PlanMaker PERCENTILE.INC: Inclusive Thresholds and Worked Examples
Understand PlanMaker inclusive percentiles, compare PERCENTILE, inspect threshold counts and check scale changes with complete numeric examples.
Verification status: See the evidence and test scope described in this guide. How formula examples are checked
PERCENTILE.INC returns an inclusive percentile of a numeric dataset. k can range from zero to one, including both endpoints. The result is a value in the data’s units, such as hours, rather than a percentile rank assigned to an observation.
Availability and version history
- Introduced: Documented by the PlanMaker 2018 manual; the original introduction release and date are not established.
- Availability: Documented in PlanMaker 2026. This checked version is not a final supported-version endpoint.
- Scope: Current reference belongs to the PlanMaker 2026/NX manual family. FreeOffice and individual mobile-build availability are not established here.
- Checked: October 14, 2026, against the official PERCENTILE.INC reference and historical manual. Mathematical reconstructions are explicitly scoped; no native PlanMaker test was performed.
Syntax and relation to PERCENTILE
=PERCENTILE.INC(Range, k)
Both arguments are required. The official entry specifies numeric data and 0 ≤ k ≤ 1, and identifies k=0.5 with the median. It explicitly says PERCENTILE.INC returns the same result as the previous PERCENTILE function. Both remain documented.
Its example uses A1:A9 containing 1 through 9: =PERCENTILE.INC(A1:A9,0.75) returns 7. Reproduce this on a separate VendorInclusive sheet, placing the formula in C1. In C2 enter =PERCENTILE(A1:A9,0.75) for the same result; =PERCENTILE.EXC(A1:A9,0.75) in C3 gives the separately documented 7.5.
The calculation convention used in the worked model
For the following checks, sort n numeric observations and use h=1+(n−1)k. If h is j+d, interpolate between sorted positions j and j+1 with fraction d. At the endpoints, use the first or last observation directly.
This is an independent inclusive interpolation model that reproduces SoftMaker’s example. The short PlanMaker entry does not specify the full algorithm. NIST describes this convention among several percentile methods; that source is mathematical context, not proof of a particular PlanMaker build’s implementation.
Build a six-delivery worksheet
Create InclusiveTimes using A1:H8. Put Sorted hours in A1 and enter 12,18,25,35,40,60 in A2:A7. These are six numeric delivery times. Put headers k, Inclusive percentile, Earlier name, Model position and Difference in C1:G1.
Enter 0,0.25,0.5,0.75,0.9,1 in C2:C7. In D2 enter =PERCENTILE.INC($A$2:$A$7,C2), E2 =PERCENTILE($A$2:$A$7,C2), F2 =1+(COUNT($A$2:$A$7)-1)*C2, and G2 =D2-E2. Fill D2:G2 through row 7.
| k | Model position | Expected D and E under the stated model |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 0.25 | 2.25 | 19.75 |
| 0.5 | 3.5 | 30 |
| 0.75 | 4.75 | 38.75 |
| 0.9 | 5.5 | 50 |
| 1 | 6 | 60 |
G has a mathematical zero target from the documented equivalence. In H2 enter =MEDIAN(A2:A7) for 30. The central pair is 25 and 35. At k=0.75, position 4.75 lies three quarters of the way from 35 to 40, producing 38.75.
A percentile does not promise an exact count above it
On ThresholdCheck, place the same six times in A2:A7. Put the model threshold 38.75 in D1. In B2 enter =A2>$D$1 and fill through B7; expect FALSE,FALSE,FALSE,FALSE,TRUE,TRUE. Two of six observed times exceed the threshold, even though k is 0.75.
That is a small-sample observation count, not an error in the meaning of 75%. The interpolated cutoff falls between observed values. Ties can make the relationship between a percentile and a strict count even less direct. Do not use the formula as a guarantee that exactly one quarter of existing rows will be selected.
Scale and offset the observations
Copy InclusiveTimes to ConvertedTimes and change only A2:A7 to 34,46,60,80,90,130. Each value follows the transformation 2×original+10. Leave the formulas and k values intact.
Under the stated interpolation model, D2:D7 and E2:E7 become 34,49.5,70,87.5,110,130. Each is also 2×the corresponding original percentile+10. The median control H2 becomes 70 and the difference column remains zero.
The ordering is preserved because the multiplier is positive. This example checks an affine transformation of the same observations; it does not claim that any nonlinear transformation commutes with percentile interpolation.
Errors, endpoints and portability
- Keep k within the documented closed interval. Omitting k has no documented default.
- Type fractional k values in numeric cells; 0.75 represents 75%, while the ordinary number 75 is outside the documented domain.
- Keep the percentile’s output unit separate from the percentage input. Formatting an hours result as a percentage would mislabel it.
- Mixed input types, empty-only ranges, exact error tokens and extreme precision limits are not established by the checked entry.
- The manual’s Excel 2010 compatibility statement concerns Excel. It is not PlanMaker’s introduction date or evidence of identical behavior in all products.
See PERCENTILE for a fully expanded interior interpolation check, PERCENTILE.EXC for the exclusive convention, and MEDIAN for the middle-value calculation.