Microsoft has recently added Python programming support to Excel, letting users analyse and manipulate data accordingly.
Considering this as an embedded script, any Python function running on Microsoft Excel will be processed in an Azure container to avoid security risks. This feature is now available for Microsoft 365 Insiders under the Beta Program and may possibly roll to everyone later.
Python in Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful tools in the company’s portfolio, allowing individuals and organisations to manage different types of data as desired. Apart from storing data, Excel contains a lot of functions to manipulate data in a more meaningful way, easily and quickly.
Adding to this is a new Python scripting support, which Microsoft says users can run and create powerful functions for analysing and manipulating data better.
Users can embed any Python code directly into a cell using the =PY() function and let it execute like any macro or a regular Excel function and since Microsoft considers this an embedded script, it runs the Python function in a hypervisor-isolated container on Azure Container Instances.
This is to secure the local network and data from potential malicious scripts, which often leverage this access to hijack the systems. Thus, Microsoft runs such scripts on a cloud environment to prevent security issues.
Microsoft also assures the user’s data privacy in this process, as all the Python queries run in Excel will be processed anonymously so that a Python code is not linked back to a particular user. This support is currently available to Microsoft 365 Insiders under the Beta channel and may roll out to everyone in Excel v16.0.16818.2000.
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