Excel Programming with VBA

Overview of VBA & Macros

What is VBA?

• VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications, the programming language Microsoft Office is built on. Each application on the MS Office suite – Excel, Word, PowerPoint etc. – has its own version of VBA. VBA is used to write macros that automate tasks and accelerate workflow.

What is a Macro?

• A snippet of code that is going to perform or automate a set of tasks for a user.

• In Excel, a macro can be recorded using the macro recorder in the Developer tab, or coded by hand in the Visual Basic Editor. Users create macros to perform a complicated series of tasks that the default Excel program doesn’t support.

When can or should you use VBA?

• If you’re doing something in Excel that’s redundant, slow, and tedious, that requires multiple steps, VBA can automate that process.

• VBA can enhance the capability of Excel; you can write code to expand the basic functionality of Excel beyond the standard defaults.

What are the Differences Between Macros and VBA?

Advanced Excel users may already use macros and wonder if it’s necessary to learn VBA if you can already record macros without coding language. The truth is VBA and macros are very different and learning VBA will improve your macros.

You can record keystrokes and tasks using the Record Macros feature in the Developer tab (Note: this tab is usually not shown by default and will need to be enabled using File>Options>Customize Ribbon and adding the Developer tab to the “Popular Commands” column).

Let’s say you do a weekly report for your company that summarizes new products in various product categories. You have 10 product categories, and each week you spend several hours formatting all of the ten tables in the same way. You can record a macro to automatically apply this formatting to tables, which will save a couple of hours out of your workday.

However, if you learn VBA, you’ll be able to extend automation even further:

• Edit individual records - With custom VBA code, you can edit individual records one-at-a-time. Unfortunately, when you record and implement a macro, changes are applied all at once.
• Update to accommodate changes - Let’s say you need to change how the table is formatted, or you need to add a new column. Instead of re-recording the macro, you can use your knowledge of VBA to edit part of the recorded macro manually.
• Write more efficient code - Using VBA allows you to write more efficient code snippets in the VBA editor, and exert more control over the details since you can manually edit single cells and records at a time with VBA code.

Learn How to Write VBA Code - Automate Tasks in Excel

NYIM’s VBA classes are hands-on and project based. Students work on a large project throughout the course by completing VBA tasks in a sequential pattern. Larger projects are broken down into smaller pieces to facilitate learning and retention.

4 Reasons Developers Should Learn VBA

Excel's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) offers some distinct advantages for users by turning tasks that would take an extended amount of time into operations that can be performed in a few seconds.

Some details reveal just how common a presence VBA has in the workforce:

• Despite its first appearance being 25 years ago, VBA has maintained a stable number of users over the years.
• Microsoft has continued to release current versions of VBA including most recently VBA 7.1 for Office 2016.

The reason for VBA’s continued presence among new and established developers is that there are several advantages offered by VBA that are not available in other programming languages. This article reviews some of the most significant reasons why all developers consider attending a VBA class.

# 1 - Workers Can Reduce the Number of Mistakes They Make

Even workers who have performed a task successfully for many years are still at risk of making errors. Users who become skilled at VBA, however, can teach the program to perform the same task repeatedly in a way that avoids errors and stays accurate.

VBA is used to perform many functions, which include the following:

• VBA can help users more efficiently achieve several data related tasks including cleaning up and formatting data.
• There are several automated tasks across workbooks and worksheets that VBA can perform including creating tables of contents, hiding specific sheets, and a variety of other helpful tasks.
• Pivot tables can be used to summarize and reorganize selected ranges of data, and VBA can help to automate pivot tables.
• Some advanced VBA codes can be used to create, modify, and update files, which can be particularly helpful for data analysis.

# 2 - Workers Increase Their Employability

Many employers view workers trained in VBA as capable of working quickly with few mistakes. As a result, many workers find that they have an easier time getting hired by a larger variety of companies.

Any business that uses Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office is likely to view someone skilled at VBA as an asset. Some of the reasons why developers who know VBA are often able to find security in their positions include the following:

• Despite a decline in popularity in some sectors, VBA is still heavily used by many financial institutions including banks. The finance industry is predicted by most analysts to run on VBA until at the earliest when Microsoft introduces an alternative method.
• Developers who have mastered VBA can ensure that databases run accurately and efficiently.
• Many companies use VBA to integrate various changes into existing applications, which means that developers who are skilled in VBA are often highly valued during acquisitions and mergers between companies.

# 3 - Workers Trained in VBA Save Companies Money

VBA is capable of being coded without any additional software. As a result, VBA often allows companies to save money by creating programs (or, macros) to perform necessary tasks.

Some of the time-saving applications that companies often use VBA for include:

• Analyzing trends in large pieces of data
• Automated chart and report generation
• Automated communication between Excel and other databases
• Creating invoices as well as other business forms
• Developing charts from existing data
• Integrating legacy code into Excel
• Processing data to arrive at budget forecasts
• Retrieving information from websites
• Tracking lists of relevant company information

# 4 - Easy to Learn

While a large number of programming languages are challenging to learn, VBA is simple in comparison and does not require any additional software to be used. Instead, many developers can use Microsoft Excel for VBA coding.

Unlike many other programming languages, VBA does not require users to learn the entire syntax of VBA to use the language. Instead, workers who are new to coding or who are prone to making errors in code are often able to adapt quickly to VBA.

As a result, VBA is often one of the easiest languages for new developers to learn. More experienced developers are also usually able to quickly acquire VBA skills which can lead to an additional selling point on a resume. 

Attend a VBA Class Soon

While VBA can seem complicated at first, learning this language enables workers to realize some benefits that are not available with any other code.

We invite you to review our course listing today to determine which of our VBA or one of the other types of classes is the best fit for you. Each of our classes is taught in a state-of-the-art classroom by a renowned professor.