Anaconda Toolbox Now Generally Available: Bringing Enterprise-Grade Python Analytics to Excel

We are thrilled to announce the General Availability of Anaconda Toolbox for Excel! 

Anaconda Toolbox for Excel is our comprehensive Excel add-in that brings critical data science tools directly to Excel users in the application they know and love. Starting today, organizations can take full advantage of Python in Excel and the Anaconda ecosystem with easy-to-use tools, featuring a completely redesigned visualization experience.

What is Anaconda Toolbox?

Anaconda Toolbox is an innovative Excel add-in that seamlessly integrates Python capabilities into Microsoft Excel, enabling users to leverage the power of Python analytics without leaving their familiar spreadsheet environment. At its core, Anaconda Toolbox for Excel transforms how organizations work with data by combining Excel’s accessibility with Python’s analytical prowess, all while maintaining enterprise-grade security and compliance. 

Enhanced Visualization Builder: A New Era of Data Visualization

Visualize with Python, the redesigned feature that is the centerpiece of this release, brings unprecedented ease and flexibility in reducing the time to insight with powerful data visualizations using Python in Excel. We conducted user research interviews and leveraged domain knowledge from Excel MVPs to reimagine the ‘Visualize with Python’ interface, making it easier than ever to create sophisticated visualizations using Python’s powerful libraries in a guided and intuitive way. 

Figure 1: Faceted distribution charts offer multivariate analytics and insights

Key improvements to the Visualization Builder include:

• Streamlined Chart Creation: Choose from nine different chart types including Bar, Box, Count, Distribution, Line, Pairwise, Regression, Scatter, and Violin plots
• Interactive Design Controls: Fine-tune your visualizations with intuitive controls for colors, axes, gridlines, and more
• Real-Time Preview: See your changes instantly as you adjust visualization parameters
• Enhanced Data Selection: Seamlessly work with Excel ranges, Tables, and Power Query datasets
• Professional Styling Options: Access comprehensive formatting options including border controls, gridline customization, and legend positioning

See the new Visualization Builder feature in action:

Complete Python Integration Suite

While the Visualization Builder leads our GA release, Anaconda Toolbox offers a comprehensive suite of Python integration features:

Anaconda Code

– Execute Anaconda Code Python cells locally directly within the add-in

– Manage a secure PyScript environment with customizable package management

– Create user-defined functions with Python and call them by name from the grid!

Read more on the Anaconda Blog

Figure 2: Anaconda Code includes a dedicated Imports and Definitions script where users can set project imports and initialize important functions and classes

Datasets

– Securely upload and manage datasets in Anaconda Cloud

– Share data assets across your organization including with your data scientist colleagues using Anaconda Toolbox for Notebooks

Code Snippets

– Create and manage reusable Python code blocks

– Have all your predefined logic and custom classes available in any Excel file you open

– Share code snippets across your organization using Anaconda Toolbox for Notebooks

– Quickly implement common data analysis patterns

Figure 3: Users can save Python code as snippets in their Anaconda Cloud account, meaning they can re-use in any other workbook or notebook

Anaconda Assistant

– Get AI-powered help with Python coding tasks

– Create insightful analyses with a familiar chat interface

– Debug code and receive contextual suggestions

Figure 4: Anaconda Assistant offers a number of options to get started

In this example, Assistant was asked to run K-nearest neighbor clustering on a dataset and to then provide a scatterplot of the clusters.

Figure 5: Users can get help with data science and Python programming tasks such as clustering with the  K-nearest neighbors algorithm

Enterprise-Ready by Design

Anaconda Toolbox is built with enterprise requirements in mind:

• Security: Access and use of Anaconda Toolbox is only available with an Anaconda Cloud license
• Compliance: Rich organization management enables dataset and code assets to be managed by an administrator
• Scalability: Anaconda Toolbox is an Office Add-In. As such, it’s available in Excel Desktop, Excel for Mac, and Excel for the Web
• Collaboration: Enable teams to share code, data, and visualizations securely

Transform Your Data Analysis Workflow

Anaconda Toolbox revolutionizes how organizations work with data in Excel by:

– Eliminating the need to switch between Excel and Python environments

– Reducing the learning curve for Python adoption in Excel-centric organizations

– Enabling sophisticated AI-driven data analysis within familiar Excel workflows

– Directly connecting Excel users with their Notebooks colleagues

Getting Started with Anaconda Toolbox

Organizations can deploy Anaconda Toolbox through Microsoft’s AppSource, making it easily accessible to Excel users. The add-in seamlessly integrates with existing Excel workflows and requires no local Python installation.

To get started, visit Microsoft AppSource and search for Anaconda Toolbox. Users will need to have a free Anaconda Cloud account to get started. View our full on Anaconda Toolbox for Excel on our docs site. 

If you wish to enhance your data visualization skills, register for our upcoming live course on January 23, 2025, Data Visualization with Python in Excel. During this interactive live course by Owen Price, you’ll learn how to use both Python in Excel and Anaconda Toolbox for Excel to craft compelling data visualizations. If you’re a paid subscriber, you can attend this live course for FREE. To register, click here.

New to Python in Excel? Join us for our free upcoming webinar, Introduction to Python in Excel. During this webinar we will cover Python in Excel basics, understanding data types and output modes, a brief introduction to Pandas DataFrames, custom functions, and a simplified Python charting experience using the Anaconda Toolbox for Excel.