Function Reference
finPack provides three worksheet functions for retrieving and analyzing CPI data directly in Microsoft Excel.
Function summary
| Function | Purpose |
|---|---|
FINPACK.CPI | Returns the CPI value for a specified month. |
FINPACK.CPIINCREASE | Returns the CPI increase from the same month one year earlier. |
FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE | Returns the change between two consecutive average CPI periods of equal length. |
FINPACK.CPI
Syntax
=FINPACK.CPI(country, series, year, month)
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
country | Country code, such as "ca" or "us". |
series | CPI series identifier, such as "all-items". |
year | Year of the requested CPI observation. |
month | Month number from 1 through 12. |
Return value
Returns the CPI index value as a number.
Example
=FINPACK.CPI("ca","all-items",2026,9)
returns:
170
FINPACK.CPIINCREASE
Syntax
=FINPACK.CPIINCREASE(country, series, year, month)
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
country | Country code, such as "ca" or "us". |
series | CPI series identifier, such as "all-items". |
year | Ending year of the 12-month comparison. |
month | Month number from 1 through 12. |
Return value
Returns the CPI change from the same month one year earlier as a numeric ratio.
For example:
0.031
represents:
3.1%
Example
=FINPACK.CPIINCREASE("ca","all-items",2026,9)
Format the result cell as a percentage to display:
3.1%
FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE
Syntax
=FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE(country, series, months, year, month)
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
country | Country code, such as "ca" or "us". |
series | CPI series identifier, such as "all-items". |
months | Number of months in each averaging period. Must be greater than 0. |
year | Ending year of the current averaging period. |
month | Ending month of the current averaging period, from 1 through 12. |
Return value
Returns the change between the two average CPI periods as a numeric ratio.
For example:
0.026
represents:
2.6%
Example
=FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE("ca","all-items",12,2026,9)
Format the result cell as a percentage to display the result as a percentage.
Country codes
The initial finPack CPI data service supports:
| Country | Code |
|---|---|
| Canada | "ca" |
| United States | "us" |
Series identifiers
The available CPI series depend on the selected country.
For example:
"all-items"
identifies the All-Items CPI series.
Use the finPack task pane to view the CPI series currently available for each country.
Text arguments
When text arguments are entered directly in a formula, enclose them in quotation marks.
For example:
=FINPACK.CPI("ca","all-items",2026,9)
When a text argument comes from an Excel cell, quotation marks are not required around the cell reference.
For example:
=FINPACK.CPI(A2,B2,C2,D2)
Percentage results
FINPACK.CPIINCREASE and FINPACK.CPIAVGCHANGE return numeric ratios rather than formatted text.
For example:
0.031
represents:
3.1%
Apply an Excel percentage number format to change how the value is displayed.
Internet connection
All finPack worksheet functions use BPOpti services to retrieve or calculate CPI results.
An internet connection is required when Excel calculates these functions.
Errors
When a requested result cannot be returned, Excel may display an error such as:
#N/A
Common causes include:
- Unsupported country.
- Unavailable CPI series.
- Invalid month.
- Missing historical observations.
- Insufficient history for the requested calculation.
- BPOpti service or connectivity problems.
See Errors for additional information.
Detailed documentation
For complete explanations, examples, estimated-data behavior, and calculation details, see:
Related topics
- Excel Functions — Worksheet-function documentation.
- Countries and Series — Learn how finPack organizes CPI datasets.
- Data Sources — Review the statistical providers behind finPack data.
- CPI Value — See how estimated observations are displayed in the task pane.
- CPI Average Change — See how calculations identify results that include estimated observations.