Learning objectives are crucial in instructional design because they provide a clear roadmap for both the instructor and the learner, outlining what is expected to be achieved by the end of a course or lesson. They can help in designing a course or book, selecting appropriate instructional strategies, and assessing learner progress. By explicitly sharing these objectives with learners, instructors set clear expectations, which can increase student motivation and focus. Moreover, when learners are aware of the objectives, they can better monitor their own progress and understanding, leading to ..read more

I see people crafting all sorts of Excel pickup lines, but what about trash talk? After all, how many dates are Excel nerds getting anyway? (And let the trash talk begin.) Here are some Excel put-downs and trash talk phrases, in no particular order: “Your attempt at automation is like a self-driving car … from the Flintstones era.” “Your macro is like a soap opera. It runs forever and nothing ever happens.” “Your workbook is so brittle, it breaks faster than your New Year’s resolution.” “Oh, you’re still using HLOOKUP()? That’s cute.” “Your workbook freezes more than Siberia.” “1980’s video g ..read more

I’m genuinely excited about the suite of AI tools Microsoft has been introducing for Microsoft 365, particularly Excel. However, I do wish the naming conventions were sometimes easier to understand. Specifically, it’s quite confusing to follow along with the various products since they are all named “Copilot:” Microsoft: "What should we call this new product?" Microsoft marketing: pic.twitter.com/MQbVJFX9HL — George Mount (@gjmount) March 20, 2024 This post aims to distinguish between Microsoft Copilot and Copilot for Excel in terms of access, pricing, features, and more. Access To start ..read more

Copilot in Excel can help with a variety of everyday tasks for working with your data, such as adding conditional formatting or creating basic calculated columns. But did you know that you can also use Copilot in Excel for some non-Excel tasks? Let’s explore how this works and see how it could actually help in your day-to-day activities as an analyst. To follow along, you can download the exercise here, or open up any dataset in Copilot in Excel: Download the exercise file here   Excel for Copilot vs ChatGPT Let’s take a moment to understand why Copilot in Excel is knowledgeable about top ..read more

One of the greatest wins for Excel users learning Python is access to a comprehensive suite of data visualization tools. However, compared to Excel, the default plots produced with Python in Excel can seem somewhat static. For example, there’s no straightforward way to add tooltips or interactive elements that allow users to click on parts of the chart to understand the data’s origins. Nonetheless, it is possible to make Python plots created in Excel feel more interactive and user-friendly. This post expands on a previous article where I explored using moving averages with Python in Excel. We ..read more

Just like in biology, where cells are the building blocks of life, in your Excel workbook, cells serve as the foundational elements. In this post, you’ll discover how to interact with individual cells and then extend your knowledge to managing entire rows and columns using openpyxl. For this demo, I’ll assume you’re familiar with installing and working with Python packages, along with basic operations such as creating variables, indexing, and so on. If you need assistance with these topics before proceeding, consider checking out my book Advancing into Analytics: Advancing into Analytic ..read more

Working with Python code becomes significantly more manageable when objects are assigned clear, sensible names, and Excel is no different. This blog post covers how to create named ranges and tables in Excel using openpyxl. To begin this demonstration, we will import several modules from openpyxl, along with a sample of rows from the penguins dataset available in the seaborn package. import openpyxl from openpyxl.worksheet.table import Table, TableStyleInfo from openpyxl.utils import get_column_letter from openpyxl.utils.dataframe import dataframe_to_rows from openpyxl import Workbook wb = Wo ..read more

Several packages facilitate working with Python and Excel, but openpyxl stands out as an excellent choice due to its comprehensive features for reading and writing workbooks. In this blog post, we will explore how to get started with creating Excel workbooks from scratch and modifying existing ones using openpyxl. For this lesson, I’ll assume you’re familiar with installing and working with Python packages, along with basic operations such as creating variables, indexing, and so on. If you need assistance with these topics before proceeding, consider checking out my book Advancing into Analyti ..read more

One of the key insights Excel users should appreciate about Copilot is its vital role in keeping Excel current in the AI era. It achieves this by innovatively integrating multiple intelligence sources, expanding Excel’s functions beyond traditional spreadsheets. Today’s era is characterized by growing system interoperability. In particular, I’m excited about how Copilot can Python more accessible to everyday Excel users. With Python’s integration into Excel and with the help of Copilot, even those new to coding can easily tap into its powerful data analysis, visualization, automation, and AI c ..read more

Excel continues to be an essential tool for many business professionals, often utilized for swift ad hoc analyses, reporting, or data entry tasks. However, Excel’s true potential over time frequently resides in automation, where it minimizes repetitive tasks and maximizes efficiency. Microsoft’s Power Automate and Office Scripts play a crucial role in this evolution, presenting inventive methods to streamline workflows within Excel Online. Grasping the distinct advantages and applications of each tool can greatly boost your productivity. Let’s explore the details of when and how to employ thes ..read more