While we are exploring so many tools in RPA space to automate mundane work. Here, we already have MS Excel – an underestimated application with hidden features, and did you know? so many of basic tasks can be automated with Excel using its event driven programming language, VBA.

To enlighten you, here are some of the fun stuffs you can automate with Excel


1. Excel Automation using Macros

        Using Macros, pretty much of time-consuming task like report creation, data collection, tasks assignments, daily tracker, pivot tables, chart generation, formula valuation, VLOOKUP’s and much of all excel related can be automated with basic knowledge of VBA and macros


2. Automate Web Scrapping and Web application

        Basic to mid-level complex web automation can be certainly achieved with Excel VBA. With using internet explorer as the browser and HTML’s document object, data from wide range of web application can be scrapped using Excel VBA. Also, event such as button click, checkbox selection, dropdown selection and many more can be fired.

 

3. Automate Desktop application using UIAutomationCore.Dll

        Desktop application based on windows platform, WPF can be automated with Excel VBA by using UIAutomationCore.Dll file. This brings in lot of capabilities in achieving desktop automation in an impeccably appropriate way.

 

4. Automate PowerPoint Deck Creation

Creating PowerPoint on Monday morning is not always one of the fond tasks. However, using Excel VBA, you can automatically create a deck for presentation with the predefined format and with the information available in spreadsheet can fill up the contents to the slides

 

Sounds Interesting right! Many more of such core tasks can be automated with Excel.

 It may be not fair enough to compare Excel with the high-grade RPA tools, however utilizing the potential feature of the product inside the box, heaps of automation can be indeed accomplished under the hood with Excel.