Should you Learn VBA or Power Query?

Should you Learn VBA or Power Query? Data Analytics and Business Analytics is quiet making some attention lately. It's a not new subject or system. Instead a very interesting approach and drives demands in the industry.

But the core of this two sciences (if I'm attributing them correctly) is of course Data and the Efficiency in managing the models. Speaking of efficiency is of course Automation ( to some degree if not totally ).

VBA

Visual Basic for Application is a legacy platform and it's been in existence, like ever since. It's a staple, comfort tools to some office productivity tools developers out there. Many applications have been build around it. It offered some relief to some office suite automation requirements. Very effective, but some find it hard for it needs programming skills to be able to build. Though there's Macro Recording, in Microsoft Excel, it really comes in handy.

Yet, just like any other technology new comes along, offers alternative and no coding involved.

Power Query

"Data prep done smart, fast, easy. Power Query is the easiest way to connect, extract, transform and load data from a wide range of sources" ---https://powerquery.microsoft.com/en-us/

ETL - Extract, Transform and Load are three basic steps for data usage and application. Most of the time in repetition and with repetition needs automation. In power query this is a guided steps and no coding involved. Every steps recorded instantaneously with less worry of maintaining a code base. We can say, like a Macro Recorder in a way that you can rearrange your steps without going into the actual codes. Convenient it is.

What's the verdict?

Data manipulation, cleansing or modelling. Power Query can be a very potent tool specially if we're dealing with large sets. It can also, deal a multitude of data sources. Local or online data streams. 

Automation and Repetition, both VBA and Power Query can efficiently offer. But, VBA can give level of customization with your applications. Specially with User Interaction, tapping other applications and just simply doing thing the other way.

So which should you choose?