Microsoft is bringing popular programming language Python to Excel. A public preview of the feature is available today, allowing Excel users to manipulate and analyze data from Python.
You won’t need to install any additional software or set up an add-on to access the functionality, as Python integration in Excel will be part of Excel’s built-in connectors and Power Query. Microsoft is also adding a new PY function that allows Python data to be exposed within the grid of an Excel spreadsheet. Through a partnership with Anaconda, an enterprise Python repository, popular Python libraries like pandas, statsmodels, and Matplotlib will be available in Excel.
I agree with all your points about Excel being capable. However, I’m struggling to think of examples where this newly announced Python integration within Excel would be helpful (with the exception of new/different visualizations) - especially for the reasons you stated about modern Excel.
Are there any use cases that you can think of where someone who knows Excel well would resort to “adding a little Python to patch up any issues”?
Probably like me. I knew just enough VBA to do what I wanted in Excel, but not enough to write it from scratch in vba or C++.
What do you mean? This new Python integration cannot accomplish the majority of things capable in VBA or C++ (or even regular Python).
I can do basic things in vba. I don’t know enough to leave Excel and start writing a standalone program in vba, c++, or Python. I can learn a few commands, but I’m not going to become a programmer.
So you’re saying that you’re more likely to use Python in Excel than Python outside Excel?
If you’re “not going to become a programmer”, wouldn’t it just be better to learn the extra Excel formula or two instead of learning Python, Python data structures, Pandas, etc. in addition to how all that works within Excel?
Learning how to use
HSTACK(),VSTACK(),XLOOKUP(), and other newer Excel fomulas will likely be much easier than understanding how to do the equivalent in Python.I would never use Python outside of Excel just like I never use visual basic outside of Excel.
I would use it for the same reason I (rarely) use vba in Excel, some things you can’t do with formulas.
Maybe some sort of “team toolbox” of logical functions or something? I’ve seen some nightmare shops where big reports have a page of manipulations that get copied to new reports/projects every time, and each represents some sort of canned, core business logic.
I dunno. I cant imagine how the code storage will go
The code storage for Python is no different than regular Excel functions (eg -
VLOOKUP(),SUM(), etc.), meaning that it is stored within an Excel cell. The only differences are that Python code is run remotely vs Excel functions running locally and the location of Python’s code matters vs Excel’s functions are location agnostic (ie - Python code runs in cells located left-to-right, top-to-bottom but Excel’s functions can dynamically determine the calculation order/location).I’m not sure that this new Python integration changes much about this use case (except for another way to accomplish the same/similar tasks).