AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude AI, CoPilot, Grok, DeepSeek, and Copilot can analyze data quicker than Excel — and honestly, I couldn’t agree more. There are also more robust data tools and languages out there: Python, R, Power BI, Tableau. So, with all these options, is Excel still worth learning or using?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Let’s unpack that.
There are countless situations where we need to track and manage data — employee salaries, sales records, church offerings, association dues, the list goes on. Would you really want to pay for or build separate software for each of these?
Probably not. And the good news? You don’t need to.
Chances are, Excel is already installed on your computer. It’s available, familiar, and powerful enough to handle most day-to-day business needs.
There’s hardly any business that doesn’t use Excel in one way or another. In fact, in 2019, about 54% of businesses reported using Excel, not counting other spreadsheet tools like Google Sheets. It’s no wonder that employers still list Excel proficiency as a required skill.
Of course there are. Python, R, Power BI, Tableau — they’re great. But let’s be practical.
If you want to use Python for your small business reports, are you ready to write code or build a full application? If not, you’ll likely have to hire a developer. And for most business tasks, that’s just overkill.
Sure, Excel may not be your best bet for building enterprise-level systems — and that’s fair. But how many of those are you building every week?
I see many business professionals jumping straight to Power BI for dashboards. But what they don’t realize is this: Excel can build fully dynamic, interactive dashboards.
Yes, Power BI and Tableau come with slick visuals and more advanced options, but Excel handles a huge chunk of business cases just fine.
Personally, I’ve built advanced sales analytics dashboards in Excel using Power Query, DAX, and the Data Model engine. A friend once asked me about learning Power BI to visualize sales data he already tracked in Excel. I showed him how to build an interactive dashboard in Excel — no need to learn a new tool.
And in case you missed it, Excel is no longer limited by that old 1-million-row restriction — Power Query handles way more data efficiently. With Power Pivot, DAX, and newer functions like LAMBDA, LET, MAP, Excel just keeps getting better. And yes — Python is now integrated into Excel.
In the age of “data is the new gold,” many people want to break into data analytics by learning Python or R. That’s fine. But Excel offers a simpler learning curve and serves as a strong foundation.
From my own experience: when I started learning Python for data analysis two years ago, it clicked much faster because of my Excel background. Concepts like filtering, aggregating, reshaping were already familiar. I just had to learn how the syntax worked in Python.
I still use Python for some projects, but in many cases, Excel does the magic.
Yes, I’ve tried using GenAI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot to analyze data — and about half the time, it’s a mess. I often end up on YouTube or Stack Overflow looking for fixes.
Even students we teach at Verken share the same struggle: they try ChatGPT… brrrrr🤣. Confused. Then they find clarity on YouTube or during our classes.
So while AI is helpful, it’s not a silver bullet. Understanding Excel gives you context, control, and confidence.
Do I recommend Excel in 2025? Absolutely.
It has a gentle learning curve, but to unlock its full power, you need to invest time in learning. YouTube is great, but a structured, hands-on course makes all the difference.
That’s where we come in. At Verken, our Excel for Professionals course is designed to give you practical skills you can apply immediately even if you are beginner.
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