# Advanced analysis

> A Copilot in Excel mode that writes and runs Python against your workbook data in a new sheet, so you can see and check the method behind the answer.

**Category:** Copilot

**Advanced analysis shows its working.** Select Copilot on the Home tab, pick the Advanced analysis card or ask something like "Analyse this data using Python", then select Start advanced analysis. Excel opens a new sheet where it writes and runs the Python your question needs, **visible in the sheet** rather than hidden, and you can ask follow-ups about the method as well as the result.

That is a different trust model from a chat answer that asks you to take its word for it. It only works on data in the workbook you opened. It currently runs on Windows only, needs Current Channel 2409 or Monthly Enterprise Channel 2410 or later, and requires Python in Excel on your account. Select Stop advanced analysis to return Copilot to its regular mode.

## At work

A spreadsheet with three months of expenses arrives with the request to find anything unusual. Advanced analysis flags the categories with odd month-over-month swings in visible Python, with a chart, so the working can be forwarded along with the conclusion.

## Often confused with

Analyst. [Analyst](/glossary#analyst) is Copilot's prebuilt agent for data questions that span several spreadsheets or sources; advanced analysis is the version that lives inside the one workbook already open in front of you.

## Related terms

- Analyst
- Microsoft 365 Copilot
- Hallucination

## See it in a lesson

[Copilot in your everyday apps, deeper](/en/learn/copilot/advanced/everyday-apps-deeper)

## Further reading

- [Copilot in Excel with Python (Microsoft Support)](https://support.microsoft.com/office/copilot-in-excel-with-python-364e4ae9-9343-4d56-952a-5f62b0f70db6): How advanced analysis runs Python in Excel, with requirements and limits.
- [Introduction to Python in Excel (Microsoft Support)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/introduction-to-python-in-excel-55643c2e-ff56-4168-b1ce-9428c8308545): What Python in Excel is and where its calculations run.

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Last updated: 14/10/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary