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Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a core technology for Windows system administration because it exposes a wide range of information in a uniform manner. Because of how much WMI makes possible, the PowerShell cmdlet for accessing WMI objects, Get-CimInstance, is one of the most useful for doing real work. We’re going to discuss how to use the CIM cmdlets to access WMI objects and then how to use WMI objects to do specific things.

We can organize displayed data to make it easier to scan using the Sort-Object cmdlet. Sort-Object takes the name of one or more properties to sort on, and returns data sorted by the values of those properties.

You can use the Select-Object cmdlet to create new, custom PowerShell objects that contain properties selected from the objects you use to create them. 

PSCustomObject is a great tool to add into your PowerShell tool belt. Let’s start with the basics and work our way into the more advanced features. The idea behind using a PSCustomObject is to have a simple way to create structured data. Take a look at the first example and you’ll have a better idea of what that means.

When I first started learning PowerShell, if I couldn’t accomplish a task with a PowerShell one-liner, I went back to the GUI. Over time, I built my skills up to writing scripts, functions, and modules. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed by some of the more advanced examples you may see on the internet. No one is a natural expert with PowerShell. We were all beginners at one time.

A function is basically a named block of code. When you call the function name, the script block within that function runs. It is a list of PowerShell statements that has a name that you assign. When you run a function, you type the function name.It is a method of saving time when tackling repetitive tasks. PowerShell formats in three parts: the keyword ‘Function’, followed by a Name, finally, the payload containing the script block, which is enclosed by curly/parenthesis style bracket.

Like other programming languages, Windows PowerShell is a dynamic scripting language. Script code can be executed based on conditions that exist or occur. 

Each programming language or scripting language has several different methods of applying the loop. Looping is a basic programming process that allows us to repeat a command and process large amounts of data. Without this ability, writing scripts would be tedious and almost impossible.

A hash table, also known as a dictionary or associative array, is a compact data structure that stores one or more key/value pairs. For example, a hash table can contain a series of Computer names and IP addresses where the Computer Names are the keys and the IP Addresses are the values, or vice versa.

An array is a data structure that is designed to store a collection of items. The items can be the same type or different types.  Arrays allow the user to store information in an index.