up Sales Collaboration, you only need to create additional Sale Types (e.g., "LTP") and ensure you have Calendars for future fiscal years.
{% endhint %}

## Loading Data (Optional)

If you have historical sales data to reference when building long-term plans:

1. Go to Settings > Transactional Data > [Sales](https://docs.claret.app/transactional-data/sales)
2. Import sales data against your Item @ Customer Groups

Historical data enables the Growth % feature, which calculates percentage change between plan years and history.

## What's Next

* [Long Term Planning](https://docs.claret.app/sell/long-term-planning) — detailed usage documentation

## Verification

To verify Long Term Planning is set up correctly:

1. Navigate to Sell > Long Term Planning
2. Click the View button and select Configure
3. Add a new view with your Item Hierarchy, Customer Group Hierarchy, and a Sale Type
4. You should see a grid with your hierarchy levels
5. Select an editable Sale Type and verify you can enter values

**If the page shows no data:**

* Verify Items and Customer Groups exist and are linked via Item @ Customer Groups
* Verify you have at least one Sale Type configured
* Verify you have Calendars set up for the periods you want to plan

## Common Questions

### How does Growth % work?

Growth % compares one Sale Type/Calendar combination against another. For example, you can show FY26 LTP growth compared to FY25 History. Configure this when setting up your view.

### What's the difference between Long Term Planning and Sales Collaboration?

Long Term Planning is designed for annual planning across multiple years, typically at higher hierarchy levels. Sales Collaboration is for more granular, near-term planning. Both store data at the Item @ Customer Group level.