Think fast
Thoughts and ideas on how to build tools, automate workflows and speed-up the workplace.
How to Build a Contractor Portal
Managing projects with external stakeholders can create some unique challenges. This includes monitoring costs, tracking progress, handling approvals, and centralizing information from disparate sources and stakeholders. Today, we’re exploring one solution to this - by showing off the speed and ease with which we can create a custom contractor portal in Budibase. See, a huge part of the problem is how we communicate and collaborate with contractors. When we handle this manually using emails, spreadsheets, or even pen and paper - we inevitably create mountains of admin work, along with scope for error.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 26, 2024
Wrapping up Q1
Busy quarter! In Q1, we set out to: Make it easier and faster to build advanced, secure forms. Spark more joy in the developer experience. Making it easier and faster to build secure forms Building forms is a critical and necessary flow within Budibase. Whether you’re building a simple app to collect data or a complex approval flow to manage overtime requests, there’s a critical form at the heart of the workflow.
Joe Johnston
Mar 25, 2024
How to Create a Data Model
Knowing how to create a data model is the first step toward building a successful app. This is the foundation of how you’ll transform your business requirements into reality. In fact, all other elements of your app build on your data model. However, coming up with an effective data model presents a few key challenges. This is a complex process, involving end-users, technical teams, and other business stakeholders. Today, we’re going to look at exactly how you can create a successful data model.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 22, 2024
How to Build a Fleet Management Portal
Keeping track of vehicles in the field is a huge challenge. In particular, gaining an accurate snapshot of our vehicle’s locations, statuses, conditions, and maintenance needs can create mountains of administrative work. Today, we’re looking at one solution - building a custom fleet management portal. See, the problem here ultimately comes down to a need to centralize fleet data and related workflows. Our goal today is to demonstrate how Budibase empowers teams to build secure, custom portals on top of just about any data.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 22, 2024
Create a Free MySQL GUI in 5 Steps
MySQL is one of the most popular database systems out there. And that’s for a good reason. It is lightweight, fast, easy to learn, and widely available. Using a MySQL GUI to manage your databases will help you make the most out of this tool. A GUI (Graphical User Interface) allows you to interact with your database with a visual interface. This allows you to see your data and use visual elements as opposed to text-based terminals and command lines.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 20, 2024
How to Build a Self-Service IT Portal
Delivering IT services is a costly, laborious process. In particular, huge swathes of technical colleagues’ time is used up on relatively menial admin tasks. Today, we’re looking at one solution to this problem - building a custom IT portal to help users self-serve for common support tasks. Specifically, we’re going to demonstrate how we can use Budibase to build bespoke self-service portals with minimal custom coding. By the end, we’ll have a fully functioning, highly extensible solution for supercharging efficiency around IT service delivery.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 20, 2024
Throwaway Prototyping | In-Depth Guide
Throwaway prototyping is an alternative way of thinking about building applications. Prototypes play several vital roles in the development process. For instance, providing proof of concept, fleshing out NFRs, experimenting with ideas, or simply gathering feedback. There’s an innate tension here though. On the one hand, prototyping obviously drains resources. Namely, development hours and the labor costs that come along with them. On the flip side, this expenditure can be hugely beneficial, or even completely central to a project.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 19, 2024
Boosting developer productivity with Live Evaluation & Reusable Code Snippets
With today’s release, we’re pushing out two major updates to improve the developer experience in Budibase: Live Evaluation & Reusable Code Snippets. Live Evaluation offers real-time insights into your code’s behavior, allowing for immediate feedback without the constant need to toggle between the app preview and code editor. Meanwhile, Reusable Code Snippets, allow you to write blocks of JavaScript, such as formulas, in a centralized location, which can then be reused across your whole application.
Jamie Birss
Mar 19, 2024