Description

Introduction
PowerShell is a powerful scripting language that enables automation and system administration tasks, but to truly master it, you need to understand advanced techniques for error handling, debugging, and optimizing performance. This course covers key topics that will elevate your PowerShell scripting skills to the next level. You will learn how to efficiently handle errors, debug scripts for performance issues, and implement best practices for optimizing your PowerShell scripts. These advanced techniques are essential for creating robust, reliable, and high-performing scripts, especially in complex automation scenarios.

By mastering these skills, you will be able to write scripts that are not only effective but also resilient to errors, easy to debug, and fast in execution. This course is ideal for experienced PowerShell users who want to deepen their understanding of these crucial aspects of scripting.

Prerequisites

• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of PowerShell scripting
• Familiarity with basic error handling concepts
• Experience with PowerShell cmdlets and functions

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Advanced PowerShell Scripting
   1.1 The Role of Error Handling, Debugging, and Performance Optimization in PowerShell
   1.2 Overview of Advanced PowerShell Scripting Techniques
   1.3 Best Practices for Writing Robust PowerShell Scripts
2. Error Handling in PowerShell
   2.1 Understanding PowerShell Error Types (Terminating, Non-Terminating, and Warning Errors)
   2.2 Using Try, Catch, Finally for Structured Error Handling
   2.3 Handling Non-Terminating Errors with ErrorAction and ErrorAction Preference
   2.4 Capturing and Logging Errors with $Error and Write-Error
   2.5 Creating Custom Error Messages and Throwing Errors
   2.6 Implementing Retry Logic in Scripts
3. Debugging PowerShell Scripts
   3.1 Using PowerShell’s Built-in Debugging Tools (Set-PSDebug, Breakpoints)
   3.2 Debugging Scripts with the Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE)
   3.3 Analyzing Script Output with Write-Debug and Write-Host
   3.4 Working with the PowerShell Debugger (Enter-Debugger, Continue, Step-Over)
   3.5 Debugging Remote PowerShell Scripts
   3.6 Using Trace-Command for Script Execution Monitoring
4. Optimizing PowerShell Script Performance
   4.1 Understanding PowerShell Performance Bottlenecks
   4.2 Best Practices for Efficient Looping (ForEach-Object, Where-Object, Select-Object)
   4.3 Minimizing Memory Usage in PowerShell Scripts
   4.4 Reducing Execution Time by Using -FilterScript and -Include
   4.5 Optimizing Command Pipelines and Reducing Object Creation Overhead
   4.6 Leveraging Parallel Processing in PowerShell (Using ForEach-Object -Parallel)
5. Profiling PowerShell Scripts
   5.1 Using Measure-Command to Profile Script Performance
   5.2 Analyzing Execution Time and CPU Usage with Stop-Profile
   5.3 Identifying Performance Issues with Performance Counters
   5.4 Using the Get-Command Cmdlet for Performance Profiling
   5.5 Profiling External Commands and External API Calls
6. Error Handling in Complex Scripts and Modules
   6.1 Best Practices for Error Handling in Large Scripts
   6.2 Creating Custom Error Handling Functions
   6.3 Error Handling in PowerShell Modules and Scripts Libraries
   6.4 Managing Errors Across Multiple Script Files
   6.5 Using Trap for Global Error Handling
7. Advanced Debugging Techniques
   7.1 Working with Variables During Debugging
   7.2 Using Write-Verbose and Write-Information for Debugging
   7.3 Inspecting Call Stack Information During Debugging
   7.4 Remote Debugging with PowerShell Remoting
   7.5 Troubleshooting Complex Scripts and Distributed Systems
8. Memory Management in PowerShell
   8.1 Understanding the Garbage Collection Process in PowerShell(Ref: PowerShell Security: Automating Audits and Managing Permissions)
   8.2 Optimizing Memory Usage by Clearing Variables and Objects
   8.3 Managing Memory Leaks in Long-Running Scripts
   8.4 Using Get-Process to Monitor Script Resource Usage
   8.5 Leveraging the WeakReference Class for Memory Optimization
9. Advanced Performance Optimization Techniques
   9.1 Caching and Storing Results for Speed Optimization
   9.2 Efficiently Handling Large Datasets in PowerShell
   9.3 Utilizing Background Jobs and Runspaces for Parallel Execution
   9.4 Optimizing PowerShell Scripts for Cloud Environments (Azure, AWS)
   9.5 Profiling and Optimizing PowerShell Scripts for Network Performance
10. Best Practices for Writing Efficient PowerShell Code
    10.1 Avoiding Common Mistakes in PowerShell Scripting
    10.2 Optimizing PowerShell Code for Readability and Maintainability
    10.3 Organizing and Structuring Complex PowerShell Scripts
    10.4 Leveraging Built-In Cmdlets for Performance Improvements
    10.5 Using PowerShell’s Object-Oriented Capabilities for Code Optimization
11. Error Handling and Debugging in Real-World Scenarios
    11.1 Automating System Configuration Management with Robust Error Handling
    11.2 Debugging Deployment Scripts in Production Environments
    11.3 Managing Large Scale PowerShell Automation Projects
    11.4 Case Study: Debugging a PowerShell Script for Active Directory Management
12. Hands-On Projects and Real-World Scenarios
    12.1 Writing a Robust File Backup Script with Advanced Error Handling
    12.2 Debugging a Complex Automation Task with PowerShell Remoting
    12.3 Optimizing a Large-Scale Data Import Script
    12.4 Profiling and Optimizing a Long-Running PowerShell Job
    12.5 Implementing Parallel Processing in a Script for Faster Execution

Conclusion
Mastering advanced PowerShell scripting techniques, including error handling, debugging, and performance optimization, is essential for creating efficient, reliable, and scalable automation solutions. In this course, you have gained deep insights into how to write robust PowerShell scripts that can handle errors gracefully, perform efficiently, and be easily debugged when needed. You now have the tools and knowledge to write complex scripts for a wide range of administrative tasks, troubleshoot and optimize their performance, and ensure that your scripts run smoothly in production environments. Upon completing this course, you will be able to tackle even the most challenging scripting problems with confidence and expertise.

Reference