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What is Excel VBA? A practical explanation from office work to business process improvement, cloud computing, Python, and AI eras.
What is VBA?
It seems that programming education became mandatory in elementary schools from the 2020 academic year and in junior high schools from the 2021 academic year.
It appears that "Information I" is now a required subject in the Common University Entrance Examination.
VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications, and it is a programming language primarily used to customize and automate Microsoft Office products (mainly Excel, but also Access, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, etc.).
for example
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You can put standard email content into Excel (which can be changed at any time) and automatically send that content via Outlook at a set time.
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This tool automatically adds large amounts of image data to each individual PowerPoint slide, making presentation creation easier by automatically pasting each image data onto the slide.
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When Excel becomes slow due to a large amount of data, the system will integrate with Access (database software) to transfer only the data from Excel to Access.
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Import Excel data into Word documents (such as invoices and reports) and create them automatically in bulk.
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Obtain postal code and address data from the Japan Post website as CSV data (or via API connection), and create an Excel spreadsheet where entering a postal code automatically fills in the address.
This allows you to do things like that.
VBA was first introduced in Excel in Japan in 1994, and with the release of Windows 95 as an operating system in 1995, it has developed significantly along with the explosive popularity of Windows.
In other words, it's a programming language with a stable history, having existed and developed for over 30 years.
The difference between VBA and macros
Those of you reading this article may already be familiar with the term "macro."
Macros are essentially the same as VBA.
In reality, they are used almost interchangeably in office jobs.
However, strictly speaking, a macro refers to a "function (result)" that automates computer operations, while VBA is a "programming language (means)" for creating macros. In other words, a macro is an "automation program (instructions) written using the VBA language."
My reason for starting to learn VBA
As I mentioned in my self-introduction, I studied for several years in my late 30s to become a USCPA (US Certified Public Accountant) and an EA (Enrolled Agent). I was able to score over 900 on the TOEIC and easily passed the Level 2 Bookkeeping exam.
At that time, even though my children were still young, I became ambitious and decided to take on the challenge of becoming a USCPA (US Certified Public Accountant). It wasn't just about career advancement; I also wanted to be recognized for my work in the financial industry.
I ended up failing to pass any of the four subjects by just a few points, and had to give up. And I thought to myself, "If you give up on something after doing everything you can, it can also open the next door in life." It was a disappointment, but it was a more positive kind of disappointment.
"No way. I've been trying for years and still can't pass. My younger brother passed completely in nine months. I've been bad at math since I was little. Of the subjects I'm studying—English, accounting, and computers—it's time to give up on accounting. Yeah. I'll just do what I want to do." It was a sense of failure that had a slightly positive tone to it.
Around that time, I happened to run into my cousin, who was using VBA at work, and he told me about it. He encouraged me by saying, "K, you can do VBA. After all, you can speak English."
(My cousin is now a DJ. Listening to him makes me feel energetic and a little nostalgic 😊)
👉 DJ FALCON )
And about eight years ago, back in 2018, I started programming with Excel VBA, which I had always thought "seemed kind of interesting."
My chance encounter with a VBA book I bought by chance
Then, by chance, I went into a convenience store on the weekend and briefly browsed a pocket-sized book that was placed next to the magazines (browsing is prohibited in stores now), and I thought, "Maybe I can read this. I'll start with the easiest book that looks like it will be easy to read," and I jumped at the chance to buy it without even comparing it to anything at a bookstore.
I finished reading this book in one go during my commute. At work, I secretly used the msgbox function in VBE (the program editor included with Excel) to make a pop-up of my own choosing appear on the Excel screen. Normally, it would be something like "Hello World," but I think I entered something like "Hello" or "Can I do it?". Anyway, I was really thrilled when I saw the pop-up appear on the Excel screen. Ah, it's so free. And even I can do it.
What I felt were the good things and limitations I felt while learning VBA
Good things
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Back when I was using Excel VBA solely for my own work, I felt like I had a "personal colleague," which made me happy.
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When others started using our product and were happy with the results, I began to feel the joy of improving business processes.
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Even non-engineers can easily achieve results (it's like writing in English rather than mathematics).
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Excellent compatibility with Office products: Once integrated with Office products, it allows for features such as automatic sending from Excel to Outlook and integration with PowerPoint. It also boasts high stability.
The limits I felt
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Web applications can be more complex and unstable to implement than those in other languages.
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Problems with maintenance becoming dependent on specific individuals 👉 Difficult to hand over (Excel legacy problem)
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"VBA is easy for beginners, but its difficulty level increases rapidly from the intermediate level onwards. That's the characteristic it has." "The entry point is easy, but the further you go, the more challenging the path becomes."
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Is VBA still in demand? 👉Absolutely. It's a highly valued skill in administrative roles.
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I'm not sure if you can call it a beginner's learning roadmap, but it's a record of my growth through trial and error, wondering "Should I do it this way? Or that way?". Please do read it.
👉Why I Learned Excel VBA | From Office Work to Business Process Improvement
Compatibility issues of VBA in the cloud/AI era
Microsoft's evolution has been rapidly shifting towards cloud computing and AI for some time now.
Even without using code, the basic functions alone made it increasingly convenient.
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The arrival of Power Query
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The era of Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive
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The arrival of Office Scripts
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Python in Excel allows you to use Python in Excel, not just VBA.
👉The future of Excel automation in the age of Python and AI
summary
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VBA is still very useful within Office products. Once you've integrated it into an Office product, it's quite stable. However, it's also true that being able to use Python greatly increases its extensibility.
In any case, I think we must not forget that the essence lies not in "what can be used," but in "a business improvement mindset."
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VBA, Python, AI.
Tools change with the times.
Even so, my desire to "make someone else's work a little easier" may never change.
For consultations and inquiries, please click here.
👇👇👇
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