Patterns and features to get more from your systems. Pritesh Pattni Patterns and features to get more from your systems.  Low-code development platforms (LCDPs) have revolutionized the way software is built and deployed. These platforms enable developers to create applications using graphical interfaces and pre-built components, drastically reducing the time and effort required for traditional coding. According to Gartner, by 2024, low-code application development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity.  Essential low-code features  LCDPs have a range of features that support developers to build applications faster, more accurately and with scalability built in. These features include  Drag-and-drop interface  Pre-built patterns  API integrations  Data management  Security and compliance  Analytics and reporting  These features help development teams to design and build high-functioning, user-friendly mobile and web apps – from the simple to the highly complex.  Low code patterns  Pre-built patterns, like those available from the leading low-code OutSystems platform, are available to developers. These patterns are common user interface components and are available for both mobile and reactive web applications, and for more traditional web applications.  Patterns are usually customisable, which means you can change the way they look and feel – including adding extra elements, depending on what you need to achieve.   For traditional web applications, patterns include:  Content  Controls  Layout  Navigation  Numbers  Responsive  Structure  Utilities  For more common mobile and reactive application development, OutSystems offers a range of pattern options:  Adaptive – allowing the app to be viewable on multiple devices and screen sizes, giving the user the best possible experience, whatever device they are using.  Content – these allow you to organise content and have pre-built patterns for common elements such as notifications, chat screens and error messages.  Interactive maps – this pattern is fully customisable, and there is also a static maps option for including in non-interactive communications such as email.  Navigation – a central part of a good user experience is being able to easily navigate around your app. These patterns allow you to manage the way you organise content and direct the user journey.  Numbers – patterns to help manage numbers on an application include progress bars, ratings and counters.  In more general terms, patterns also include:  Reusable components: a library of reusable components that can be easily integrated into different applications.   Microservices architecture: an approach to build applications as a collection of loosely coupled services. This delivers flexibility, easier maintenance, and the ability to scale individual components independently.  Event-driven architecture: event-driven patterns enable applications to respond to real-time data and user actions.   Workflow automation: use low-code features to automate complex business workflows. This helps to streamline processes and build efficiency into your application.  Patterns and features from ISB Smart Solutions  Our team at ISB Smart Solutions has developed additional features to create several high-level, reusable patterns or methods which are available to be integrated into any new application. There are currently 17 unique patterns available, which can be used alongside our standard OutSystems development to build a responsive, customised app that is designed to meet your particular business challenges.  These include:  Data upload tool: ISB has followed industry standards to create a framework to load data into OutSystems with standard data load validation, performance and history tracking.  ERP integration: send or receive ERP business objects to or from OutSystems, using the integration framework in a proven, standardised way.    DocuSign integration: the DocuSign integration framework allows for DocuSign to be connected to OutSystems. Within the management of the framework, mapping is configured and developed for required data into a document developed in DocuSign or Adobe.  Multi-currency: Within the multi-currency framework we have built the ability to maintain conditions for spot rates, weekly or monthly rates.   Security group management: this is for employees, IT support, customers or vendors who need to access specific functionalities, reports, screens or processes. Our framework allows you to create groups and assign the required reports, screens or processes based on the type of user.   Bringing speed and flexibility to your next development  The patterns and features available on the OutSystems LCDP, alongside the additional features, patterns and methods that we have built at ISB Smart Solutions gives you access to flexible, intelligent application design without the need for an expensive, long-term hand-coding project.  Your application gets to your people – or out to market – faster, and can be continually updated or added to, so your users get the most from it. Scalable with your business and with all the required security elements built in, this development method brings the momentum you need for your next project.   Contact us to find out more. Recommended Posts​ What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it? Pritesh Pattni What causes technical debt – and how can you solve it?  Technical debt is present – to a lesser or greater degree – in every… Read More Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications Pritesh Pattni Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications  Business efficiency is the order of the day. In challenging economic and… Read More The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes Pritesh Pattni The best of both worlds: How SAP and OutSystems combine for advanced outcomes  There’s no doubt that… Read More Where next? 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Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications Pritesh Pattni Low Code – the accelerated way to extend applications  Business efficiency is the order of the day. In challenging economic and market conditions, business growth relies on having visibility across the organisation and being able to manage day-to-day processes as efficiently as possible.   It’s common for businesses to have disconnected IT systems and disparate data sources. After all, growing businesses take on the technology they need, when they need it. This often translates to systems working in silos, without the connectivity that the business really needs in order to drive strategic growth.  This is a challenge that businesses know they have. The problem is that it’s seen as too time-consuming and expensive to fix. The thought of starting a huge IT transformation project puts many business leaders off.   There’s a cost-effective, high-performance alternative, though: Low Code Application Platforms – or LCAPs.  What is an LCAP?  LCAPs are a revolutionary shift in software development, enabling businesses to create applications with minimal hand-coding. Platforms use visual development environments, drag-and-drop features, and pre-built templates to simplify the app creation process. This ‘democratisation’ of application development drives faster and more accurate development and allows teams across the business to collaborate to build technologies that meet business needs.  LCAPs are useful on many levels – they are great for designing and building new applications, and also for extending or upgrading existing applications. This is important, because organisations are often using solutions that have been hastily put together to solve a particular problem – and a LCAP approach can help to extend that application into something more useful, more intuitive and able to flex as the organisation changes.  What are the attributes of an LCAP?  LCAPs shouldn’t be confused with ‘no code’ technologies. In our opinion, LCAPs are best used, not by citizen developers with no coding experience, but by developers who understand the principles of software design and development.   That understanding means that your application is in good hands from the very beginning, and developers can take advantage of the attributes of an LCAP without compromising the fundamentals of good application product design. The key attributes of an LCAP include:  Drag-and-drop features  Pre-built templates  User-friendly visual development environment  Easy customisation  Reduced need for coding expertise  Easy to modify for continuous improvement  Security and compliance built in  Scalability to support business growth  LCAP use cases   The versatility of LCAPs makes them useful in a wide range of scenarios. In the healthcare sector, for example, LCAPs may be used to develop patient management systems, telehealth applications, or compliance tracking tools. In the financial sector they can be used to build customer onboarding platforms, fraud detection systems, and regulatory compliance solutions. Retail businesses can leverage LCAPs to develop inventory management systems, e-commerce platforms, and customer loyalty programs.   LCAPs are valuable for businesses who want to build internal applications that streamline processes or allow the business to gather, analyse and report information in a particular way. They can also help with building external applications which help to improve customer experience, give suppliers an easier way to manage their relationships or allow investors to stay up to date.  In short – there’s very little that an LCAP can’t do to help your business.  The OutSystems LCAP  OutSystems is one of the world’s foremost low code platform providers and is regularly recognised as leading the way both in technological innovation and the results it delivers for its customers.  As an OutSystems partner, we know just how good the company’s enterprise LCAP offering is. Earlier this year, it was named by Gartner as a ‘Leader’ in Gartner’s 2023 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low Code Platforms (LCAP).  OutSystems is consistently a leader in this field because it focuses on allowing developers to manage high-performance software development at pace. Developers and can design and build without any of the hold ups often associated with hand coding. And, because OutSystems can easily integrate with other systems, it can be used to address a wide range of business needs without disrupting day-to-day operations.  Most importantly – and one of the main reasons that LCAPs are seeing such a high adoption rate – is the ability to continuously evolve, improve, extend and update applications. This flexibility and scalability means organisations can stay ahead of the game without committing to large budgets or timescales – and get a far superior outcome. Contact us to find out more. 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An evolutionary approach to software engineering Pritesh Pattni Evolution. The gradual development of something to make it even better. It’s this approach that underpins the low code software development revolution, and that drives the progression of market leader OutSystems, one of the most respected low code platforms in use today. What is low code? Software development has seen significant changes in recent years, and rather than relying on traditional coding for every project, developers and businesses have been looking for more accessible, cost-effective and efficient methods. The main alternative to traditional coding is low code, which has emerged as people look for ways to get to the same development goals without the challenges of traditional coding – high costs, protracted development cycles and the need for highly skilled developers, for example. Low code still requires development expertise and experience, but its drag-and-drop nature helps to reduce project timescales, eliminate common errors and speed up time to market. Part of the low code ‘revolution’ is the fact that it allows developers to have an ongoing relationship with an application or programme. This allows changes, updates and improvements to be made quickly, affordably and with usability in mind – helping organisations to always deliver the best experience to their users. The key benefits of low code development include: Speedier, more agile development – low code platforms simplify complex development tasks. Drag-and-drop interfaces allow developers to build applications quickly, reducing long project timescales and delivering faster time to market.   Integration capability – low code development promotes good integration across systems including varied data sources, APIs and existing systems. This helps to build new applications that reduce downtime and business disruption, thereby reducing costs. AI and automation – like it or loathe it, AI and machine learning are important developments that will change the way we do things. Today’s leading low code platforms understand this, and have space for these capabilities to be introduced. From automating common tasks to improving decision making, ow code development can help organisations to take advantage of these opportunities. Scalability – many organisations need software applications that can change and grow with them. This means scalability and adaptability – something that low code development offers as a matter of course. Why is OutSystems a leader in this field? There are some big players in the low code market – and many smaller companies too. If you are looking for low code development, you’ll probably start by researching the various platforms available and evaluating which might be best for your needs. In fact, that’s exactly what our team did when we wanted to take advantage of low code development for our own market-leading software product. We chose OutSystems. And now we’re a proud OutSystems partner. So what can we share with you about why we think OutSystems is the platform of choice? To start with, we’re not the only ones. In fact, in 2023, OutSystems was as a market leader for Enterprise level low code application platforms by the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ report. It’s the ‘enterprise’ element of this that is important to us. This means that the platform is set up to support a wider range of scenarios than just ‘building something faster’. Another crucial aspect that sets OutSystems apart is their ‘no lock-in’ policy. This means that you can feel confident knowing that you have the flexibility to separate your code from the platform, all while keeping your application running smoothly and without any disruptions. This freedom empowers you to make strategic decisions for your business, ensuring that you are always in control of your software and ready to adapt to changing needs, knowing that your application is not tied down to any specific platform. OutSystems recommends that you cover at least the following areas when you are evaluating platforms – and these help to identify whether the platform can truly support enterprise-level projects: High quality omnichannel experiences Breadth of app types you can build Security automation and built-in DevSecOps Licensing clarity and predictability Reusability, composability and governed innovation Platform engineering and DevOps integration Of course, there are many aspects to compare in each of these areas, so your evaluation criteria should include: Is the provider an established leader in its field? Is the platform scalable, so solutions can support your growth plans? Can you easily deploy your apps in leading app stores? Does the platform support multi-experience user journeys? Can you use the platform without having to expand your current tech stack? Can the platform integrate with your existing business workflow and systems? Does your provider support security mechanisms and allow your team to scan for vulnerabilities? Is the pricing model realistic, transparent and suitable for your needs? Is the platform designed to help your team build to best practice guidelines? Can the platform co-exist successfully with traditional coding teams? OutSystems ticks all these boxes and more. But what does that mean for you? It means that your application is being built to give you the best outcome at the best price, without compromising technical good practice, and with a focus on ensuring it works with other systems in your business, now and in the future. What do you get if you unite great design, coding and development? You get an application that’s completely fit for today’s purpose while also being ready to update for tomorrow. This evolutionary approach to software engineering results in better products that are ready faster and with a lower budget. It means access to quality software without the huge investment or lumbering timescales often associated with development. It means you get to market faster, with a secure, advanced product that can easily adapt to meeting your users’ changing needs. It’s why we chose OutSystems – and it’s why we believe it’s the best choice for your next project. Why not get in touch with us today to find out more. Recommended Posts​ How to choose a low code platform partner How to choose a low code platform partner Pritesh Pattni

The App Trap Pritesh Pattni An app, short for “application,” refers to a software program designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, or on a computer. Apps are typically developed to perform specific functions or provide certain services to users. Developing an app is an exciting project. And, with apps becoming a central part of the way we interact with brands, it’s no surprise that companies of all types are investigating how they can add an app to their communications and customer service mix. Statistics show, however, that 21% of users delete an app after just their first use – and Statista has reported that 71% of mobile device users around the world said they had deleted apps within three months of downloading them. Apps are expensive to build, and producing an app that no one uses is money down the drain. Yet many companies still throw themselves into app development without taking the time to think why they are doing it or what they want to achieve. That’s the App Trap – where the enthusiasm to develop outweighs the consideration of the user. Why build an App There are many reasons to build an app, and it’s important to conduct market research, define your target audience, and consider the costs, resources, and technical expertise required. Additionally, it’s crucial to ensure that your app provides value and solves a problem for users to increase its chances of success. Reach a Mobile Audience: Convenience and Accessibility: Enhance User Experience: Commercial Opportunities: Branding and Visibility: Competitive Advantage: Data and Analytics: Why apps fail There are many reasons why apps fall flat. These issues can be easily avoided with the advice and support of experienced app developers, who understand how to design the right user Interface, maximise the user experience, build the architecture to integrate with your existing systems and fulfils an important need for the target audience. Some of the most common reasons that apps fail include: Inefficient Development Platform – There are many ways to design, build, deploy, host and support Apps and with technology moving so quickly it’s imperative the right platform is used. ‘Low Code’ Application development platforms represent a revolution in App development, the most popular are: https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/enterprise-low-code-application-platform The user doesn’t come first – The starting point of any technical design – from a database to an app – is what the user wants. Too often, an app project is built around what the business wants, and this is a mistake. There’s no point introducing an app that customers don’t need or won’t use. On the other hand, if there are buying processes or communications that could be better managed with an app, that’s your starting point. The technical architecture is poor – We all use apps every day. So, our expectations of what a good app looks and feels like are high. It doesn’t matter what sector your business operates in, or how big it is – your customers will expect your app to work as smoothly as Amazon or Google. There isn’t enough testing and feedback – This is a critical part of app development – there should be testing planned at every milestone, along with user feedback. It underpins your quality control, especially when your app is tested by independent users or by dedicated app testers. You don’t think about your core business systems – An app is usually an extension of your other business systems, allowing customers to interact with you more easily. So, the app needs to be integrated with your core business systems, delivering a seamless transfer of information between the app and your system. One of the first questions your developer should ask is about the current ERP or other business systems you are using, so they understand how that integration will work. Introducing OutSystems OutSystems is what’s known as a high-performance low code platform and is an established and respected technology. This means you can use the ‘easier’ approach to coding to develop a wide range of applications. These applications are easily scalable, more secure and support complex projects. ISB Global has been an OutSystems Low Code Partner since 2013, developing great ideas into brilliant software. We use OutSystems in our own product development, and our highly skilled development team can work with you to produce a structured, reliable, and user-friendly app for your business. Our core team is comprised of dedicated OutSystems Developers, Scrum masters, Engagement Managers, Project Managers, UX Designers, Business Analysts. Data Modellers, and OutSystems DBA and Infrastructure Managers, and our extensive experience in scoping, designing, developing, testing, and deploying software applications means you get excellent results and outstanding return on investment. Just get in touch with us today to find out more. Recommended Posts​ How to choose a low code platform partner How to choose a low code platform partner Pritesh Pattni If you have a technology project or digital transformation programme, you are probably considering a low code solution. Low code offers a range… Read More What is low code technology? And why should you consider it? What is low code technology? And why should you consider it? Pritesh Pattni The demand for new and upgraded technology isn’t going anywhere. The human race continues to adopt new technologies to… Read More What does it mean to work with an OutSystems Partner? What does it mean to work with an OutSystems Partner? 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Why You Should Use OutSystems to Extend Your SAP System Chris Williams We often talk to SAP customers, partners, and consultants who are worried that OutSystems competes with SAP. But the exact opposite is the case. OutSystems is a complementary tool that you can leverage to extract more value from your SAP platform with less effort. Table of contents: Built-In Flexibility and Integration SAP and OutSystems in Practice Keeping Data in Sync Every business needs to keep up with changing market conditions and new innovations. You need to stay competitive and focused – particularly in tough economic circumstances. From industrial or governmental regulation to global market forces, there are always pressures on your business to be leaner, stronger, and more efficient. To meet these demands, organizations must be flexible – all while maintaining standards in enterprise governance, financial reporting practices, corporate reporting and auditability for stakeholders. And so you need a reliable system that is working with you, not against you. From our perspective, the combination of SAP S4HANA best practice and OutSystems low-code gives you the best of both worlds. Or as defined by Gartner: SAP S4HANA is a world-class “system of record” and OutSystems allows the development of apps, which reflect the “system of differentiation and innovation”. Built-In Flexibility and Integration Why do we think this? Because both software platforms come with best practices, and can work together to give you a more rounded, agile solution — built for purpose, but ready for change. SAP is the original modern-day ERP. It boasts best practices for financial management, including procure to pay, order to cash and master data governance, to name a few. Years of innovation from SAP across all industries allows projects to focus on implementing best practices for budgeting, accounting processes, managing accounting and corporate reporting. Using the SAP configuration system allows customization, setting different business rules within business processes. This in turn allows businesses to implement best business practices in a short time. Organizations benefit from the experience of other users, and the continual development that’s part of the way SAP delivers its product. So, the obvious question is, if SAP is so great, why do you need OutSystems? Simply put, the OutSystems low-code platform delivers additional, ongoing innovation that helps your organization to become more competitive. It allows businesses to rapidly build and test new ideas and business processes without impacting the backbone of the business model. SAP integration with OutSystems is made easy with SAP’s well-defined integration models, processes and structures in SAP BTP. And OutSystems has the ability to orchestrate new business processes with multiple integrations easily – and often multiple applications – through the OutSystems Service Studio. To provide a user with the right information, right level of security to data, system processes for their job role, and to ensure auditable document flow without having to jump between multiple systems is why SAP and OutSystems compliment each other. SAP and OutSystems in Practice When we were designing our waste and recycling solution, Waste & Recycling One, we wanted a loosely-coupled application integration. Our aim was for bi-directional integration of both master data and transactional data. It made sense to use an industry-leading ERP platform – SAP – for the core finance, order to cash and procure to pay systems of record and compliance. We then leveraged OutSystems to build the unique logistical business scenarios and processes that are relevant to the fast-changing waste and recycling industry. You can read the full case study here → This allowed us to build a system that can manage the sector’s compliance, governance and legislation requirements without affecting the core SAP processes. Keeping Data in Sync In this example, if we add a new business partner, the payment terms attributed are important to SAP and are managed there. The NAICS code is important to OutSystems. So we built bi-directional integration to keep the data in sync. When a new business partner service agreement is created, it starts in OutSystems. The partner data is automatically sent to SAP, so by the time the new contract is ready for billing, all the details are in SAP and up to date with the finance data. The order can then be sent to the cash processes and the contract invoice number goes back into OutSystems. It’s a simple but very effective setup. Keeping the data in sync is easy. SAP records changes to the business objects it processes and submits via BTP. OutSystems web application framework uses its API adapters framework to send and receive data during the business process. Importantly, both SAP and OutSystems have very complementary code management between environments. This makes changes, updates, and bugs easy to manage – something we’ll talk about in a separate blog. Find out more about how we can use OutSystems low-code to work alongside your SAP system and deliver even more efficiencies, streamlining your business for the future. Originally posted here: https://www.outsystems.com/blog/posts/extend-sap-system/ Recommended Posts​ How to choose a low code platform partner How to choose a low code platform partner Pritesh Pattni If you have a technology project or digital transformation programme, you are probably considering a low code solution. Low code offers a range… Read More What is low code technology? And why should you consider it? What is low code technology? And why should you consider it? Pritesh Pattni The demand for new and upgraded technology isn’t going anywhere. The human race continues to adopt new technologies to… Read More What does it mean to work with an OutSystems Partner? What does it mean to work with an OutSystems Partner? Pritesh Pattni What does it mean to work with an OutSystems partner? When you’re planning a software project, you want to look for a development… Read More Where next? I’m an OutSystems Customer looking for Applications to accelerate my journey → I’m an OutSystems customer looking for patterns & features to accelerate my journey → I’m an OutSystems Customer using SAP and looking for an advanced integration engine →