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Quick Start

This quick start introduces the main finPack features in Microsoft Excel.

Before continuing, make sure finPack is installed and available in Excel.

1. Open finPack​

  1. Open Microsoft Excel.
  2. Select the BPOpti tab on the Excel Ribbon.
  3. In the finPack group, select Open finPack.

The finPack task pane opens on the right side of Excel.

The task pane contains four main sections:

  • CPI Data
  • CPI Value
  • CPI Average Change
  • Diagnostics

2. Select CPI data​

At the top of the task pane:

  1. Select Canada as the country.
  2. Select All-Items as the CPI series.
  3. Select Load CPI Data.

finPack displays a summary of the selected series, including:

  • Region and series.
  • Latest available period.
  • Latest CPI value.
  • CPI Increase.
  • Number of observations.
  • Data source.

3. Insert CPI history into Excel​

After loading a CPI series, select Insert Series into Excel.

finPack creates a new worksheet containing the CPI history in a structured Excel table.

The table includes:

  • Year.
  • Month.
  • Date.
  • CPI value.
  • Estimated status.

The CPI Value column is numeric. When a complete series is inserted into Excel, the column is formatted using the maximum decimal precision configured for that series.

4. Retrieve a CPI value​

In the CPI Value section:

  1. Enter or select a year.
  2. Select a month.
  3. Select Get CPI Value.

finPack displays:

  • The selected period.
  • The CPI value.
  • The change from the previous month.

If the CPI observation is estimated, finPack identifies the value as estimated.

If the monthly change uses one or more estimated observations, the result is identified as includes estimated.

To place the CPI value in the selected Excel cell, select Insert into Excel.

5. Calculate CPI Average Change​

Use CPI Average Change to compare the average CPI over two consecutive periods of equal length.

For example, to compare consecutive 12-month periods:

  1. Enter 12 as the period length.
  2. Enter the ending year.
  3. Select the ending month.
  4. Select Calculate CPI Average Change.

finPack displays the percentage change between the two average CPI periods.

If the calculation contains one or more estimated CPI observations, the result is identified as includes estimated.

6. Try a finPack worksheet function​

finPack functions can be entered directly into Excel cells.

Try these examples:

=FINPACK.CPI("ca","all-items",2026,9)
=FINPACK.CPIINCREASE("ca","all-items",2026,9)
=FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE("ca","all-items",12,2026,9)
  • FINPACK.CPI returns the Canadian All-Items CPI for September 2026.
  • FINPACK.CPIINCREASE returns the CPI increase from September 2025 to September 2026.
  • FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE returns the change between consecutive 12-month average periods ending in September 2026.

FINPACK.CPIINCREASE and FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE return numeric ratios. Format those Excel cells as percentages to display the results as percentages.

Where to go next​

Continue to Using finPack for detailed instructions about each task-pane feature.

See Excel Functions for complete syntax, argument descriptions, examples, and error information for each FINPACK worksheet function.

See CPI Data for more information about available CPI series, estimated observations, and data sources.