Expenses vs Inflation (QuickBooks × FRED CPI)

What data it expects

Connect QuickBooks Online or drop a CSV / Excel export with a similar layout — the AI adapts the workflow if your columns differ.

How it works — every step, readable

1. 01Load QuickBooks Monthly P&L

   SELECT * FROM read_csv_auto('QBO_ProfitAndLoss_Month.csv', header=true)

2. 02Load CPI and Key by Year-Month

   filters to the relevant rows

   SELECT
     strftime(CAST("date" AS DATE), '%Y-%m') AS period,
     CAST("date" AS DATE) AS cpi_date,
     cpiaucsl_idx AS cpi
   FROM read_csv_auto('FRED_CPIAUCSL.csv', header=true)
   WHERE cpiaucsl_idx IS NOT NULL

3. 03Unpivot P&L and Compute Total Expenses by Month

   aggregates rows into summary totals · filters to the relevant rows · sorts the output

   WITH unpivoted AS (
     UNPIVOT input_1
     ON COLUMNS(* EXCLUDE (section, account, Total))
     INTO NAME period VALUE raw_amount
   ), cleaned AS (
     SELECT
       period,
       section,
       account,
       COALESCE(TRY_CAST(REPLACE(CAST(raw_amount AS VARCHAR), ',', '') AS DOUBLE), 0) AS amount
     FROM unpivoted
     WHERE period <> 'Total'
       AND account NOT ILIKE '%total%'
   )
   SELECT
     period,
     ROUND(SUM(CASE
       WHEN section IN ('Cost of Goods Sold', 'Expenses') THEN amount
       ELSE 0
     END), 2) AS nominal_expenses
   FROM cleaned
   GROUP BY period
   ORDER BY period

4. 04Join Expenses to CPI and Compute Real Expenses

   combines data from multiple inputs · filters to the relevant rows · sorts the output

   WITH joined AS (
     SELECT
       e.period,
       e.nominal_expenses,
       c.cpi
     FROM input_1 e
     INNER JOIN input_2 c
       ON e.period = c.period
   ), latest_cpi AS (
     SELECT cpi AS latest_cpi
     FROM joined
     WHERE cpi IS NOT NULL
     ORDER BY period DESC
     LIMIT 1
   ), first_cpi AS (
     SELECT cpi AS first_cpi
     FROM joined
     WHERE cpi IS NOT NULL
     ORDER BY period ASC
     LIMIT 1
   )
   SELECT
     j.period,
     j.nominal_expenses,
     ROUND(j.nominal_expenses * l.latest_cpi / NULLIF(j.cpi, 0), 2) AS real_expenses_latest_month_dollars,
     j.cpi,
     ROUND(j.cpi / NULLIF(f.first_cpi, 0) * 100, 2) AS cpi_index_first_month_100
   FROM joined j
   CROSS JOIN latest_cpi l
   CROSS JOIN first_cpi f
   ORDER BY j.period

5. 05Final: Nominal vs Real Expenses with CPI Index

   sorts the output

   SELECT
     period AS month,
     nominal_expenses,
     real_expenses_latest_month_dollars AS real_expenses,
     cpi_index_first_month_100 AS cpi_index
   FROM input_1
   ORDER BY month