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The genetic testing company 23andMe announced it will cut 40% of its workforce, or 200 jobs, and halt the work on therapies it was developing. As the BBC notes, the company is fighting for survival after hackers gained access to personal information of millions of its users, causing the stock to crater by more than 70%. All seven of its independent directors also resigned in September, following a protracted negotiation with founder and Chief Executive Anne Wojcicki over her plan to take the company private. The BBC reports: On Tuesday, the company warned investors of "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue operating, as it reported that revenue had fallen to $44 million between July and September compared to $50 million in the same period last year. Losses fell to $59 million from $75 million. The job cuts are expected to lead to one-off costs of $12 million, including severance pay, for the plan that will result in savings of $35 million. "We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships," Ms Wojcicki said. The company also said it is considering what to do with the therapies it had in development, including licensing or selling them. 23andMe is a giant of the growing ancestor-tracing industry. It offers genetic testing from DNA, with ancestry breakdown and personalised health insights. Its customers include famous names, from rapper Snoop Dogg to multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The company was valued at roughly $3.5 billion when it listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 2021 and its share price peaked at $17.65. But they have since tumbled and are currently trading at less than $5.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Hi everyone, this is part 12 in a series of posts to show you some of the things that are possible to do with Copilot in Excel. 

Starting with Excel can be challenging, especially when consolidating data from various sources like emails and meetings, or when you're unfamiliar with the required analysis. Remembering seldom used formulas or finding the right tool for a simple task can be frustrating, often leading you to search for tutorials online.

Think of Copilot as your Excel encyclopedia. If you need help or want to learn something new in Excel, just ask Copilot!

Here we have some fictional employee data for a chain of stores. I have 2 tables of employee information: one for region A, and one for region B. Some employees work for stores in multiple regions. Let’s ask how to find the employees that don’t work in both regions.

I didn’t follow Copilot’s answer, so let’s ask Copilot to simplify the concepts for me.

1. I have two datasets and one of them has duplicate rows of the other. How do I find the unique rows in the second dataset?
2. Explain it to me like I'm 5

I can also use Copilot to triage formula issues in my file that I don’t know how to fix, or edit an existing formula to do something different.

1. Can you suggest a fix for the #N/A error in this formula =XLOOKUP([@[Store ID]], Stores[Store ID], Stores[Manager Name]) ?
2. I would prefer it if the formula would show an empty cell instead of "Not Found". Can you help me modify it?

GIF showing how Copilot can create a formula to modify Null cells

I see a formula in the workbook that someone else must have written, and I’m unfamiliar with how it works. Let’s ask Copilot to explain it for me.

1. Explain this formula: =IF([@[Hours Worked per Week]]>AVERAGE([Hours Worked per Week]),"Yes","No")

GIF showing Copilot explaining the IF formula

Copilot is your go-to resource for mastering Excel, simplifying complex tasks, and enhancing your productivity and here to guide you every step of the way.

What's happening with SQL Server Management Studio? Richard chats with Erin Stellato, now at Microsoft, about the big jump coming for SSMS. Erin talks about how folks felt SSMS was a bit neglected when the reality is that there was a push to catch up with its parent codebase in Visual Studio. However, the next version of SSMS makes that jump, which opens the door to some excellent extension models. The conversation dives into the role of the Copilots in SQL Server through SSMS - helping you understand databases, write queries, and diagnose problems - eventually!

Links

• SQL Server Management Studio
• Azure SQL Database
• SQL Server Integration Services
• SQL Server Data Tools
• SQL Formatter

Recorded September 26, 2024

Download audio: https://cdn.simplecast.com/audio/c2165e35-09c6-4ae8-b29e-2d26dad5aece/episodes/6b8f46a5-e644-42a0-a000-8de827504732/audio/4e45853a-3476-4eca-9766-5e3b71f2d110/default_tc.mp3?aid=rss_feed&feed=cRTTfxcT

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