Microsoft 365 Copilot: Analyze Data Fast

Key insights

• The video demonstrates how Microsoft 365 Copilot speeds up data analysis in familiar apps like Excel.
  It shows step‑by‑step examples that let users get insights in minutes instead of hours.
• Use plain English prompts to ask questions, generate summaries, and build charts with Copilot’s natural language capabilities.
  The tutorial highlights how Copilot turns requests into formulas and visuals without manual steps.
• Learn how Copilot helps create and refine formulas, and how it can explain formulas directly on the spreadsheet.
  The video previews the new =COPILOT() function for inline assistance and faster calculations.
• The guide covers advanced tools like Copilot Analyst for finding drivers and relationships, and Copilot Notebooks for interactive exploration and notes.
  These features support deeper analysis and collaborative workflows.
• Copilot integrates with services such as Power Automate and uses Microsoft Graph context to personalize results while respecting permissions.
  This lets you automate routine tasks and get results that reflect your organization’s data.
• The video also explains governance and platform reach: built‑in data loss prevention, admin analytics via the Copilot Dashboard, and apps for macOS and mobile.
  These controls help teams adopt Copilot securely and measure usage.

Video at a glance

Scott Brant’s YouTube tutorial demonstrates how Microsoft 365 Copilot speeds up data analysis inside familiar apps like Excel and Power BI. The video walks viewers through practical examples using a fictional dataset and highlights new features such as the =COPILOT() function and the combined experiences of Copilot Chat and Copilot Analyst. Overall, it presents a hands-on view of how conversational prompts can replace complex manual steps. Consequently, the clip aims to help business users get meaningful results in minutes rather than hours.

Moreover, Scott frames his walkthrough around common problems: stuck formulas, unclear trends, and the need for recommendations to boost performance. He demonstrates how the tools generate summaries, suggest formulas, and surface drivers behind metrics. Therefore, the video acts as both a how-to and a showcase of practical tradeoffs when using AI to analyze real business data. In doing so, it emphasizes speed, accessibility, and the need for governance.

Practical demonstrations and features

Brant begins with live examples in Excel, showing how natural language prompts create summaries and visualizations without building complex formulas. He then uses Copilot to propose and refine formulas, explaining those formulas on the grid so users can learn why results appear as they do. Next, he previews the new =COPILOT() worksheet function and explains how it ties conversational AI directly into cells and workflows. Together these demos show how different Copilot modes complement each other depending on the task at hand.

In addition, the video compares the lightweight, in-sheet support with deeper analysis through Copilot Chat powered by GPT-5 and the specialized Copilot Analyst experience. Brant walks through prompts that move from high-level summaries to driver analysis and suggested actions. He also highlights Copilot Notebooks in OneNote as a space for exploratory work that combines notes and computed insights. As a result, viewers can see how to chain tools to get faster, more actionable outcomes.

Integration and workflow implications

Scott emphasizes how Copilot taps into the Microsoft ecosystem, including data surfaced via Microsoft Graph and automation through Power Automate. This integration helps Copilot produce context-aware answers tied to an organization’s secure documents and emails, which improves relevance. However, he also stresses that this tight integration makes governance and permissions more important than ever to keep analysis compliant. Thus, administrators must balance user empowerment with clear controls and monitoring.

Furthermore, the video notes platform reach across devices, enabling analysis on desktops and mobile platforms, which supports distributed teams. This accessibility can boost productivity since employees do not need deep Excel expertise to get insights. Nevertheless, Brant points out that the convenience of instant answers can encourage surface-level analysis if teams do not validate findings. Therefore, organizations should pair Copilot use with basic review steps to maintain quality.

Tradeoffs and challenges

Brant candidly addresses tradeoffs between speed, accuracy, and control. On one hand, Copilot reduces the time to generate reports and formulas, making advanced techniques accessible to non-experts. On the other hand, reliance on generative AI raises risks such as hallucinated results, incorrect formula logic, or suggestions that miss business nuance. Consequently, users must verify outputs and retain domain oversight rather than treating Copilot as the final authority.

He also explores governance challenges, such as protecting sensitive data while allowing AI to access the context it needs to be helpful. Improved control systems and analytics can help, but they demand planning, training, and policy updates. Additionally, Copilot’s strengths in exploratory analysis do not yet replace rigorous statistical modeling for complex scenarios, so teams should weigh automation against deeper technical review. In practice, that balance requires smart tool use, testing, and human judgment.

Conclusion: practical next steps

Scott Brant’s video offers a clear, practical path for teams ready to add AI to their data workflows. He shows how to use conversational prompts to accelerate routine tasks and how to combine in-sheet functions with chat-driven reasoning for richer analysis. Importantly, he stresses verification, governance, and training as necessary complements to speed and convenience. Therefore, viewers leave with actionable techniques plus a realistic view of where human oversight remains essential.

In short, the tutorial presents Microsoft 365 Copilot as a powerful accelerator for everyday analysis while also highlighting the tradeoffs that come with automation. As organizations adopt these tools, they must build controls and review practices to keep insights accurate and compliant. Ultimately, Scott’s walkthrough helps teams decide when to let Copilot lead and when to bring in expert review to ensure trustworthy outcomes.

Keywords

Microsoft 365 Copilot tutorial, Copilot data analysis, Microsoft Copilot Excel, How to use Copilot for data analysis, Quick data analysis with Copilot, AI data analysis Microsoft Copilot, Copilot analytics tutorial, Copilot tips for data analysis