Dave on Data

The Dave on Data mission is to empower any professional (or team) with the DIY data science skills needed to unleash the power of AI technologies like Copilot in Excel.

What gets left out of the AI Hype Cycle is this:

AI will make you (or your team) wildly more productive.

**BUT**

You must have the requisite skills to make the most of AI.

**AND**

If these skills are lacking, you will not be able to recognize (and correct) the AI when it makes mistakes.

BTW - AI makes mistakes all the time.

Take Microsoft's Copilot in Excel AI as an example.

The "magical" scenarios where Copilot analyzes data using a few clicks and a couple of short prompts rely heavily on two things:

Python
Machine learning

Here's the thing, however. 

I've tested Copilot in Excel, which rarely generates the correct Python/machine learning code.

As the DIY data scientist, this is where you unleash Copilot's power.

I can teach you these DIY data science skills.

Regardless of role. Regardless of background.

Founder

TDWI

I develop and deliver live training experiences on data science topics such as data analysis and predictive analytics (e.g., machine learning). I focus on accelerating the data science journey for teams and organizations using a practical hands-on approach.

Training can be delivered virtually or in person with your team. The following offerings are certified by TDWI and can be taught using R or Python:

👉 Machine Learning Bootcamp
👉 Visual Data Analysis
👉 Linear/Logistic Regresion

💻 Learn more: https://daveondata.com/live-analytics-training

Data Science Consultant & Instructor

Schedulicity

VP of Analytics

Data Science Dojo

VP of Data Science

Microsoft

Sr. Director, BI and Analytics

Principal Program Manager

Sr. Director, Platform Architecture

Principal Architect

Ascentium Corp

Associate Partner, Solution Architect

Safeco Insurance

IT Architect

e-software, Inc.

Software Design Engineer

Programmer Analyst

I help ANY professional or team have more impact using data. Analytics demystified.

Want to differentiate yourself at work with Excel skills? Leaders aren't excited about this in 2025:

- Using PivotTables
- Knowing many Excel functions

You know what they're excited about: AI

And that means Copilot in Excel.

Here are the 4 steps to build the skills you need to master Copilot in Excel and impress your manager, business stakeholders, and executives:

1) Ignore "prompt engineering."
2) Learn Python.
3) Learn DIY data science.
4) Recognize hallucinations.

I want to help you own the future of Microsoft Excel.

I will help you get started today - for free.

Join 1,000s of professionals building skills for the future: 
https://daveondata.com/newsletter

David Langer

As an author, there's nothing quite like waking up to some good news from Amazon!

Back in May of 2023, I saw an early version of Python in Excel for the first time. I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of the most significant upgrade in Excel's analytics capabilities ever. 

And it didn't stop there.

When I first got access to Copilot in Excel's "advanced analysis" mode, I quickly saw Microsoft's vision for Excel's future. For professionals building Python analytics skills, the future of Excel lies in deep integration with Copilot AI to unleash the power of their data.

My book is the first step in building the skills for Excel's AI-powered future. It uses your existing knowledge of Excel to help you learn the Python foundation you need - fast.

If you're ready to make 2026 the year you embrace the power of Excel, AI, and data, you can pre-order my book here: https://lnkd.in/eQp4g5_d

#Excel #PythonInExcel #MicrosoftExcel

I help professionals and teams build better forecasts using machine learning with Python and Python in Excel.

Interesting behavior from Copilot in Excel. Just another example of how Python in Excel skills are part of Excel's AI-powered future.

I was working on the next issue of my LinkedIn newsletter, which will cover using AI to build better forecasts in Microsoft Excel, and asked Copilot to create a forecast for me.

I was surprised to see that Copilot didn't use Excel's FORECAST.ETS() function because that's the best way to build data-driven forecasts using native Excel features.

Instead, Copilot in Excel generated Python code in the background to build an ETS model similar to what would be produced from FORECAST.ETS() using Python's mighty statsmodels library.

BTW - I covered statsmodels in my last two LinkedIn newsletter articles.

I'm betting that the new Copilot in Excel Agent Mode will be able to manipulate worksheets (e.g., generating formulas) directly and will be able to generate forecasts using FORECAST.ETS().

However, I'm also betting the Agent Mode will eventually be smart enough to recognize when a better forecasting technique is available from Python and use that instead.

Which means that the AI-powered future of Microsoft Excel will belong to those professionals who develop Python skills.

Stay healthy and happy data sleuthing!

#Excel #PythonInExcel #MicrosoftExcel

Tobias Zwingmann

RAPYD.AI

Independent AI consulting to create profitable AI solutions to innovate and grow your business. Fast.

Managing Partner

O'Reilly Media

Author and Instructor

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Learning Instructor

D2A2

Chief of Research - Applied AI

Springboard

- Helping Springboard as a subject matter expert in AI, especially for data analytics
- Mentoring students who want to switch careers to data science / data analytics 
- Top Mentor Award in 2021 (Springboard Inspire)

AI SME & Data Science Mentor

Insurgence

Partner

Toptal

Independent Consultant

ML/AI Instructor

Deutsche Messe AG

Systematic retrieval, analysis and utilization of (unstructured) data from diverse sources to build new products and processes.

- People movement analytics 
- Computer vision with focus on text retrieval

Senior Data Scientist

Building & maintaining predictive models. Generating and communicating insights about customer trends and behavior to product owners and senior management.

- Churn Prediction
- Next Best Offer Recommendations 
- Customer Segmentation
- Visual Analytics

Data Scientist

Leading various international trade show projects in e.g. China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Myanmar, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey.

Project Director

Deutsche Messe Dubai Branch

Management Trainee

Author of AI-Powered BI (O'REILLY) | AI Coach & Mentor | I help organizations leverage AI and use data more intelligently to improve business performance. Sharing AI use cases & learnings.

I didn’t start my AI/ML journey doing “Profitable AI”.

I started it as a Data Scientist who built models that looked impressive on paper:

– Customer churn prediction with 95% accuracy ✅
– Next-best-offer systems with 15% uplift ✅
– Data-driven B2B products generating 6-figure revenues from day one ✅

But the hard lesson I’ve learned after 10+ years at the intersection of business and technology is that none of this matters if you can’t show results on the bottom line.

I’ve spent the last 5+ years in applied AI consulting where my work has taken me inside global enterprises in automotive and insurance, mid-sized companies with 500–1,000 employees, solopreneurs aiming to double their output, and small business owners uncovering $10k+ monthly savings in unexpected places. 

The contexts differ, but the patterns of what makes AI succeed (and fail) remain remarkably consistent.

Success is not about:
- Chasing the next shiny AI tool
- Hiring data scientists from Silicon Valley
- Hoping IT will figure it out

It’s about applying the principles of Profitable AI to deliver outcomes that matter: doing things faster, at lower cost, with higher quality — or scaling what you do to entirely new levels.

Along the way, I’ve shared many of these lessons in my books AI-Powered Business Intelligence (O’Reilly, 2022) and Augmented Analytics (O’Reilly, 2024), as well as in my weekly newsletter that is now read by 10,000+ professionals at companies like Google, Amazon, Gucci, H&M, Santander, and Mercedes-Benz.

So If you’re tired of the shiny AI demos and want to see it deliver real results instead — I think you found a good place.

We help you build amazing AI products faster.

Gemini 3 is making a lot of noise. And it's a really great model. "Is it better than GPT-5?!" My take: Use whatever works for you. Both are LLMs, both have their quirks. But if you want to know where each shines, here's what I found:

Gemini 3 = Messy Inputs → Clean Outputs
Throw it chaos: screenshots, transcripts, logs, mixed documents. It's great at compressing that mess into structure. Best when you're very specific about the output format you want. Seems like if you need to organize messy information, call Google.

Examples:
- Summarizing multiple meeting recordings into structured notes
- Extracting data from a messy pile of PDFs, screenshots, and spreadsheets

GPT-5.1 = Clean Inputs → Complex Thinking
Give it organized information and let it reason. It's great at planning, narrative, and multi-step decisions. Best when the task itself is complex, not the input.

Examples:
- Writing code (though Claude still beats it here)
- Building a strategy doc from a clean brief

Scenarios to combine both:

1/ Competitive analysis
Gemini 3 gathers data from competitor sites, pricing, and reviews; GPT 5.1 delivers the strategy

2/ Client onboarding
Gemini 3 cleans and organizes intake docs; GPT 5.1 produces the project plan

3/ Sales pipeline review
Gemini 3 compiles CRM data, calls, and emails; GPT 5.1 spots trends and recommends actions.

Don't try to find "the" best. 
Find whatever works best for you.

Fun fact: The infographic was done by me with Gemini-3 image gen ("Nano Banana"), first shot, Prompt in comments.

AI Advisor | O’Reilly Author | Instructor @ LinkedIn Learning | I find & realize profitable AI opportunities – here to share wins, fails, examples & frameworks.

ChatGPT launched today 3 years ago. ONLY three years I should say. Feels like a decade compressed. To catch you up on what’s happened, I generated this little timeline with the help of ChatGPT Deep Research, had Gemini 3 double-check it, and Claude 4.5 generated the PDF.

Tasks like this would have taken a whole day in the "old" world.
Now done in less than 60 minutes with AI.

We're still far away from AGI.
But I don't care.
We're living in the most exciting timeline.
And I can’t wait to see what this timeline looks like 3 years from now.

3 Years Since ChatGPT

A while ago, I shared the AI Profit Stack – a simple framework to assess whether your AI projects are actually creating profit. People loved it, clients used it. Then someone asked me:

“How do I apply this to my Copilot licenses?”

Short answer:
You don’t.

Long answer:
Trying to measure all AI with the same ROI formula is exactly how you end up with fictional numbers, cynical finance teams, and AI steering committees that debate themselves into extinction.

Today I've shared the fix I'm using now in every client engagement – and the one I want you to have too.

Find it here here:

Open article: The Two Tracks of AI ROI by blog.tobiaszwingmann.com

How to separate 'AI that helps' from 'AI that pays'

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