Should you script your way to a solution?
I was asked to create a quick, Microsoft-based solution for data migration while upgrading clients to the latest version. I needed to come to a decision on whether to use a scripting language (like PowerShell) or to use fully fledged compiled language (like C#). The following are some of the advantages and disadvantages for scripting your way to a solution: In general, a script will run slower as it needs to be compiled on the fly to machine language for it to run (scripts, generally speaking, fall into the interpreted languages bucket). Taking this into consideration, a script is not your best option if performance is a requirement. On the other hand, it is easier to customize a script as a lengthy build process, often done by a Configuration Management team, is not needed. This increases the agility of iterative development so time and money could be saved. You can also save on engineering costs as you can have non-developers (e.g. service personnel) maintaining the script wit...