Automating Excel: Demystifying VBA, Office Script, Power Query & Python - Mark Proctor | Ep.069
Apr 9, 2024
auto_awesome
Join Microsoft MVP Mark Proctor as he discusses the resurgence of VBA with AI, Unix philosophy for scalable automation, and the power of Power Query in data transformation. Gain valuable insights to streamline processes in finance and technology.
VBA remains a potent tool for automation in Excel, enabling sophisticated processes and interactions with diverse applications.
Office Scripts emphasize cloud-based collaboration in Excel workbooks, enhancing teamwork and data management efficiency across platforms.
Power Query serves as a versatile ETL tool for data extraction and transformation, streamlining data processing workflows and ensuring clean, structured data for analysis.
Deep dives
Powerful Automation Capabilities of VBA
VBA offers powerful automation capabilities, allowing users to control various applications like Word, PowerPoint, Adobe, and more. It enables tasks such as merging PDFs, splitting files, and automation through mouse and keyboard commands. With VBA, users can create sophisticated automation processes that can interact with a wide range of applications, making it a versatile tool for streamlining tasks.
Transition from VBA to Office Scripts for Cloud-Based Collaboration
Office Scripts, a cloud-based scripting language, focuses on collaborative work within Excel workbooks. Unlike VBA, which operates locally on individual workbooks, Office Scripts integrate with the cloud environment, enabling users to automate tasks across different platforms seamlessly. The collaborative nature of Office Scripts aligns with modern cloud technologies, emphasizing teamwork and efficient data management.
Enhancing Data Management with Power Query
Power Query serves as a robust ETL tool for data extraction, transformation, and loading. It plays a vital role in structuring data efficiently, being present in Excel, Power BI, and Power Automate. With Power Query, users can easily prepare and manage data sources, ensuring clean, structured data for further analysis and insights. Its versatility makes it a cornerstone tool for data professionals and analysts to streamline data processing workflows.
Benefits of Using Power Query for Data Processing
Power Query simplifies data processing in Excel by reshaping input data, performing calculations, and optimizing layouts. By achieving an ideal data structure with Power Query, users can avoid the complexity of writing intricate formulas. A study revealed that Power Query users saved between 22-89 working days per year by streamlining data preparation, amounting to approximately 30% of saved working time. This tool automates tasks like data reformatting, eliminating manual and error-prone processes, and enhancing efficiency.
Implementing the Unix Philosophy for Scalable Automation
The Unix Philosophy advocates designing programs to perform singular tasks effectively, work in harmony, and process text streams interchangeably. Applying this concept to automation involves breaking down tasks into modular components that can be combined dynamically. By structuring tasks like building blocks and leveraging a simplified core process like refresh, resize, and recount cycles, automation becomes more scalable and flexible. Power Automate and similar tools align with this philosophy, creating synergistic and scalable automated processes across various applications and systems.
Join Microsoft MVP Mark Proctor and Adam Shitlon as they delve into powerful tools like VBA and Power Query, and how they can revolutionize your workflow, automating tedious tasks and streamlining processes.
In this insightful episode, Mark addresses the common misconception that VBA is a dated language and explores its potential resurgence with the advent of AI. He also introduces the Unix philosophy, a framework for building scalable and maintainable automations. Additionally, they dive into the capabilities of Power Query, a powerful tool for data transformation and management. Tune in to gain valuable insights and stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of finance and technology.
- (00:00:00) - Mark discusses VBA's staying power within Excel - (00:06:10) - Exploring the potential of AI to revive VBA - (00:11:00) - Importance of data structure for effective automation - (00:19:10) - Power Query: A game-changer for data transformation - (00:26:50) - VBA vs. Office Scripts: Contrasting use cases - (00:34:40) - Addressing concerns about VBA's perceived obsolescence - (00:42:30) - Leveraging Power Query for data management - (00:50:50) - The Unix philosophy: A framework for scalable automations - (01:00:20) - Embracing a modular approach to automation - (01:07:50) - Capturing ideas and staying productive on the go
And for more goodies, head over to www.techforfinance.com
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
