Analyzing Low-Code/No-Code with SAP Build

The case for low-code development (citizen development) is a disruptive solution to address the gap in technical expertise, especially that of professional developers, that exists in the world today. It offers a great way to foster a culture of innovation. Combined with new low-code enterprise technology, it gives power to those who don't write code but who have a good understanding of business needs and challenges. It is these people who can now build automations and extensions that help in better addressing the requirements of their everyday work, while at the same time reducing the risks of human errors and offering better customer experiences.

Simply put, low-code development is primarily intended for those who aren't comfortable with coding their own software – even those who have no knowledge of programming and application development. Low-code development is primarily intended to help employees that are process experts to automate tasks, build applications, or otherwise optimize their own business activities.

Professional developers can use low-code tools to accelerate their basic development work so that they can focus on more complicated concepts.

Low-code development is designed to allow employees with software knowledge, such as process development experts and professional developers, to build and integrate end-user processes and applications, and to create WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) building blocks for low-code development. Pro-code tools as SAP Build Code even allows for easy transition between traditional pro-code development and low-code development, enabling collaborative applications or 'fusion development'. This underlines its capacity to cater to a diverse range of developer skills, helping businesses optimize their developer resources while pioneering innovation amidst the ongoing tech skills shortage.

Today's main takeaway is simple. Low-code development can help citizen developers, professional developers, and IT administrators automate certain tasks in virtually every department and in every line of business. This means they are saving time and money, increasing customer satisfaction, and allowing employees to more time to focus on value-adding tasks and increasing their satisfaction.

SAP Build consists of three components to create no-code based projects:

SAP Build Apps

SAP Build Apps provides a unique development experience with rapid innovation through a simple way to build adapted apps which you can add on top of your SAP solutions. With drag-and-drop functionality, it is possible to build UIs with a consistently updated component-library without any developer experience. Furthermore, it is possible to create any logic with visual flow functions and to have the opportunity to use individual style properties and advanced theming support, by which a clear development and user experience is provided with your created apps running on web, iOS, Android, and native runtime optimized for each platform.

It is easy to access and bind your data and other data to the user interface due to OData APIs and REST APIs. In addition, the efficient processing of data is enabled via formulas and over 500 predefined functions, supported with search function and example use cases. This allows you, for example, to perform calculations, format text, affect objects and lists, or to construct dynamic styles.

Learn more about SAP Build Apps in our learning journey and create a team app without code to learn all the methods you can adapt to your own app scenario: Develop apps with SAP build apps using drag and drop simplicity.

SAP Build Process Automation

SAP Build Process Automation enables organizations and companies to manage the automation of workflows and processes using visual features. On the one side, citizen developers can build, adapt, improve, and innovate business processes with minimum assistance from scarce IT resources by leveraging the power of no-code. On the other side, a new citizen automation user experience through capabilities like the process builder or the forms builder – which comes with a simple drag-and-drop functionality – enriches the work of the users.

In addition, all advanced workflow management capabilities like business rules, process visibility, process flexibility, and AI are also available. You can expand your automations through embedded robotic process automation features. There are reusable artifacts like bots and workflow components ready to use. With SAP Build Process Automation, you will have the experience of both, workflow capabilities and process automation capabilities combined in just one solution with the same look and feel.

Learn more about SAP Build Process Automation in our learning journey: Create processes and automations with sap build process automation

SAP Build Work Zone

SAP Build Work Zone centralizes access to relevant business applications, processes, information, and communication in a unified entry point that users can access from any device. You can use it for building digital workplace solutions easy and fast by drag-and-drop to increase user productivity and engagement, but provide, at the same time, a unified, intelligent, and personalized work experience which people desire.

You can integrate SAP applications and services on-premise and cloud, third-party applications such as SharePoint Online for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams and, of course, your own personalized applications and processes which you created with SAP Build Apps or SAP Build Process Automation. Administrators and users can benefit from a wide range of options to share and find all information rapidly and collaborate with each other, for example, blogs, multimedia, surveys, polls, wiki pages, events, knowledge base articles, tasks, and feeds.

Learn more about SAP Build Work Zone in our learning journey: Implement and administer sap build work zone

SAP Build allows for integration with both SAP and non-SAP apps and systems. Ideally, when used in combination, SAP Build Apps, SAP Build Process Automation, and SAP Build Work Zone provide comprehensive functionality. SAP Build comes with prebuilt content that simplifies the integration process and promotes collaboration, while maintaining governance through centralized project lifecycle management.

Learn more about SAP Build in general and the general concepts with our SAP Build learning journey, which gives a better overview of all three SAP Build products to get started with the topics: Compose-and-automate-with-sap-build-the-no-code-way

Our visit the SAP Build product page for more information.

Low-Code/No-Code development can help citizen developers, professional developers, and IT administrators to automate certain tasks and accelerate their projects. For this, the tools of SAP Build are used to build apps, processes, and business sites with the help of drag-and-drop functionality. The SAP Business Application Studio delivers also no-code and low-code tools. Finally, users benefit from the many possibilities of integration and collaboration to enhance innovation.