No-Code: When the Dust Settles

Maarten Stam’s LI post started an interesting discussion about SAP Build Apps (aka AppGyver) and no-code app building in general. Here are some points I picked up.

“[…] business value is very 'front heavy'” – yes, any business app that is more than primitive requires front-end and back-end effort. In case of SAP Build Apps, it provides front-end to the extent it’s capable of and it means back-end development needs to do all the heavy lifting. This is in general a concern with all no-code ideas: it doesn’t remove the need for developers, it just shifts the effort elsewhere.

“[…] the 'source code' is hard to revisit, as its basically a design made in the proprietary no-code visual editor.” As Maarten elaborates, “[pro-code] can be fitted with comments and can otherwise be parsed and analyzed to see what it does”. If the app gets used for a long time with no changes needed, then it’s a big win. But that isn’t always the case. Who and how will maintain “the code created by no-code”? Also, will SAP Build Apps be there for you (and at what cost?) for the whole planned lifetime of the apps?

I quite liked AppGyver and I’m not saying at all “stay away from no-code”. There are also good comments on Maarten’s post that I’d encourage to read. Main point is when you jump into The No-Code Land, make sure you know what you’re getting into and have a good extraction plan for when things go sideways. JP

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