Anaconda Inc., an open ecosystem for sourcing, building, and deploying data science and AI initiatives, announced the release of Anaconda Code within its Anaconda Toolbox for Excel. This new feature enables users to write and execute Python code directly within Microsoft Excel.
The new add-in aims to provide users with greater control, security, and flexibility over their Python environments. It helps with enhanced functionality and streamlined workflows.
Running the code locally also reduces dependence on network communication and allows users to keep all code and data securely within the Excel workbook.
Microsoft introduced Python in Excel in August 2023 bringing Python data analysis and data science capabilities to the popular spreadsheet program. The integration allowed users to perform complex visualizations, machine learning, and advanced data manipulation directly within Excel.
It also brought popular Python libraries to Excel, such as Matplotlib and Seaborn for data visualization. Until now, users had to run Python code on Microsoft Azure’s cloud servers.
To provide Python in Excel locally, Anaconda used Microsoft’s existing Excel plugin capabilities combined with their own technologies. They used PyScript, a Python-on-WebAssembly (WASM) technology, to allow Python to run alongside JavaScript in web browsers. This approach allows Python code to be executed locally within Excel without needing external compute services.
“With Anaconda Code, we’re giving users freedom to control the environment,” said Peter Wang, Co-Founder and Chief AI Innovation Officer at Anaconda. “This release marks a significant step forward, enabling Excel users to harness Python’s vast ecosystem while maintaining the speed, reliability, and accessibility that businesses and individuals have come to expect from their data tools.”
According to Wang, the ability to use Python in Excel was one of the most requested features from users, who wanted to run the system locally, and not rely on having a connection to Azure.
The Anaconda Toolbox in Excel allows users of all skill levels to generate and execute code. This can democratize data analysis for a broader user base, empowering them to perform more complex tasks. Additionally, the Toolbox facilitates easier collaboration between Excel users and Python experts through Anaconda.cloud notebooks.
The Anaconda Assistant is one of the new standout features of the Toolbox. Using AI to streamline data, the tool offers suggestions for data handling methods and tracks users’ code and actions across different workbooks. The Toolbox also offers enhanced versioning capabilities to ensure users work with the most current datasets.
Excel users with Anaconda Toolbox also get access to the Advanced Visualizations tool to create powerful data visualizations and the Code Snippet Management feature that can write, save, and share Python code snippets directly within Excel. This feature helps users store and reuse frequently used code snippets as needed. The Anaconda ToolBox in Excel is available for download from the Microsoft add-in marketplace.
(CG_dmitriy/Shutterstock)
Founded in 2012 to bring Python into business data analytics, Anaconda has capitalized on the growing popularity of Python, now boasting over 40 million users worldwide. The company has become a major contributor to the open-source data science community with over 1500 open-source packages.
While known for Python, Anaconda also supports R, another popular computer language for data analysis. Anaconda is keen to expand its functionality through integrations. Earlier this year, it announced the public preview of its integration with Snowflake Notebooks.
It also collaborated with IBM to enhance the integration of Anaconda’s open-source Python repository with IBM’s watsonx.ai platform.
Embedding Python directly into Excel marks a transformative step in making advanced data analysis tools more accessible, bridging the gap between powerful programming capabilities and a widely used spreadsheet environment.
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