News

Microsoft Previews 'Python in Excel'

The cumbersome process of using Python code in Microsoft Excel data-driven projects will soon be eased by the company's new "Python in Excel" initiative, currently in public preview.

Integrating the super-popular programming language that's the darling of data scientists everywhere with the super-popular spreadsheet program means analysts will no longer have to jump through so many workaround hoops or use third-party add-ins like xlwings, PyXLL or DataNitro.

"Python in Excel combines Python's powerful data analysis and visualization libraries with Excel's features you know and love," Microsoft said. "You can manipulate and explore data in Excel using Python plots and libraries, and then use Excel's formulas, charts and PivotTables to further refine your insights."

With the preview, users can now type Python code directly into a notebook cell and get results such as plots and visualizations from the Microsoft Cloud. As of now, the public preview works only on Excel for Windows (not Mac, web, iPad, iPhone or Android). And the cloud integration means an internet connection is required -- users with a local version of Python installed won't see any customizations made to that installation reflected in Python in Excel calculations. If all of those conditions are met, users can go to Microsoft's Python in Excel site to get started, which requires being in the Microsoft 365 Insiders program and using the Beta Channel in Excel for Windows.

[Click on image for larger view.] Python in Excel (source: Microsoft).

While the program does require using Microsoft's cloud version of Python, it comes with the popular Anaconda enterprise Python repository and many core libraries including pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, seaborn, scikit-learn and statsmodels.

The project's architecture was guided in part by none other than Guido van Rossum, Python's creator, emeritus BDFL (benevolent dictator for life) and Microsoft Distinguished Engineer. "I'm excited that this excellent, tight integration of Python and Excel is now seeing the light of day," he said in an Aug. 22 announcement post. "I expect that both communities will find interesting new uses in this collaboration, amplifying each partner's abilities. When I joined Microsoft three years ago, I would not have dreamed this would be possible. The Excel team excels!"

More information can be found in the following resources from Microsoft and Anaconda:

About the Author

David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.

comments powered by Disqus

Featured

  • New 'Visual Studio Hub' 1-Stop-Shop for GitHub Copilot Resources, More

    Unsurprisingly, GitHub Copilot resources are front-and-center in Microsoft's new Visual Studio Hub, a one-stop-shop for all things concerning your favorite IDE.

  • Mastering Blazor Authentication and Authorization

    At the Visual Studio Live! @ Microsoft HQ developer conference set for August, Rockford Lhotka will explain the ins and outs of authentication across Blazor Server, WebAssembly, and .NET MAUI Hybrid apps, and show how to use identity and claims to customize application behavior through fine-grained authorization.

  • Linear Support Vector Regression from Scratch Using C# with Evolutionary Training

    Dr. James McCaffrey from Microsoft Research presents a complete end-to-end demonstration of the linear support vector regression (linear SVR) technique, where the goal is to predict a single numeric value. A linear SVR model uses an unusual error/loss function and cannot be trained using standard simple techniques, and so evolutionary optimization training is used.

  • Low-Code Report Says AI Will Enhance, Not Replace DIY Dev Tools

    Along with replacing software developers and possibly killing humanity, advanced AI is seen by many as a death knell for the do-it-yourself, low-code/no-code tooling industry, but a new report belies that notion.

  • Vibe Coding with Latest Visual Studio Preview

    Microsoft's latest Visual Studio preview facilitates "vibe coding," where developers mainly use GitHub Copilot AI to do all the programming in accordance with spoken or typed instructions.

Subscribe on YouTube