In the ongoing debate about the future of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) in Excel—especially in light of Paul Barnhurst’s recent post questioning its relevance—we must confront a persistent misunderstanding. Paul listed a string of modern tools in the Excel ecosystem: Python, Office Scripts, Power Query, Lambdas, Dynamic Arrays. These are indeed powerful innovations. But the very question—Is VBA still relevant or will it be discontinued?—betrays a fundamental confusion about what VBA is and why it exists.
Let’s clarify this by first separating hype from function.
What VBA Actually Does
VBA is not a flashy, buzzword-driven trend. It’s the programming language designed to manipulate the objects inside Excel. That is: workbooks, worksheets, ranges, charts, pivot tables, shapes, queries, and even events. These are the components that make Excel what it is—and VBA provides direct, structured, programmable control over them.
Now, none of the technologies Paul listed were designed with that same purpose. Office Scripts is still maturing and limited in scope. Python is fantastic for analysis but can’t directly automate the Excel interface in the same way VBA can (especially on desktop Excel). Power Query is brilliant for data transformation, but it’s not a general-purpose automation tool. Lambdas and Dynamic Arrays solve specific problems—again, not general Excel automation.
So, to ask whether any of these can replace VBA is to compare a satellite navigation system to the engine of a car. Which brings us to the analogy.
Horses, Engines, and Social Media Hype
Imagine someone saying this:
“Everyone’s talking about the climate control, the Bluetooth audio system, the rear-view cameras in the latest BMW. But no one’s talking about the engine. Does that mean the engine will be removed?”
Ridiculous, right?
You don’t have to talk about the engine every day to know it’s essential. Just because the conversation has shifted to flashy features doesn’t mean the fundamental mechanism driving the whole machine is going away.
And yet, that’s what some influencers are implying when they suggest VBA is obsolete simply because it’s not trending. It’s like asking whether we’ll remove the steering wheel because TikTok isn’t filled with people admiring it. Or if dials on a microwave will be scrapped just because no one posts about them.
The Real Issue: Social Media vs Real-World Business Needs
What Paul’s post really reflects is not a technological assessment but a social media observation. In that world, newness trumps usefulness. Visibility beats utility. And complexity masquerades as progress.
But in the real world of business—where workflows need to be automated, where data moves between systems, where user forms, error handlers, scheduled macros, and external database connections are vital—VBA remains the only built-in language that delivers consistent, flexible, enterprise-grade automation.
You don’t see social media posts about this, because it’s not sexy. But try removing it from a budgeting process, a reconciliation engine, or a data integration pipeline—and you’ll see just how irreplaceable VBA still is.
Conclusion
The real question isn’t “Is VBA still relevant?”
The real question is: Why are we mistaking silence for irrelevance?
Excel has always had a powerful engine. VBA is that engine. And the tools being hyped today? They’re the accessories.
Let’s not confuse the two.
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