Creating and Appending Data to New Excel Workbook with Pandas: A Comparison of xlsxwriter and openpyxl.

Creating and Appending Data to New Excel Workbook with Pandas

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In this article, we will explore how to create a new Excel workbook using pandas and append data to it. We will also discuss the importance of using the to_excel() function instead of creating a new sheet with another module.

Introduction


As a web scraper, you often find yourself dealing with large amounts of data that need to be processed and analyzed. One common requirement is to store this data in an Excel file for further analysis or visualization. In this article, we will discuss how to create a new Excel workbook using pandas and append data to it.

Choosing the Right Library


When it comes to working with Excel files in Python, there are several libraries available. The two most popular ones are openpyxl and xlsxwriter. While both libraries can be used to create and edit Excel files, they have different strengths and weaknesses.

openpyxl

openpyxl is a library that allows you to read and write Excel files (.xlsx) in Python. It provides a lot of flexibility and control over the file structure, but it can be slower and more memory-intensive than other libraries.

xlsxwriter

xlsxwriter is a library that provides a faster and more efficient way to create Excel files. It is specifically designed for writing data to Excel files and provides a simple and intuitive API.

In this article, we will focus on using xlsxwriter instead of openpyxl, as it is generally faster and more efficient.

Creating a New Excel Workbook with Pandas


To create a new Excel workbook using pandas, you can use the to_excel() function. This function takes several parameters, including the file path, sheet name, and header row.

weather_df.to_excel("path_to_excel_file.xlsx", sheet_name = "sheet name here")

This will create a new Excel workbook with a single sheet containing the data from weather_df.

Adding a Timestamp to Each Sheet


To add a timestamp to each sheet, you can use the datetime module to get the current date and time.

import datetime

now = datetime.datetime.now()
j = now.strftime("%m-%d, %H.%M.%S")

weather_df.to_excel("path_to_excel_file.xlsx", sheet_name = str(j))

This will create a new Excel workbook with a timestamp in each sheet.

Using xlsxwriter Instead of Pandas


While pandas provides an easy way to write data to Excel files, using xlsxwriter can be more efficient and flexible.

import xlsxwriter

workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook("path_to_excel_file.xlsx")

worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet()

# Write data to worksheet
for row in weather_df.values:
    worksheet.write(row)

workbook.close()

This will create a new Excel workbook with a single sheet containing the data from weather_df.

Overcoming Issues with Openpyxl


If you are using openpyxl instead of xlsxwriter, you may encounter issues with writing data to Excel files.

One common issue is that openpyxl requires you to create a worksheet object and write data to it, whereas xlsxwriter provides a simpler API.

To overcome this issue, you can use the to_excel() function with openpyxl instead of creating a new sheet manually.

weather_df.to_excel("path_to_excel_file.xlsx", engine = 'openpyxl')

This will create a new Excel workbook with a single sheet containing the data from weather_df.

Conclusion


In conclusion, creating and appending data to new Excel workbooks using pandas can be achieved through various methods. While pandas provides an easy way to write data to Excel files, using xlsxwriter can be more efficient and flexible.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to create a new Excel workbook with a timestamp in each sheet or use xlsxwriter instead of pandas.

References



Last modified on 2024-06-24