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How to create a web-based data management system in 7 minutes

Education

analyticsHow easily (and securely) can you manage your business data? In my experience, businesses typically answer this question in one of three ways:

1.“We use spreadsheets to manage data”.
This is probably the most common response, but also the riskiest approach. Sure, spreadsheets are readily available and easy to work with. They do the job when you only have small amounts of data. The problem is that many businesses stick with this approach as their data grows. This is a mistake. Why? Spreadsheets aren’t designed to be multi-user data management tools. When you’re managing lots of data across many users, spreadsheets will waste time and lead to data errors.

2. “We don’t really have a good way for users to manage data.”
In many companies, data just sits in the database–inaccessible to business users. Sure, the IT department can run reports and make changes but no one else can.

3. “We have a web-based database management system.”
This is the ideal response. A web-based data management system provides a secure way for end users to manage database tables using a web browser. Security is in place to ensure that users can’t see or manage data that they’re not authorized to manage.

If you don’t have a web-based data management system yet, how do you create one? We’ve recently published a video that walks you through the whole process. In this video, we create three different applications that let users view and manage their database tables from a web browser. Then, we’ll add security to ensure that only specific users can modify the database. Finally, we’ll wrap everything up into a data management portal so users can easily access all of the applications. All this in 7 minutes! You can watch it here:

Want to learn more? Set up a demo here: Set up a demo.

How to create web-based reports with a database reporting tool

Productivity

analyticsBusinesses collect and have access to more data than ever before. It’s a huge opportunity. They can analyze this data and use it to guide their strategic decisions.

The problem is, many businesses aren’t taking advantage of this opportunity. I see them making a couple of common mistakes with their data:

  1. First, they don’t use it. Their data just sits in their database (or in spreadsheets). As a result, they get no value from their data.
  2. Second, other businesses do analyze their data, but…do so very slowly. Often, reporting is still an IT function and there’s a backlog of report requests. Other times, they just don’t have the right tools to create web reports quickly. Whatever the reason, they’re stuck waiting around for their reports, which means they’re analyzing outdated data.

If you’re dealing with either of these issues, here’s a video to check out. It shows you how easily you can create web reports using a database reporting tool. In just under 7 minutes, you’ll see 3 different reporting types created…all without coding!

Want to learn more? Set up a demo here: Set up a demo.

5 canned reports that take the reporting burden off of IT

Productivity, Save Time,

Save TimeIf end-user reporting is a burden on your IT department, you’re certainly not alone. The question is…how can you reduce the amount of time your IT department spends creating end-user reports?

One way to fix the problem: Create canned reports with run-time options for end users. This lets your users quickly access the data they need, while reducing the time your IT department spends creating reports.

Here’s how it works: Your IT department creates the initial reports with run-time filters for the users. The users can select which data to display, or filter their data however they wish when they run the report. With the right run-time filters, users can use a single report in many different ways.

38 important low-code statistics and facts for 2022

Education

trendsSince the term was first coined by Forrester back in 2014, low-code software has really picked up steam. The pandemic (and the subsequent move to remote work) only furthered its adoption.

The recent spike in low-code usage got me thinking: What does the low-code market look like now? Where will it be in a few years? How are modern businesses using low-code?

To answer those questions, I did some research. I’ve found many different low-code reports, studies, and surveys and compiled those statistics into this article. One thing to keep in mind while you’re reading: Some of these surveys and statistics say similar things, especially when it comes to predictions. I included them because they help paint a complete picture. Low-code is growing and will continue to grow in the coming years. How much will it grow? That’s hard to say. But multiple studies and research firms agree on one thing: The low-code market isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

5 important questions to ask about low-code software

Education

trendsIf you’re at all considering low-code software, there are a few things you must understand:

First, there are hundreds of low-code tools available these days…and new ones are constantly popping up. You can’t possibly evaluate every option.

Second, they’re all different. This is a big deal because most people think low-code tools are generally the same. They’re not. They have different features, interfaces, and development approaches. Some are great in certain areas but poor in others. Some are customizable. Others are not. As a result, comparing your options is tricky. Depending on your needs, some tools will fit better than others.

Finally, there’s really a lot to know about development tools in general. The problem is, not everything is obvious until you really get into them…some of which will come back to bite you if you’re not prepared.

The big question: What ‘not-so-obvious’ areas should you look at in a low-code tool?

We created a video to help you answer that question. We’ve compiled our best advice into 5 important questions to help you identify the ideal low-code platform for your business. You can watch it right here:

5 tips for creating a killer business dashboard

Education

EducationOkay, so you’ve been asked to create a business dashboard. Where do you start? How can you create a dashboard that is equal parts powerful and amazing?

Before you do anything, you must define a clear objective. You must understand who plans on using the dashboard, why they want a dashboard, and what they hope to get from this dashboard. You’ll want to pull very specific objectives out of the future users. Don’t settle for generic answers like, “We want to see sales data.” Get specific. You can’t develop a clear objective without very specific goals.

Okay, so you have the specifics, you know the objective, and you’ve mapped out a plan for this dashboard. How can you make it great? Here are 5 tips for you:

How to create a custom budgeting & forecasting portal

Productivity,

developmentWhen it comes to budgeting, one size rarely fits all. Most businesses want budgets that work the way they work, rather than trying to adapt their processes to fit within the constraints of their budgeting software.

The problem: Creating a custom budgeting solution is time-consuming and expensive…so they make do with tools that don’t exactly fit their needs. Or, they just fill the gaps with spreadsheets.

But…what if you could create custom budgeting software easily? It’s not as difficult or time-consuming as you might imagine, and we made a video to show you how it’s done. In this video, we’ll show you how easily you can create custom budgeting and forecasting applications…without coding. In just 15 minutes, we’ll create:

  • A multi-department budget that lets department leaders add and maintain their quarterly budgets. We even add multi-tenant security so each user can only see the data they’re authorized to see!
  • A sales forecast that lets you add and maintain quarterly sales estimates by salesperson, category, and region.
  • Reports that display all budgeting and forecasting data in an easily-digestible format.
  • A secure portal where users can login and manage their budgeting and forecasting data.

This video walks you through the whole process from start to finish and explains each step along the way. Watch it below to learn how easily you can create custom budgeting and forecasting tools for your business.

Want to learn more? Set up a demo here: Set up a demo.

Top Business Process Automation Trends for 2022

Education

trends** This guest post was written by Jason Richardson. Learn more about Jason in the author bio at the end of this post. **
WorkflowCOVID-19, digital transformation, and rising global competition are just a few of the reasons why planning for the next financial year is essential to your company’s success. Business process management (BPM) is an excellent framework for understanding how your company operates today and, more importantly, how you may improve it in the future. BPA’s rapid growth will significantly speed up as we approach 2022.