Before we can start work on pandas for doing data analysis, we need to make sure that the software is installed and the environment is in proper working order. This chapter deals with the installation of Python (if necessary), the pandas library, and all necessary dependencies for the Windows, macOS/X, and Linux platforms. The topics we address include, among other things, selecting a version of Python, installing Python, and installing pandas. 

The steps outlined in the following section should work for the most part, but your mileage may vary depending upon the setup. On different operating system versions, the scripts may not always work perfectly, and the third-party software packages already in the system may sometimes conflict with the instructions provided.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

• Selecting a version of Python to use
• Installation of Python and pandas using Anaconda
• Dependency packages for pandas
• Review of items installed with Anaconda
• Cross tooling—combining the pandas awesomeness with R, Julia, H20.ai, and Azure ML Studio command line tricks for pandas
• Options and settings for Pandas