How to Resolve Modin pandas Excel Import Errors: Engine Setup and File Naming Tips

Problem Statement

A user attempted to import Modin pandas and read an Excel file with the code:

import modin.pandas as pd
df = pd.read_excel('D:\\input\\数据.xlsx', sheet_name='原始数据').convert_dtypes()
df

The execution failed with the message “Please refer to installation documentation page to install an engine” and later with “ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'modin.pandas'; 'modin' is not a package”.

Root Causes

Modin requires an execution engine (Ray or Dask) to be installed.

The user’s project contained a file named modin.py, which shadowed the Modin package.

Solution Steps

Install an appropriate engine, e.g., pip install ray or pip install dask.

Ensure the project does not have a file named modin.py; rename it to avoid naming conflicts.

After renaming the conflicting file and installing the engine, the code runs without errors, allowing the Excel data to be loaded efficiently.

Conclusion

The article demonstrates how to diagnose Modin installation issues, highlights the importance of installing a compatible engine, and reminds developers to avoid naming their own modules after third‑party libraries.