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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

📌 If you're ready to build the skills to unleash the power of Copilot in Excel, I want to help. I have 11 hours of free crash courses: Python Logistic regression K-means clustering Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 preparing for the future: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

I won't bore you with the rest of the back-and-forth. Here's the things Copilot assumed I knew: K-means clustering Silhouette score for optimizing k-means Principal component analysis (PCA) Decision tree ML models Permutation importance Box plots You need DIY data science skills to use Copilot!

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

1 - Customer Segmentation 2 - Trend Analysis 3 - Predictive Modeling 4 - Basket Analysis 5 - Churn Analysis When I asked for a recommendation, Copilot suggested option 1.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Copilot responded: "...it appears to represent customer behavior metrics, possibly related to transactions, activities, or engagement levels." I told Copilot to assume customer behaviors and asked it what kind of analysis it would suggest for the data. Copilot responded with 5 options:

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Copilot asked me to specify a deeper analysis. I chose Copilot's correlation analysis suggestion. In response, Copilot generated Python code to create a correlation heatmap table. The correlation heatmap was interesting, but not super insightful. I asked Copilot what the data might be.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

To Copilot's credit, it replied that it didn't know what to do with the data. Copilot offered some suggestions for various types of analyses: Trends Correlations Predictive Modeling As usual, it doesn't take long before Copilot assumes the user has DIY data science skills. Next...

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

The table I used included data for: Customer purchases Customer demographics (e.g., age) As usual, I chose Copilot's "Advanced analysis" option. This option creates a new worksheet where Copilot generates Python code to perform the analyses. Copilot loaded the table and profiled it...

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Vibe Analytics with Copilot in Excel - Day 2 Copilot in Excel does an excellent job of using column names to understand the nature of your data. So I decided to test Copilot in Excel using column names like: Column1 Column2 Column3 Here's what happened...

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

I have 11 hours of free crash courses covering: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,857 professionals building skills to impress their leaders: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Learning a subset of Python and data science handles 80+% of use cases. Some examples: K-means Decision trees Random forests Here's the good news. Any professional can learn these. No advanced math required. If you're ready to learn, I want to help you...

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

4) Recognize hallucinations. All AI technologies make mistakes (hallucinations). **BUT** If you don't have the right skills, how can you vet Copilot's? Customer segmentation Fraud detection model Sales forecasts So, do you want to play with 🔥? Or do you want to impress your leaders? 👇

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

3) Learn DIY data science. You know that Copilot-generated code I just mentioned? It's full of data science goodness: K-means clustering Decision tree machine learning Time series forecasting models like ARIMA This is how Copilot works its "magic." There's a huge problem, though...

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

2) Learn Python. Make no mistake. What excites your leaders about Copilot in Excel is clicking a button to get AI-generated: Data insights Advanced analytics Time series forecasts You know what they all have in common? Copilot-generated Python code. But there's more.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

1) Ignore "prompt engineering." I've tested Copilot in Excel, and what it can do is impressive. But here's the dirty little secret the AI bros won't tell you. To prompt Copilot correctly, you have to know what you're doing. You need to build your skills first. Prompting comes after.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Want to differentiate yourself at work with Excel skills? Leaders aren't excited about this in 2025: - Using PivotTables - Knowing many functions You know what they're excited about: AI And that means Copilot in Excel. Here are 4 ways to build skills to impress your leaders:

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Want to predict customer churn? Don't overcomplicate it. Use logistic regression. It's powerful, interpretable, and works great with real business data. Start with Python in Excel.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

📌 Ready to build skills for the AI-driven future of Microsoft Excel? I have 11 hours of free crash courses: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 professionals building skills: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Is your company rolling out Copilot in Excel? Here's the mistake your executives are probably making: To make the most out of AI in Microsoft Excel, you need to know 2 things: 1 - Python 2 - DIY data science Copilot in Excel relies heavily on Python. 👇

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

📌 Ready to build skills for the future of Microsoft Excel? I have 11 hours of free crash courses that will jumpstart your skills: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 professionals building skills this weekend: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Excel → Power Query → Python → Machine Learning That's the real progression for DIY data science. You don't jump to neural networks. You grow step by step. From formulas to forecasts.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

📌 P.S. - If you're ready to build skills for the future of Microsoft Excel, I want to help you. I have 11 hours of free crash courses covering: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Get started this weekend: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

8,587 professionals will receive a new machine learning tutorial tomorrow: ML with Python in Excel. It will be the first in a series of tutorials showing how Microsoft Excel is the platform for DIY data science. Want in? Click the link in my profile to get started.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

The Copilot AI inside Excel can write Python code for you. That's the future Microsoft envisions. Here's what Microsoft won't tell your executives. If you can't prompt it well, you're playing with 🔥. Learn enough Python to guide the AI... And leave 99% of Excel users in your dust.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

📌 If you're ready to build skills for the future of Excel, I want to help. I've got 11 hours of free crash courses covering: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 professionals building skills: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

AI can make you 10x faster. But you are still the expert in your business and your data. Learn Python in Excel, even at a basic level. That’s how you turn Copilot from a risk into your competitive advantage. Python in Excel is your key. Ready to take the wheel? 👇

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

If you just trust the output… You might base a business decision on a broken forecast. Or miss a looming downturn that Copilot’s model simply didn’t see. Here’s the truth: Copilot + Python in Excel is like giving you a race car. But if you can’t steer, you’re just along for the ride.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

A finance pro uses Copilot to “forecast next quarter’s revenue.” Copilot generates a Python forecasting model. Looks impressive. But here’s what’s hidden: - Key drivers like seasonality or product launches are missing - The model assumes sales are always rising - Outlier months are ignored

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

But here’s the danger nobody’s talking about: If you don’t understand Python, you won’t realize what Copilot is really doing with your data. Professionals who blindly use Copilot-generated Python code are playing with 🔥. Consider this.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

The real power of Copilot isn’t just its summaries. It’s this: Copilot writes Python code for you directly in Excel. Suddenly, you can: - Run advanced models - Build custom visualizations - Automate complex analysis All with a simple prompt.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Microsoft has put Copilot AI right into Excel. At first glance, it looks like magic: “Summarize my data.” “Build me a forecast.” "Analyze these sales trends.” But here’s what the hype misses:

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Want to join the top 1% of Excel users in the age of AI? Here’s the biggest mistake you can make in 2025: Ignoring Python in Excel. Here's why:

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

📌 If you're an Excel user who wants to up your data game with SQL skills, I want to help. I have a free 7-hour SQL tutorial specifically designed for you. I use your Excel knowledge to make learning SQL easy. Join 8,587 professionals building skills for the future: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Need to join 3 tables? Formulas = pain SQL = elegant Learn JOIN, GROUP BY, CASE WHEN Drop the SQL into Power Query. Your Excel workflow will never be the same.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

📌 If you're ready to build skills for the future of Microsoft Excel, I want to help. I've got 11 hours of free crash courses covering: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 DIY data scientists building skills: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Business Scenario: A finance professional sets up an automated forecast that: - Sources data from workbook tables and Power Query - Combines, cleans, and transforms the data - Trains a machine learning model - Makes forecasts All of which is easily shared with management.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

5. Automating Repeatable Analytics No more “copy-paste-refresh-pray” workflows. Python in Excel can automate: - Data sourcing - Data cleaning and transformation - Data visualizations and advanced analytics

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Business Scenario: An insurance professional uses ten customer features in a Python-driven logistic regression to predict fraud risk, leveraging the full complexity of the data.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

4. Machine Learning for Prediction Python in Excel unlocks real ML models: - Predict customer churn - Forecast demand - Spot fraud

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Business Scenario: A retail team uses Python in Excel to analyze product combos across dozens of SKUs, finding patterns in multi-item purchases. These insights fuel smarter marketing, product recommendations, store endcaps, etc.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

3. Market Basket Analysis Excel can count, but Python can uncover relationships. Use market basket analysis (association rules) to find: - Which products are bought together - Customer purchasing journeys - Cross-sell opportunities

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Business Scenario: A healthcare professional segments patients using k-means clustering on 100 patient attributes and behaviors, discovering at-risk groups for proactive care. Something impossible to do with just PivotTables.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

2. K-means Clustering for Segmentation Grouping by “category” or “region” is just the start. With Python, you can run k-means clustering to segment: - Products by sales patterns - Customers by behavior - Patients by risk factors

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Business Scenario: A marketing manager wants to understand what drives high customer spend. With Python in Excel, they create boxplots of customer spend. Each spend boxplot is segmented by the interaction of 5 other columns in the table.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

With Python in Excel, you can create: - Bar charts that drill deep into your data - Scatter plots that show hidden correlations - Boxplots to spot outliers across multiple columns

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

1. Visualizing Many Variables Excel charts are great for one or two columns. But what if you want to analyze 4, 5, or more columns simultaneously?

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

In 2025, Microsoft Excel power users will be using Python in Excel. Here are 5 reasons why (with business scenarios):

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

📌 If you're ready to build skills for the future of Microsoft Excel, I've got you. I have 11 hours of free crash courses: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 DIY data scientists preparing for the future of Excel: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Your PivotTable won't find customer segments. Cluster analysis will. Tools like k-means help you group customers by many behaviors. So many behaviors it makes PivotTables cry. Try it with Python in Excel. It's like discovering new tribes in your data.

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

I have 11 hours of free crash courses that will help you build skills for the future of Microsoft Excel: Python Logistic regression K-means cluster analysis Decision tree machine learning Join 8,587 professionals preparing for the future: daveondata.com/newsletter

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Dave Langer @daveondata.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Python in Excel transforms your spreadsheet into a complete data analytics platform. Excel is no longer "just" a spreadsheet tool. It's your new playground for DIY data science. Learn Python in Excel. You'll stand out from 99% of Excel users. Ready to stand out? 👇

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