A no-code platform is a cloud-based development environment that allows you to build apps without writing any code. No-code platforms like Adalo or Bubble have become very popular in recent years because of their ease of use and high productivity. These platforms can be used by businesses who want to build new mobile or web apps, but do not have the resources or time to do so.
You need to build an app that works, but you also need to integrate your app with other platforms and tools. The same holds true for apps built using No-code platforms. If you are using Salesforce CRM then you may want to integrate it with your No-code app so that you can store/retrieve all or part of the data for your app from Salesforce.
Here are some advantages & considerations of using and integrating no-code, low-code platforms –
1. Ease of development of new apps – No coding skills required. You can build your own app with just a few clicks and drag-and-drop.
2. Time to market – You can create high-quality, user-friendly apps with minimal effort or help from Software developers. Most, if not all of the work, to create the app can be done by anyone willing to spend some time and learn the easy-to-use drag and drop interfaces of these platforms. You can develop apps that fit your needs, at your own pace, and publish them as Mobile and/or Web apps at a fraction of the cost of developing them from scratch. This will result in significant savings in time and money freeing up valuable resources for other important areas of your business.
3. The diverse audience – You can build apps that are internal facing or external facing. Apps are hosted on the respective platforms and don’t require any ongoing maintenance effort from you. Depending on the app and the use case, you may need to integrate it with your IT Systems or databases that are on-premise or cloud-based. This is where some development work may be required.
4. Ease of Integration – Apps that integrate with either an ERP system or a CRM system like Salesforce will require an API that the platforms can connect with and store/retrieve data from those systems. While it is relatively easy to configure APIs to integrate with, the best approach will be to work with an experienced software developer that understands both the no-code platforms and also the ERP and/or CRM systems. Before embarking on the project, explain your end goal and the approach you are taking, get input on how to go about it, and arrange to have ongoing engagement with the developer to help you with integration as you build the system so that you can experience the app’s use cases as you intend the end-users to experience it.
5. Complex Integrations – In some cases, system limits may need to be taken into account. For example, when integrating with Salesforce CRM, using API calls to interact (read/write data) with Salesforce, you need to pay special attention to how many API calls will your app consume. Oftentimes, it will be more efficient (latency, response time, cost, limits, etc.) to design a custom set of services in your Salesforce instance to cater to your app’s needs instead of using the standard API. The former will eliminate a lot of back-and-forth by providing custom API interfaces that can combine multiple tasks (API calls) which would have otherwise resulted in a lot more API calls and use up your daily limit.
6. Keep Improving at your own pace – Once the app and the integration framework are in place, you can continue expanding your no-code app using the ERP or the CRM system as a data store.
Here’s a simple app built on Adalo that integrates with Salesforce
To illustrate how the integration really works, let’s take a business scenario of an app we built on Adalo. The app provides a directory for real estate agents in the United States. Agents who want to be part of the directory can register themselves. The app will be used by realtors, property owners, and buyers to find the nearest realtors and their contact information. It allows users to find active agents in a specific area using zip codes.
App Flow: Agent Registration
1. A registration link can be placed on the marketing site. To register, an agent would go to the marketing website and click on the “Register” link (not shown). The marketing site will then redirect the agent to a blank registration form shown below. This form is developed and hosted on Adalo.
2. To register, the agent can provide basic personal information by completing the form below. Once the details are filled in and the “Save in Salesforce” button is pressed, the agent’s details will be sent to the Salesforce CRM.
3. To save the data in Salesforce CRM, we used the standard Salesforce API. Adalo was configured with the appropriate API endpoint and method that results in the data stored in the Salesforce Account object as a new record. The following screenshot shows the newly entered data received through the API into Salesforce.
So far, we were able to capture a new Agent registration in an Adalo-hosted app and were able to get that data into the Account object of Salesforce CRM, using standard Salesforce API. Next, let’s see how we can retrieve data from Salesforce and display it in Adalo.
App Flow: Agent Search
This section shows how a customer/prospect looking for a realtor can navigate from a marketing website to the Adalo-hosted search page and find a realtor in the target zip code.
1. A Customer user visits the marketing site and clicks on the “Find an Agent” link (not shown). The user will then be navigated to the agent search page created and hosted on Adalo (shown below).
2. User enters a zip code of interest and clicks the Find Agent button. Adalo will then use the entered zip code to search for any matching records in Salesforce using the previously configured API Endpoint and Method.
3. If any agents are found with the corresponding Zip Code, the API response would return those matching records. The following screenshot shows agents found in the target Zip Code, along with their contact information.
In summary, the low-code/no-code platforms are empowering non-developers to create software applications that meet their needs. Especially those individuals and/or organizations that may not have in-house software developers or the budget to hire them to build something from scratch using traditional development tools and technologies. So go ahead, roll up your sleeves and start experimenting with these platforms. If you get stuck or have some really complex integration needs .. call us, we can help!
How Can We Help?
AppShark is a Salesforce Gold Consulting Partner that specializes in Salesforce implementation, integration, data migration, and data management. We have been helping businesses like yours integrate Salesforce with ERP systems, Accounting systems, Legacy in-house developed applications, 3rd party apps, APIs, databases, etc. since 2010. Our global team of skilled developers, consultants, and project managers can help you achieve your Salesforce integration needs in a timely and cost-effective manner. Feel free to contact us, or send an email to our sales team at sales@appshark.com
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