Tag: #ExcelAgentMode

From Cells to Chat – Excel Agent vs. M365 Analyst Agent (Same Boston Crime Stats, Two Very Different Conversations)

Last week I explored the Boston Crime Statistics dataset (~260,000 rows) using Excel Agent Mode, which lives within Excel. This week I revisited the same dataset with the same question using Microsoft’s M365 Analyst Agent – it is a completely different experience.

Both tools analyze data and generate insights, but they differ in how you interact with them and how they talk, and show their work. One keeps you grounded in the familiar grid of Excel; the other lifts you into a conversational workspace (real Conversational Data Analytics) that feels more like working with a colleague than a formula bar.

Boston Crime Stats Revisited – Excel Labs Agent Mode Does The Job.

Earlier this year I compared Google Colab and Excel Copilot for analyzing Boston Crime Statistics (Google Colab vs Excel Copilot). This time I tried the same data set with Excel Labs Agent Mode and it was a completely different experience in Excel.

With the same dataset – 260,000 records of Boston crime incidents – and the difference is night and day. Where Copilot stumbled and failed, while Agent Mode delivered a complete analysis with explanations and recommendations, all while staying comfortably within Excel.