Microsoft will bring the very popular programming language Python to Microsoft Excel. As of today, Microsoft 365 Insiders (Beta Channel) will be able to see exactly how the integration of Python in Excel works via a Public Preview.
“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.”, says Stefan Kinnestrand, General Manager Product Marketing/Management at Microsoft. “Now you can do advanced data analysis in the familiar Excel environment by accessing Python directly from the Excel ribbon. 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.”
Through a partnership with Anaconda, an open source distribution of the Python and R programming languages, Python can be used directly in Excel without having to install additional software. Calculations will be performed in Microsoft Cloud, after which the results will be sent back to Excel. To be able to see how the Python integration works during the Public Preview, you do need a Microsoft 365 subscription. Fortunately, there are also plans to make Python available without a paid Microsoft 365 subscription, or with limited functionalities.
“I’m excited that this excellent, tight integration of Python and Excel is now seeing the light of day”, zegt Guido van Rossum, creator of Python and Microsoft-engineer. “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!”
