Published on September 30, 2025.

Today NetSuite released their MCP Standard Tools SuiteApp. This SuiteApp is essentially a greatly improved version of the MCP Sample Tools SuiteApp that NetSuite released last month.

The big changes between the Standard and Sample tools are:
• Support connections from ChatGPT Pro and ChatGPT Plus (in developer mode)
• Include Report Tools — access & run reports directly from your NetSuite account
• Include Saved Search Tools — list and run saved searches in NetSuite

The ability to access and run reports is what I find particularly interesting — and it’s the feature I’ve been testing out this evening.

In particular, I put the Standard Tools to the test by prompting Claude to generate a comprehensive 12-month rolling financial forecast. Unlike previous financial analyses that I’ve done with Claude, this time I didn’t need to upload or pre-generate the reports. Claude could pull the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement itself and use that data to build the forecast.

I’ll jump right to the point and say I was extremely impressed by the results. The generated forecast included interactive charts, detailed monthly and quarterly breakdowns, a sensitivity analysis, and clear recommendations for each quarter — all built from my actual NetSuite data and presented in a way that CFOs and boards would appreciate.

Here’s a link to the report:

https://timdietrich.me/resources/blog-assets-2025/12-Month-Rolling-Financial-Forecast.html

This post is similar in spirit to my earlier write-up on Flux Analysis Reports, but this time the experience was faster and more self-contained thanks to direct report access.

What Is a Rolling Forecast?

A rolling forecast is a forward-looking projection that always extends the outlook by one period — keeping you 12 months (or whatever horizon you choose) ahead at all times. Instead of waiting for an annual budget cycle, finance can continuously update expectations based on new actuals, seasonality, and current trends.

Here's an example:
In September 2025, you forecast October 2025 – September 2026; when October closes, you roll it forward to November 2025 – October 2026.

But rolling forecasts aren’t just about predicting the next twelve months — they’re about making your financial model dynamic, responsive, and decision-ready.

Here’s how finance teams put them to work:
• Agility & Responsiveness — Quickly adjust plans when demand shifts, prices change, or costs move unexpectedly.
• Governance & Risk Management — Give audit and finance committees a current, credible view of runway, margins, and risk exposure.
• Resource & Capacity Planning — Align headcount, OpEx/CapEx, and working capital with the most up-to-date outlook.
• Investor & Board Communication — Provide refreshable, data-backed guidance to stakeholders — more frequent and more accurate than annual budgets.
• Performance Benchmarking — Continuously measure actual results against updated expectations to detect trends and correct course early.

The Prompt

Here's the exact prompt that I used to generate the Rolling Forecast. You should be able to use it "as is" to generate similar reports in your own NetSuite instance.

ROLE & CONTEXT  
You are a senior financial analyst preparing a 12-month rolling forecast using actuals through September 2025.  
You have 24–36 months of historical NetSuite data:  
- Income Statements (P&L)  
- Balance Sheets  
- Cash Flow Statements  
Your audience is the executive team — CFO, CEO, and VPs.

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OBJECTIVE  
Build a 12-month rolling forecast for Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 with three scenarios:  
- Base Case — continue historical trends & seasonality  
- Optimistic — +5% revenue, −2% expenses vs Base  
- Conservative — −5% revenue, +2% expenses vs Base  

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OUTPUT SECTIONS
Each section must include a table or chart.
1. Revenue Forecast
- Drivers: price, volume, seasonality  
- Monthly forecast ($ and % YoY vs prior year)  
- Flag anomalies/outliers and historical seasonality effects  
2. Expense Forecast
- Break down by major categories: COGS, SG&A, R&D  
- Show fixed vs variable if identifiable  
- Monthly $ and % variance vs actuals and prior forecast  
3. Net Income & Margins
- EBITDA, operating margin, net margin trends  
- Scenario sensitivities and confidence scoring (High / Medium / Low)  
4. Cash Flow Projection
- Operating, Investing, Financing sections  
- Cash conversion cycle (DSO, DPO if available)  
5. Key Ratios & Metrics
- Liquidity: current ratio, quick ratio  
- Efficiency: DSO, DPO, inventory turns  
- Leverage: debt/equity, interest coverage  

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MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY
Plain-English assumptions: revenue growth drivers, cost trends, macro signals.
Variances vs actuals: explain material deviations and seasonality  
Risks & Opportunities: pricing power, FX volatility, supplier costs, etc.  
“So What / Now What”: strategic implications for leadership  

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PRESENTATION & STYLE
Provide absolute ($) and relative (%) values side by side.  
Call out outliers and anomalies explicitly.  
Use Bootstrap, and Chart.js for charts.  
Keep commentary executive-friendly: clear, actionable, minimal jargon.  
State assumptions transparently where data is incomplete.
Include sensitivity notes and confidence scoring.
Apply the attached branding guidelines.

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EXAMPLES (Few-Shot Guidance)
Revenue Commentary Example  
> Q1 2026 revenue projected at $12.5M (+4.8% YoY) driven by a 3% price uplift and seasonal demand recovery in EMEA. One-time channel expansion costs excluded.
Risk & Opportunity Example  
> Risk: Prolonged FX volatility could reduce gross margin by 60bps.  
> Opportunity: Supplier renegotiation expected to save $200K annually.

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EDGE CASE HANDLING
If historical anomalies (e.g., COVID spike, M&A, discontinued ops) — normalize or flag explicitly.  
If DSO/DPO unavailable — estimate but disclose clearly.  
If cash flow unusual — reconcile with indirect method and explain.

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DELIVERABLE
Generate a forecast report structured in sections above.  
Use bullet points for clarity, include at least one visualization/table per section, and end with actionable recommendations.

Branding Guidelines

Here are the branding guidelines that I referenced in the prompt. For more information about how these work and their importance, please see NetSuite AI: Best Practices for Performing Financial Analysis.

Branding & Formatting Guidelines

Tone & Style: 
• Minimalist, modern, and polished. 
• Avoid clutter. 
• Use short sentences, precise wording, and whitespace to guide attention.

Voice: 
• Neutral and professional, with a focus on clarity. 
• Present facts first, then insights.

Design Guidelines:
• Heavy use of whitespace. 
• Use simple typography: clear headings, light body text.
• Avoid shading, gradients, or ornate borders.
• Call out only the most important numbers in bold or with accent color.
• Color Palette:
	- Base: White (#FFFFFF)
	- Text: Charcoal (#212121)
	- Accent: Electric Blue (#007AFF) 
		— use sparingly for emphasis (charts, key metrics, recommendations).
	- Neutral: Light Gray (#EAEAEA) — for subtle table borders or dividers.

Charts & Graphs:
• Use single-color line charts for trends.
• Use monochrome bar charts with accent highlights for comparisons.
• Avoid pie/donut charts — stick to clean, linear visuals.
• Keep axes and labels minimal but legible.

Branding Details:
• Place the company name in small text at the bottom-right of each report.
• Avoid logos or watermarks unless explicitly requested.

Caveats & Transparency: 
• Call out risks and assumptions clearly, but in subdued formatting (italic text or a light-gray info box).

Wrapping Up

I came away from this test genuinely impressed by the new MCP Standard Tools SuiteApp. The addition of direct report and saved search access is a big leap forward — it removes a lot of friction and turns NetSuite into a much more AI-friendly platform.

For anyone doing financial planning and analysis, this means you can go from a blank screen to a professional, forward-looking report — with charts, ratios, commentary, and risk analysis — in just a few minutes. Just connect, prompt, and analyze.

I’ll be sharing financial-analysis prompts in upcoming posts. If you’re experimenting with NetSuite AI integrations, this new SuiteApp is worth your attention.