The LINEST Function in Excel Sales Forecasting
Part of the Excel Sales Forecasting For Dummies Cheat Sheet
The LINEST (or linear estimate) function in Excel sales forecasting uses formulas to calculate a regression equation and related statistics. This chart shows the information the Excel LINEST function will give you:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | The coefficient you multiply times the X values | The intercept |
| Row 2 | The standard error of the coefficient | The standard error of the intercept |
| Row 3 | The R-squared value, or coefficient of determination. | The standard error of estimate |
| Row 4 | The F-ratio | The degrees of freedom |
| Row 5 | The sum of squares for the regression | The sum of squares for the residual |
