Visual Basic for Applications vs PowerShell

Developers should learn VBA when working extensively with Microsoft Office applications, particularly for automating complex workflows, generating reports, or building custom tools in Excel, Word, or Access meets developers should learn powershell for automating windows system administration, cloud management (especially with azure), and devops tasks, as it provides deep integration with microsoft technologies and cloud services. Here's our take.

Visual Basic for Applications

Nice Pick

Developers should learn VBA when working extensively with Microsoft Office applications, particularly for automating complex workflows, generating reports, or building custom tools in Excel, Word, or Access

Pros

• It is especially useful in business environments for data analysis, document processing, and enhancing productivity by reducing manual effort through macros
• Related to: excel-macros, microsoft-office

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

PowerShell

Developers should learn PowerShell for automating Windows system administration, cloud management (especially with Azure), and DevOps tasks, as it provides deep integration with Microsoft technologies and cloud services

Pros

• It is essential for scripting repetitive operations, managing infrastructure as code, and interacting with REST APIs or cloud resources programmatically, offering a more robust alternative to batch scripting or command-line tools
• Related to: windows-administration, azure

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Visual Basic for Applications is a language while PowerShell is a tool. We picked Visual Basic for Applications based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Visual Basic for Applications wins

Based on overall popularity. Visual Basic for Applications is more widely used, but PowerShell excels in its own space.