While a goal and an allocation may sound similar, they have different functionalities.
Goals (Focus Campaigns) provide the option to select a grouping of products (from 1 up to all SKUs in a portfolio). This is just a goal you are setting. Orders placed will show against your goal so you can track how well you are doing based on the figure you intended to hit.
The goal is based on points awarded to reps depending on the amount of products sold. When you request an RE2 - Focus Campaign: Summary report, you can compare how your goals are progressing across reps and the products. These goals are whatever goals you have set, and can include different products.
Allocations are 1:1, with a single product allocated to a single distributor. Setting an allocation sets aside that amount from inventory.
E.g. If you set a 10 case allocation for a product that has an inventory of 50 cases, once the allocation is saved, the inventory will only show as 40 cases. When orders are placed for the account, inventory will be removed from the allotted allocation.
Please note: allocations can be submitted by a sales rep, but must be approved by administrators.
When you request an RB4 - Unused Allocations report, this will provide a list of all unused allocations within a certain timeframe.