Low-code Custom Apps: How You Know You Need Them

Adhering to SAP’s Clean Core strategy is good practice. It simplifies upgrades and patches, reduces technical debt, and improves system performance. However, there are times when a business needs the extensibility and flexibility of a custom app. Industry-specific workflows, meeting regulatory or tax localization requirements, and integration layers for M&A activities are just a few examples. These situations all require a level of agility that does not come with traditional application (app) development processes. In some cases, traditional app development takes years. This is where low-code development is ideal.

Why Low-Code

Low-code development platforms (e.g., Mendix, OutSystems, SAP Build, Microsoft Power Platform) use drag-and-drop functionality with pre-built components that allow users with minimal coding experience to create custom applications.  With the tools that low-code development provides, users can build out applications in weeks, rather than months or years. No more waiting on IT to build extensions. Low-code development lowers development costs, including hiring, and strengthens the ability to share development resources across the business.

“Low-code apps empower businesses to build functional and sophisticated applications faster and more cost-effectively than ever before.”

Warren Norris

Managing Partner

Titan Consulting

Five Signs It Is Time to Consider Low-Code Apps

There are cases where low-code and traditional code fit in the business. What is important is knowing when to choose low-code vs. traditional code. Here are five signs that signal it is time to consider a low-code approach to app development:

1. Custom workflows are needed quickly to extend out-of-the-box system capabilities and/or join processes that are manual, partially automated, and distributed.
2. There is no single source of data truth across systems. Greater transparency across the business is needed. Immediate access to data is needed in legacy systems.
3. Real-time access to data for analytics and dashboards when data is maintained in disparate systems.
4. Legacy system lifespans need to be extended through migration phases (e.g., ECC to SAP S/4HANA.
5. Mobile devices have access to critical information and tools supporting remote and/or field-based employees.

For more details, read “5 Signs Your Business Needs a Low-Code App,” by Titan Consulting.

How to Get Started

Once you know you need an app and are considering the low-code approach, Titan Consulting suggests this guide for getting started:

Identify Specific Use Cases & Talk to an Expert: Low-code experts can help identify areas where custom, low-code developed applications can be used to improve efficiency, automate tasks, and solve industry-specific problems.

Choose the Right platform: There are a variety of platforms that can be used for low-code development. In SAP S/4HANA environments, here are factors to look for:

• A platform that is deeply integrated with SAP.
• Extension building capabilities that do not interfere with SAP logic maintaining the Clean Core strategy.
• Development tools that fit your community of business and developer needs. Examples include: a drag-and-drop UI for business developers and custom code injection for professional developers.
• Security and governance that include role-based access, audit trails, and integration with identity software.
• Development for mobile, web and desktop apps.
• Automation, workflow, and embedded AI capabilities including RPA, and a built-in workflow engine that includes business rules, notifications, and approvals. Pre-built models for forecasting, classification, and recommendations.
• Real-time analytics and reporting, with drill-down capabilities and integration with SAP Analytics Cloud.

Build and Deploy the Application: When getting started, work with a low-code expert until the team gets used to the platform to ensure the creation of secure, scalable apps that meet user needs.

Train Users: Conduct low-code training partnering with an expert to ensure both business and experienced developers can quickly start building apps.

Get Ongoing Support for the Most Sophisticated Apps: Pending internal resources, investigate using consulting services from an expert. They can support building sophisticated apps, perform ongoing maintenance, and ensure your applications run smoothly.

Low-code development platforms give organizations the agility and speed needed to build industry-specific and custom apps to extend SAP S/4HANA while maintaining the clean core strategy.

What this Means for SAPinsiders

• Custom and industry-specific apps are a reality. When balancing them with maintaining SAP’s Clean Core strategy, low-code app development platforms offer the agility and speed that is needed to keep up with the pace of business.
• Low-code platforms expand app development into the business, alleviating backlog, lowering development costs, and accelerating the timeline for a custom app build, even for sophisticated apps.”
• Selecting the right low-code platform for your business requires understanding both the experience of your existing development community and the expanded group who will be building apps.
• Often, the need for a custom app is hidden using Excel and other tools that simplify joining data. Ask about these practices to see if low-code app development solutions can help your businesses better bring data together or extend system capabilities.