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That’s good news… for people who know Python. Normally, I’ll start analyzing data in Excel, and when the calculation is about to explode, I’ll switch to R and continue there.

I wonder if this Python integration will actually make it possible to stay with Excel a little bit longer before I have to switch to another tool. I wonder if it’s possible to replace some of my horrendously unreliable VBA trash with python. Hopefully, things won’t be quite so random and unpredictable even though the code is still running on Excel.

Knowing how many packages are available for Python, this new integration could be really big. Imagine doing multidimensional regression with any function you can think of or drawing sankey plots or violin plots.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

A public preview of the feature is available today, allowing Excel users to manipulate and analyze data from Python.

“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,” explains Stefan Kinnestrand, general manager of modern work at Microsoft.

Microsoft is also adding a new PY function that allows Python data to be exposed within the grid of an Excel spreadsheet.

Python calculations run in Microsoft’s Cloud, with the results returned into an Excel worksheet.

Excel users will be able to create formulas, PivotTables, and charts all based on Python data, with the ability to bring in charting libraries like Matplotlib and Seaborn for visualizations like heatmaps, violin plots, and swarm plots.

Python in Excel is rolling out today as a public preview for Microsoft 365 Insiders in the Beta Channel.

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