I was watching some of the Virtual Summit conference content (which is still available) trying to catch up on a few sessions that I missed during the event. One of the sessions I watched was a PowerShell panel. In the panel, Ben Miller (b | t | L) said that “anyone can click their way through something once.”
I agree with that. It’s really easy to run through something once, even a long wizard or install process. Most of us find it easier to just get something done than work on a script to complete it. Often, I find myself doing this for tasks that I tackle rarely, like installing SQL Server. With the growth of containers, I rarely install SQL Server anymore, but the few times I might want a VM outside of a cloud system, I find it easier to just run the install than find a script and alter the settings.
However, there are tasks I need to repeat. Anything that I might need to run more than once or twice, I usually do think about scripting. I look at T-SQL and PowerShell, both of which are very useful, but have different times and places where they fit better. The key, however, is that running a repeatable process is easier when it’s scripted.
This is true whether you are doing something for yourself or for your employer. When you have to repeat a series of steps, it’s too easy to forget one or make a mistake. Maybe more importantly, as more companies adopt DevOps automation and pipelines, the need for command line automation and logging is critical.
One of the panelists noted that they think PoSh is critical for your career and wouldn’t hire someone that didn’t know the technology. Not everyone agrees, but the tremendous growth of systems, the need to often deploy changes using automation, and the likelihood that you will see PoSh on the Microsoft platform, I tend to think this is something employers will strongly desire.
Steve Jones
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