It’s currently only a test, but many Excel users have already begun experimenting with manipulating Python files thanks to this new functionality. It arrives at a time when Microsoft is striving to renew its entire suite of applications, from the calculator to Microsoft Paint, leveraging the benefits of artificial intelligence.
In fact, the company is convinced that this represents a significant advancement and will be greatly useful for advanced users. They’ll be able to manipulate data and libraries to refine their results. This facilitates the handling of large amounts of data and their analysis in a more user-friendly and familiar environment, such as Excel spreadsheets.
Without additional installations
To use it, you won’t need to install new software or configure an addon to provide the functionality, as it will be part of the core of the application itself. Similarly, Microsoft intends to add a new feature to the program that allows displaying data from any Python document in a spreadsheet to make it more user-friendly. They have also partnered with Anaconda, a major Python repository, to include the most popular libraries of this language in Excel.
However, it won’t be Excel itself running on your computer for advanced and complex Python calculations; this will be done through Microsoft’s cloud, comfortably returning the results as a spreadsheet.
The Python community has shown as much interest in this intriguing cross-over as Microsoft, theorizing and getting excited about the incredible synergies that can arise between both communities to maximize the optimization of their resources and outcomes.
Very soon, Python in Excel will be available during its preview for anyone with a Microsoft 365 subscription, although for now, it can only be used on Windows operating systems. Additionally, once the preview is over, some of the features will be paid.
