Paul Krill
Editor at Large

JetBrains previews data science IDE

news
Sep 8, 20212 mins

DataSpell offers data analysis and machine learning model prototyping.

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Credit: IBM

JetBrains, maker of the IntelliJ Idea IDE and the Kotlin language, has launched a dedicated data science IDE, DataSpell, under an early access program.

Accessible from jetbrains.com, the IDE was announced September 7 and provides a development environment for data science professionals involved in exploratory data analysis and prototyping of machine learning models. Featured is an interface intended to prioritize data while allowing coding. Native support is offered for Jupyter notebooks, with an enhanced experience offered over traditional Jupyter notebooks, according to JetBrains. Users can switch between Command and Editor modes for manipulation of cells and their content. For notebooks, enhancements include:

  • Intelligent coding assistance for Python
  • Out-of-the-box table of contents
  • Folding tracebacks
  • Interactive tables

Cell output supports Markdown and JavaScript. DataSpell lets users work with local Jupyter notebooks as well as remote Jupyter, JupyterHub, and JupyterLab servers. Also, DataSpell supports Python scripts, providing a REPL for running code as well as additional tools for working with data and data visualization, both interactive and static. Python scientific libraries are supported, including Plotly, Bokeh, ipywidgets, and Altair. Basic support is offered for the R language; other languages may be added in the future, such as Julia.

For version control, DataSpell can clone Git projects, commit changes, work with multiple branches, manage change lists, and stage updates prior to commitment. Smart coding assistance is offered when editing SQL code, browsing data, and altering schemas. Plug-ins are available for services such as Vim emulation, Docker, and custom appearance themes.

Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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