Low Code Automation Tools

What are Low Code Automation Tools??

Low Code Automation Tools are tools available that help bring the world of development and automation to those who have neither the experience nor time to create automations from scratch.??

These tools come equipped with a range of already developed and optimized methods of automation that allow for integration between a range of different web applications and services.?

Low Code Automation Tools typically employ a block type development structure where the developer just needs to simply select the types of blocks needed for the flow and add in the specific required parameters for those blocks to operate.??

The flow is typically sequential, meaning one task happens at a time and it depends on the previous task to complete before moving on.?

Where Low Code Automation Tools are Available??

Low Code Automation Tools are becoming ever more popular, and they are available as a service on a multitude of different platforms such as Microsoft’s Power Automate, Zapier, Make and Automation Anywhere.??

Most of these tools are available as online hosted solutions and have a free tier available for small automation projects that are not too complex. The paid versions of these services offer a wider variety of options and automation paths that are typically needed for more complex solutions.?

How Low Code Automation Tools Work?

Low Code Automation Tools typically follow a two-dimensional sequential flow where one task flows into the next and only one task can occur at a time. This is due to the block type nature of these tools to allow for an easy user experience.?

A typical flow would start off with a trigger event; something happens and that starts off the automation process. This is then followed by a number of events that are required to happen after the triggered event. The events flow after each other and can use the results from previous events as input if it is required.?

The Benefits of Low Code Automation Tools?

The main benefit of Low Code Automation Tools is how easy it is to build and deploy automation solutions in a quick and robust manner. Since the style of this automation method is designed to be easy to use, an automation solution can be created relatively effortlessly and within a short amount of development time.?

Some platforms offer a free tier of their service which means that you can have automations running without any cost incurred.?

There are usually many online tutorials available (as videos or short courses) where the basics are taught on how to use the service and what it is capable of.?

The Cons of Low Code Automation Tools?

Some cons of using Low Code Automation Tools are the limitation to what those tools are able to achieve. Most of these tools are limited to web-based applications and cannot interact with applications outside of the browser.??

Another limitation is the number of available events the tool is able to listen for to cause a trigger and the number of follow up events that it is able to then automate. Not all of these tools will have exactly what you are looking for all the time.?

Automating complex tasks with low code tools might not always be the best solution due to the limitations of what they are capable of.??

Conclusion?

Low Code Automation Tools are a great way to automate tasks and can be a relief from creating automation solutions from scratch; it can even be the better option since it has prebuilt blocks that may already take a lot of development time away.??

These tools are perfect if the automation is not too complex and is primarily web-based such as automating Google sheets from a calendar event.???

For more complex automations, this is still a good option, however, it could become more work to find and setup a solution than it is to create a custom automation from scratch.?