Business and Economic Forecasting Unit – Phicast – FAQ

See the "ReadMe" and Help files distributed with the software for further information.

Loading and running the Phicast Addin

Phicast is supplied as a Microsoft Excel "addin" and its supporting DLL's. It can be run only from within Excel. However, while the Phicast setup adds Phicast to Excel's list of available addins, it does not cause the Phicast menu to automatically appear in Excel. This last "addin load" step must be performed by the user the next time they start Excel.

To load the Addin:

  1. Install Phicast (if you haven't already).
  2. Start Excel. If the Addin has previously been loaded the "Phicast" menu will be visible in the top menu bar.
  3. If the menu is not visible you will need to add Phicast to the list of active (“loaded”) addins:
    1. Select Tools, Addins, and look for "Phicast (Time Series Forecasting)" in the available addins list.
    2. If found, check it. If not, click Browse, goto the folder where you installed Phicast and double-click on Phicast.xla.

To run the Addin:

Open a spreadsheet containing some data, click on a cell inside the column or row of data you wish to use, and select a procedure from the Phicast menu.

A Sample spreadsheet is supplied with Phicast, and can be accessed from the Phicast menu under "Start, Programs, Phicast".

Compatibility

Phicast was designed in and for Microsoft Excel 97, and is compatible with Excel versions 97 through to 2003, running under the Windows 98, NT, 2000, and XP operating systems.

Phicast is not compatible with Excel 2007, and has not been tested under Windows Vista.

Limitations

HKSG automatic model selection No
Sample size (estimation sample) - up to: 300 observations
Seasonal frequencies none, quarterly, monthly
Forecast horizon - up to: 60

An enhanced version of Phicast that does offer automatic model selection is available through Delphus Inc. -- visit www.peerforecaster.com for more information.