Data Processing with Python

Data Processing is a ubiquitous task: extracting, transforming and loading data to and from spreadsheets, XML files, flat files (payroll companies still use them!), and of course relational databases. And there are specialist tools to help in the ETL space.

But I say just use Python. We are a firm of actuaries in Austin, and have lots of experience using Python for all these tasks. If it is interesting I can put together a presentation on design approaches, Python considerations, performance tips, useful modules and so on. I could arrange it around a discussion of using Python in our, reasonably advanced, finance applications if that would be interesting.

This is such a common topic and problem that there is of course no right answer. And almost everyone will have some experience of it, even if they are using Python for writing games or solving differential equations. I hope the presentation could be helpful to most people, and the discussion useful to everyone.

Let me know if this would be interesting.

Kind regards

Phil Ellis