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Frequently Asked Questions

What is finPack?​

finPack is a Microsoft Excel add-in developed by BPOpti.

It provides CPI data, calculations, Excel integration, and worksheet functions directly within Excel.

The initial finPack release focuses on Consumer Price Index data for Canada and the United States.

What countries does finPack support?​

The initial finPack CPI data service supports:

  • Canada
  • United States

Additional countries may be added in future releases.

Where does the CPI data come from?​

Canadian CPI data originates from Statistics Canada.

U.S. CPI data originates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The source for a selected CPI series is also displayed in the CPI Data preview.

See Data Sources for more information.

What worksheet functions are available?​

finPack currently provides three worksheet functions:

FINPACK.CPI
FINPACK.CPIINCREASE
FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE

FINPACK.CPI retrieves a CPI value for a specified month.

FINPACK.CPIINCREASE calculates the CPI change from the same month one year earlier.

FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE compares average CPI values over two consecutive periods of equal length.

See Excel Functions for detailed documentation.

What is the difference between CPI Increase and CPI Average Change?​

CPI Increase compares two individual monthly CPI observations.

For example:

September 2026
versus
September 2025

CPI Average Change compares average CPI values over two consecutive periods of equal length.

For example, a 12-month calculation ending in September 2026 compares:

Average CPI: October 2025 through September 2026
versus
Average CPI: October 2024 through September 2025

Use CPI Increase for the conventional same-month annual CPI comparison.

Use CPI Average Change when you want to compare averaged CPI periods.

What does Change from last month mean?​

Change from last month compares the selected CPI value with the CPI value for the immediately preceding month.

For example:

September 2026
versus
August 2026

This measure is displayed in the CPI Value section of the finPack task pane.

What does estimated mean?​

In finPack, an estimated observation is an An observation not published by the provider and approximated by finPack using a methodology published by the provider.

finPack identifies these observations so they can be distinguished from observations published directly by the provider.

See Estimated CPI Observations for more information.

What does includes estimated mean?​

Some calculations use multiple CPI observations.

If one or more observations used in a calculation are estimated, finPack identifies the task-pane result as:

(includes estimated)

This means that at least one observation used by the calculation is estimated.

It does not mean that the complete calculation was independently estimated.

Why don't worksheet functions show estimated indicators?​

finPack worksheet functions return numeric results so that their values can participate normally in Excel calculations.

Appending text such as:

(estimated)

would convert the result from a number into text.

When estimated-data status is important, use the finPack task pane or review the Estimated column in an inserted CPI-history table.

Why do CPI values sometimes have more than one decimal place?​

finPack preserves the numeric precision supplied by the CPI data provider. Different CPI series and historical periods may use different published precision.

For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began publishing CPI index levels to three decimal places with the January 2007 CPI release. Earlier observations were published using one decimal place. See the BLS January 2007 CPI release for information about the change to three-decimal CPI index publication.

finPack preserves the source CPI precision when performing calculations.

In the task pane, CPI values are displayed using the precision configured for the selected series and observation period.

When a complete CPI series is inserted into Excel, the Value column uses the maximum configured precision for that series.

Worksheet functions return numeric CPI values. Excel number formatting determines how many decimal places are displayed in the worksheet cell.

Why does FINPACK.CPIINCREASE return 0.031 instead of 3.1?​

FINPACK.CPIINCREASE returns values as numeric ratios. These values can then be used in further calculations.

For example:

0.031

represents:

3.1%

Apply an Excel percentage number format to the cell to display the result as a percentage.

The same convention applies to FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE.

Should I multiply CPI Increase by 100?​

Normally, no.

If:

=FINPACK.CPIINCREASE("ca","all-items",2026,9)

returns:

0.031

apply percentage formatting to the cell.

Excel will display:

3.1%

If you multiply the result by 100 and also apply percentage formatting, the displayed result will be incorrect.

Can I use cell references in finPack functions?​

Yes.

For example, if:

A2 = ca
B2 = all-items
C2 = 2026
D2 = 9

you can use:

=FINPACK.CPI(A2,B2,C2,D2)

This can make it easier to build reusable CPI models in Excel.

Can I insert a complete CPI history into Excel?​

Yes.

In the CPI Data section:

  1. Select a Country.
  2. Select a CPI Series.
  3. Select Load CPI Data.
  4. Select Insert Series into Excel.

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

What happens if I insert the same CPI series twice?​

finPack creates a new worksheet rather than replacing the previously inserted CPI-history worksheet.

This lets you preserve an existing table while creating another copy.

Does Insert into Excel insert a formula?​

Not currently.

The Insert into Excel command in the CPI Value section inserts the numeric CPI value into the selected cell.

If you want the workbook to contain a formula instead, enter FINPACK.CPI directly in the worksheet.

A future version of finPack may provide an option to insert the corresponding formula.

Why does FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE need complete periods?​

FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE compares the average CPI over two consecutive periods of equal length.

For example, a 12-month calculation requires:

12 months in the current period
+
12 months in the preceding period

If one of the required observations is unavailable, finPack cannot calculate the two complete averages.

Why am I getting #N/A?​

#N/A generally means finPack cannot return the requested CPI result.

Possible causes include:

  • Unsupported country.
  • Unavailable CPI series.
  • Invalid month.
  • Requested period outside the available history.
  • Missing observations required for a calculation.
  • Internet or BPOpti service availability.

See Errors and Troubleshooting for more information.

Why am I getting #NAME?​

First confirm that the function is entered correctly.

Valid function names are:

FINPACK.CPI
FINPACK.CPIINCREASE
FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE

If a correctly entered function still displays #NAME?, confirm that finPack is installed and available in Excel.

Microsoft notes that #NAME? can indicate a custom-function registration issue. Microsoft custom-functions troubleshooting

What does #BUSY mean?​

A finPack worksheet function may temporarily display:

#BUSY!

while Excel is waiting for the calculation to finish.

Microsoft describes #BUSY! as indicating that a formula is waiting for a required resource or that a function is still executing. Microsoft Support: #BUSY!

If #BUSY! persists, verify your internet connection and use Diagnostics in the finPack task pane to test connectivity to the BPOpti service.

Does finPack require an internet connection?​

Yes, for features that retrieve or calculate CPI information.

finPack uses BPOpti services to provide supported CPI data and calculations.

The external-resource commands on the BPOpti Ribbon also require internet access.

What is Diagnostics?​

The Diagnostics section of the finPack task pane tests connectivity to the BPOpti service.

Use it when CPI data or worksheet functions cannot retrieve results and you want to determine whether service connectivity may be involved.

Can I use finPack on Mac or Excel on the web?​

The initial finPack release is designed and tested for Microsoft Excel on Windows.

Additional Excel platforms may be supported after compatibility testing has been completed.

See Requirements for current platform information.

Where can I get more help?​

Start with: