Microsoft unveiled the public preview of Python integration in Excel. This feature gives spreadsheet power users the ability to merge scripts written in the widely-used Python language with their customary Excel formulas within a single workbook.
“Now you can do advanced data analysis in the familiar Excel environment by accessing Python directly from the Excel ribbon”, explains Stefan Kinnestrand, the GM for Modern Work at Microsoft. “No set up or installation is required. Using Excel’s built-in connectors and Power Query, you can easily bring external data into Python in Excel workflows.”
This feature will be introduced to Microsoft 365 Insiders through the Excel for Windows beta channel. Although it will initially be limited to the desktop edition of Excel, Microsoft has highlighted that the Python computations will run in the Microsoft Cloud.
No extra software installation or add-on configuration is required to utilize this feature. Python integration within Excel is seamlessly incorporated into the built-in connectors and Power Query. Additionally, Microsoft is introducing a new PY function that facilitates the presentation of Python data within an Excel spreadsheet’s grid. Through collaboration with Anaconda, a corporate Python repository, widely used Python libraries such as pandas, statsmodels, and Matplotlib will be accessible directly within Excel.
Excel users will have the capability to create formulas, establish PivotTables, and generate charts utilizing Python data. Moreover, they can seamlessly integrate charting libraries such as Matplotlib and Seaborn to create visual representations like heatmaps, violin plots, and swarm plots.
