Today, Microsoft released a public preview to let Excel users manipulate and analyze data from Python. This means Excel sheets can now use the number-crunching abilities of Python to gain valuable insights from data.
How will this work? With just a few clicks in Excel, you can now access Python directly to analyze and visualize your data in exciting new ways. Popular Python tools like Pandas, Matplotlib and Seaborn will be available right in Excel. This means you get Python’s charting and graphing powers without needing to know any code.
All the Python number magic happens remotely in Microsoft’s computers. The results then appear back in your Excel sheet. From there, you can use familiar Excel tools like formulas, pivot tables and charts on the Python-processed data.
Guido van Rossum, the creator of Python, thinks this integration is great news. He said “I expect interesting new uses as Python and Excel users collaborate. When I joined Microsoft, I never imagined this partnership.”
The best part is you don’t have to download or install anything extra. Python support comes built into Excel’s new data connections. It works on Windows computers for now, with other devices getting it soon. And the preview version is free to try as part of an Office 365 subscription.
This new feature means Excel users can supercharge their spreadsheets with Python’s powerful data science tools. Businesses can gain deeper insights from their numbers without leaving the program they know best. Python programmers also benefit from easily sharing their work through Excel. It’s a win-win that puts two very popular coding platforms together in a simpler, more accessible way.
