
Live online · one 2.5-hour session · finance focused
One live session that brings Python analysis into the Excel you already use: know exactly when Excel is enough, and build the variance, forecast, and multi-series charts it can’t handle on its own.
Date
August 13, 2026
Time
12:00 to 2:30 PM ET
Format
Live plus recorded
Length
2.5 hours
What you’ll get
- A 2.5-hour live training session with a Microsoft MVP
- A starter workbook and the finished workbook you build during the session
- Demo notes and a reference guide of the Python in Excel snippets used
- The full recording, shared afterward
- A certificate of attendance for professional development or internal documentation
Python is built into Excel now. This is how you use it.
You already know Excel. The real question is when Python is worth reaching for, and when a PivotTable is honestly all you need. This session answers that plainly. You start with the kind of analysis you’d normally do with formulas and PivotTables, find the exact point where they run out of road, and then do what comes past that line. No prior coding experience required.
Where plain Excel runs out
- Running the same calculation across every group at once (per cost center, fund, or vendor) instead of one total
- Leading and lagging a series to compare periods, with offset references that break the moment you sort
- Rolling windows like a moving correlation, and resampling monthly data to quarterly
- Seeing many relationships at once, one chart pair at a time
With Python in Excel
- Groupwise analysis in a single operation, not a sea of SUMIFS
- Clean leading and lagging to compare period over period
- Moving correlations and monthly-to-quarterly rollups that Excel has no tidy answer for
- A correlation heatmap or scatter matrix across your variables in one view, then a forecast you can defend
What you’ll cover
You build the whole thing by hand off a scaffolded starter file, so the work is reproducible and you understand every step. Here is how the 2.5 hours run.
Getting set up (15 min)
What Python in Excel is, where the PY() cell lives, and a quick check that everyone is running on the shared dataset. No install required.
The baseline, in plain Excel (15 min)
Build a standard analysis with a PivotTable and formulas, no Python. For a lot of routine reporting this is honestly all you need, and we’ll say so.
Where Excel runs out (20 min)
The specific moments the familiar tools start to creak: the same calculation within every group, leading and lagging a series, rolling windows, resampling, and looking at many relationships at once.
Past the cliff, by hand in Python (65 min)
Working off the starter file, you build it line by line:
- Groupwise analysis: run the same comparison across every cost center or vendor in one operation
- Leading and lagging: shift series cleanly to compare period over period
- Rolling windows and resampling: a moving correlation, and monthly figures rolled up to quarterly
- See many relationships at once: a correlation heatmap or scatter matrix across your variables in one view
Summarize and forecast (20 min)
Pull the analysis into a short plain-language summary, then project the trend forward into a simple forecast you can see the assumptions behind. With the work done by hand, we also cover how AI can speed this up next time, and why doing it yourself first is what lets you trust the automation later.
Make it yours and wrap (10 min)
Point the workbook at your own data, where to go next, and Q&A.
What people are saying
George has a solid core of knowledge on everything Excel and does excellent webinar training sessions.
Scot H., Analytics Principal
George is a tremendous teacher. Makes topics very easy to understand and relatable.
Jorge C., Senior Operations Analyst
I highly recommend these tutorials. Nicely paced and easy to follow. Great for all experience levels.
Miranda G., Senior Purchasing Analyst
George clearly walks through everything, explaining with detail to replicate but without being overwhelming.
Steph R., Data Analyst
Who should attend
Finance and operations professionals already comfortable in Excel who want to know where Python earns its place:
- Financial Analysts
- Accountants and Controllers
- FP&A and Operations Professionals
- Data Analysts
- BI or IT leads in Microsoft 365
A basic comfort with formulas, tables, and PivotTables is ideal. No prior Python experience required.
Your instructor
George Mount, founder of Stringfest Analytics, has over 10 years of data analytics expertise and is the author of Modern Data Analytics in Excel (O’Reilly, 2024). As a Microsoft Excel MVP and LinkedIn Learning instructor, he has trained tens of thousands of professionals to work confidently in data-driven environments. His next book, on Python in Excel, is forthcoming.
Before you register
Software: Excel for Windows or Mac with Python in Excel enabled (desktop version recommended), on the Microsoft 365 Current Channel. You can check availability here. No AI subscription needed. Everything we build runs on its own.
After you register: You’ll get the starter and finished workbooks, demo notes, and a snippet reference guide, plus access to the full recording afterward and a certificate of attendance. Refunds are available up to 7 days before the event.
Register
Reserve your seat
One live session, the workbooks you build, the recording, and a certificate. Learn where Excel runs out and what Python in Excel does past that line. Checkout is right below.