The Problem (Q-score 3, ranked #158th of 303 in the Excel VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2009
I have the task of developing an application to pull data from remote REST services and generating Excel reports. This application will be used by a handful of users at the company (10-15). The data load can reach 10,000-200,000 records. I have been debating whether to use Python or C#…
The only reason I am considering Python is because I am familiar with it and it would be less of a risk.
Personally I want to try use C# since this would be a good opportunity to learn it. The application is not too complicated so the overhead of learning it won’t be too much… I think.
Are there any issues with C# that I should be concerned about for this type of program? The users run Windows XP… would users not having .NET installed be a major concern?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT:
I guess I need to stress the fact that the end users should be able to run the application without installing additional libraries/frameworks.
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 303 Excel VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds solid answer (above median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — solid answer (above median) (+12)
Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links
Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.
Why not IronPython which merges the two worlds together?
When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)
Ranked #158th in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 96% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Excel VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2009 and 2026
The answer is 17 years old. The Excel VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.