Software tutorial/Loading data in MATLAB or Python

A number of people asked me how to load data into MATLAB and Python after our class on the poor ability of spreadsheets to do serious engineering calculations.

Here are some functions that you can use in either language.

XML files are rapidly becoming a fairly standard import and export format for data, because it describes both the data and the nature of the data in the file.

File format	MATLAB	Python
Excel files	xlsread(...) and xlswrite(...) Can read both the text and values in an Excel file. Cell containing formulas are imported as the result of the formula value.	Excel files
xmlread and xmlwrite(...).	XML Python