10 Python Functions Every Business Professional Should Know

From data analysis to automation, these tools will help you get the job done

Python is a powerful and popular programming language, with a wide range of applications in business and other fields. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most useful Python functions for business applications, along with examples of how to use them.

1. sum() – This function allows you to add up all the elements in an iterable (such as a list or tuple). It can be useful for calculating totals or sums of data. For example:

prices = [10, 20, 30, 40]
total_price = sum(prices)
print(total_price)  # Output: 100

2. max() and min() – These functions allow you to find the largest and smallest elements in an iterable, respectively. They can be useful for finding the highest or lowest values in a dataset. For example:

prices = [10, 20, 30, 40]
highest_price = max(prices)
lowest_price = min(prices)
print(highest_price)  # Output: 40
print(lowest_price)  # Output: 10

3. sorted() – This function returns a sorted list of elements from an iterable. It can be useful for organizing data in ascending or descending order. For example:

names = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Eve', 'Charlie']
sorted_names = sorted(names)
print(sorted_names)  # Output: ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie', 'Eve']

prices = [10, 20, 30, 40]
sorted_prices = sorted(prices, reverse=True)
print(sorted_prices)  # Output: [40, 30, 20, 10]

4. len() – This function returns the length of an iterable (such as a list or string). It can be useful for counting the number of elements in a dataset. For example:

names = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Eve', 'Charlie']
num_names = len(names)
print(num_names)  # Output: 4

5. round() – This function rounds a number to a specified number of decimal places. It can be useful for rounding numbers to a certain level of precision. For example:

price = 10.56789
rounded_price = round(price, 2)
print(rounded_price)  # Output: 10.57

6. format() – This function allows you to format a string by inserting values at specified places within the string. It can be useful for creating formatted output. For example:

name = 'Alice'
age = 35
formatted_string = '{} is {} years old.'.format(name, age)
print(formatted_string)  # Output: 'Alice is 35 years old.'

7. join() – This function allows you to join a list of strings into a single string, with a specified separator between each element. It can be useful for creating a single string from a list of data. For example:

names = ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Eve', 'Charlie']
separator = ', '
joined_names = separator.join(names)
print(joined_names)  # Output: 'Alice, Bob, Eve, Charlie'

8. map() – This function applies a specified function to each element in an iterable and returns a new iterable with the modified elements. It can be useful for applying a function to each element in a list or tuple. For example:

def double(x):
  return x * 2

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
doubled_numbers = list(map(double, numbers))
print(doubled_numbers)  # Output: [2, 4, 6, 8]

9. filter() – This function filters an iterable based on a specified function, returning a new iterable with only the elements that return True when passed to the function. It can be useful for selecting certain elements from a list or tuple based on a certain criterion. For example:

def is_even(x):
  return x % 2 == 0

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
even_numbers = list(filter(is_even, numbers))
print(even_numbers)  # Output: [2, 4]

10. reduce() – This function applies a specified function to the elements of an iterable in a cumulative way, returning a single value. It can be useful for performing a computation on a list of data and reducing it to a single value. For example:

from functools import reduce

def add(x, y):
  return x + y

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4]
sum_of_numbers = reduce(add, numbers)
print(sum_of_numbers)  # Output: 10

These are just a few examples of the many useful functions that Python has to offer for business applications. Whether you’re working with data analysis, automating tasks, or building web applications, Python has the tools you need to get the job done.