Python is coming to Excel?!…
Wow, as a supply chain professor that pushes data analytics on our students, I am trying to make sense of this. I suspect this is going to be a VERY big deal for our CIS faculty and students as they have been waiting for this kind of support for…2 decades? While Excel is powerful, it hasn’t provided “native” tools for adv analytics like ML. By integrating Python — a language known for its rich libraries in data science — Excel could be considerably enhanced. If they bring in scikit-learn, statsmodels, etc., this will become a reality, as they both are popular Python libraries used extensively in the fields of data analysis, statistics, and machine learning.
Announcing Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel:Announcing Python in Excel: Combining the power of Python and the flexibility of Excel.Since its inception, Microsoft Excel has changed how people organize, analyze, and visualize their data, providing a…techcommunity.microsoft.com
I do wonder, if the Python code is going to be run in the Microsoft cloud, what will the pricing structure look like? By integrating cloud-run features, MSFT could introduce new pricing structures, potentially influencing the adoption rate of these new features. The way MSFT structures its pricing for cloud-run Python code will be a significant factor in the adoption rate. Orgs might be cautious if the costs are perceived to be high.
The next milestone we should be watching for is whether the Python code can be run on-premise or a local machine. The ability to run Python code locally vs. on the cloud would influence the adoption and usage of these features. Running code on-premises can often be essential for businesses w/ data security concerns. Technically, it is possible since the partnership is with Anaconda. Anaconda is a popular Python distribution platform that provides tools for data science and machine learning. The mention of a partnership with Anaconda suggests that the integration will not just be basic Python scripting but may offer more advanced features.
It is just whether Microsoft is willing to do that at the expense of sabotaging their existing market of their decades old VBScripting language. There is a potential conflict of interest for Microsoft. VBScript (and more broadly, VBA) has been the primary scripting language in Excel for decades. By integrating Python, Microsoft may be shifting away from its longstanding support for VBA, which might not sit well with longtime users. However, it’s also possible that Microsoft might maintain dual support for both languages for a while to ease the transition.
Will AI kill Excel? No:Sime Curkovic on LinkedIn: #ai #python #dataanalytics #datascience #supplychain…Will AI really kill the tools we teach like Excel? No, but it changes how we teach. Would you trust the developer who…www.linkedin.comSime Curkovic on LinkedIn: #powerbi #tableau #bigdataGreat post, I will share w/ my students. This class is req'd of every WMU supply chain major: CIS 2640 – Applied…www.linkedin.com
Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? https://lnkd.in/dcEJuZJX. How much Python do I need? https://lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw.Sime Curkovic on LinkedIn: Python Cheat Sheet 🐍Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? https://lnkd.in/dcEJuZJX. How much Python do I need…www.linkedin.com
Will AI really kill the Business Data Analytics tools we teach? Would you trust the developer who built your software with a 3rd party code generation tool? Maybe. We are not going to stop teaching Excel in very sophisticated ways. All of our supply chain majors are required to take: CIS 2640 Predictive Data Analytics (Excel on steroids): I get this kind of feedback often…https://lnkd.in/dQABdsXc.
However, our analytics faculty are on top of this AI wave. They have already built an AI course in our business college (CIS 5550) to cover all kinds of AI for business applications. The course is designed for non-technical students (a perfect fit for SCM types). After this course, AI embedded modules in existing courses will be added.
So, Business Analytics + AI = more SCM success.
Per discussions w/ our CIS faculty, we all agree there is nothing wrong w/ using these code generators as long as you understand the generated code & know how to fix it when needed. Rarely will the generated code be enough to suit your needs. The more realistic scenario is to use the tool to generate the base code & modify it manually for the intended problems.
Many companies PROBABLY do not want their employees to use AI for any calculations like this. So, in all of the above scenarios, skills in our Adv Excel class (and all of our Business Data Analytics classes) are still relevant.
Skills such as:
1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros;
2. Data visualization (Tableau,Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib);
3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science;
4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy);
5. Relational data models (Excel data model);
6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn,Matplotlib,Pandas, & Plotly).
Business Analytics, many of our SCM majors are BA minors. CIS courses in our BA minor: https://lnkd.in/eqiqSMRb.
Also, WMU offers new course on the intersection of AI and writing: https://lnkd.in/g476QVTS. As AI continues to grow in importance, more companies and potentially universities will likely establish executive roles such as VP of AI to oversee AI strategies…In the meantime, WMU is bringing together AI and the art of writing:
“One of the key aspects of AI is the interaction between human intelligence & the platform—humans assign writing tasks to the technology & the technology generates text. This course is really a new take, with evolving technology, on a very old interaction: speakers and listeners, writers & readers,” says Gogan.
How will AI impact your future?
https://lnkd.in/g4cci-tA
AI @ WMU: A Deep Dive into the Resources:
https://lnkd.in/g2EZvtPz
If you’re ready to explore how writing can be used to understand the boundaries between human & AI and learn how you can leverage these emerging technologies to your benefit, this course is for you. https://lnkd.in/g4cci-tA.
#ai#python#dataanalytics#datascience#supplychain#artificialintelligence
Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? Thousands of vacant jobs on LinkedIn say yes. A while back, I made these points about our CIS 2650 class (Programming for Data Analytics) and our Business Data Analytics minor in general. Do these points still largely apply? We think so.
CIS 2650 is not just a Python class, but instead a Python class for analytics. There is a difference there. In a traditional Python class, people teach Python straight for the whole semester with so much of syntax, data structure, software development, etc. That type of class is mostly designed for CIS and CS. What we do is different. It is Python in a popular analytics platform (more technically speaking, it is Python in Jupyter, which is an analytics platform that data science and business analytics programs do).
· We studied the top skills in analytics jobs & Python was among the top skills.
· The visualization libraries in Python can produce the kind of visualizations not available in Tableau & Power BI. Students will be able to differentiate themselves from other schools.
· Tableau & Power BI recently added Python or Python+Jupyter because certain Python analytics & visualization are not available in Tableau and Power BI. Using them together makes it a powerful analytics solution (e.g., the ability to transform visualization into implementable actions).
· All data scientists stress the importance of Python in analytics programs. Note, “data scientist” is one of the fastest growing career paths with escalating salaries because not enough people are good at this stuff.
· Python are “R” are both number one & two in analytics, but Python is easier to learn compared to R.
· Past experience in our SCM program (3+ semesters of experience in CIS 2650) shows that non-technical students (SCM, marketing, accounting, etc.) are able to handle the content that we designed.
· Python + Jupyter (or its variant) are used in Big Data (Hadoop, Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, etc.). It can also be used with/on SAP HANA, IoT, AI, Blockchain, and smart contracts to implement supply chain visibility, and other SC related solutions, etc.
We believe the above points are still valid. Here is some evidence:
· We studied the top skills in analytics jobs & Python was among the top skills.
· Python is among the top skills for data analysts (Skill number 4 in the list): https://lnkd.in/e6r8_KBy
· https://lnkd.in/e7xyUYGs
· The visualization libraries in Python can produce the kind of visualizations not available in Tableau & Power BI. Students will be able to differentiate themselves from other schools.
How much Python do I need?
https://lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw
Will technology replace SCM jobs?
https://lnkd.in/eu7ANq6