Visual Basic for Applications
What is Visual Basic for Applications?
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is a powerful development technology for rapidly customising rich-client desktop packaged applications and integrating them with existing data and systems. VBA offers a sophisticated set of programming tools based on the Microsoft Visual Basic development system, the world's most popular rapid application development system, which developers can use to harness the power of packaged applications.

Software programs that include VBA are called customisable applications, applications that can be tailored to fit specific business needs. This class of applications enables developers to quickly build solutions that require less end-user training. For business managers, customisation means that solutions can be developed quickly and deployed easily, with minimal maintenance. In an industry familiar with two-year backlogs for new applications and high end-user training costs, these solutions provide a tremendous business benefit in terms of return on investment and timeliness.

Benefits of VBA based solutions

• Solutions perform faster, due to integration between VBA and host applications.
• Solutions look and work like the applications users already know, so less training is required.
• Solutions can be customised, with respect to print options and form design.
• There is greater participation in the solution design process—users can create the output, reports, and documents that they want automatically generated.

Overall, users will benefit the most from improved solution quality and customised functionality, as the applications using VBA incorporate a richer functionality and integration enabling them to be tailored to meet their needs.