EPISODE 026 - Technical: What is Low-Code/No-code?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Shit Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidel. And our question of today is, what is this low code, no code everyone talks about? So right now the feeling is in my social media bubble, mainly LinkedIn, that everyone is talking about low code, no code platforms. So the question is, what is this low code, no code, how to use it, when to use it, and maybe what is the best? Okay, so first, what is low code or no code? So if you're not that deep in the Microsoft world, then one of the famous platforms is Sapir or EFTTT. So if this, then that. And if you use Microsoft a lot, then you might know the Power Automate from the Power Platform or Logic Apps in Azure. And those platforms help you to automate processes to do some automation, but without writing a line of code. So there are a lot of activities or actions, whatever the platform is calling it. So you can drop in those actions, link it with a link. And so you can build your flows, your automation without any line of code. and just clicking and images and GUI and no use of your keyboard. So in one of the previous episodes, I talked about some automations I use or I used. And one of them was to sync my private calendar to my business calendar to have the time slots booked or free. And for this, I used Power Automate back then. So this is... This is a few years ago I used that flow. And why I used it? Just because I just want to test.

Michael Seidl: So just wanted to test Power Automate back then. And it was very easy because there are activities or actions to get appointments from a calendar, to write appointments to a calendar. So every action you want to do is an activity. You drop in, you connect it via the links, and then you build the flow without typing any code. Also the... credentials and authentication is done in GUI. So you don't need to write any code and talk to graph API, whatever, to any API. So everything is done by the GUI and that helps a lot to build simpler flows, simple automations. And of course help people without any knowledge or less knowledge of scripting or coding. That's the advantage. So without the knowledge of scripting and coding, can build a lot of automations, a lot of flows, what can help you in your daily business or also in your company. And so for this is the low code, no code system. In my opinion, if you have some more complex automations of flow, then you will end up any time to write some code. So for example, When I think about what we do for our customers a lot is user on off boardings. And there is a lot of calculations, maybe for example for usernames and something on. There is no ready activity to do so. So for this we need definitely code. So if it gets more complex, then you will end up any time or some time to use some code. Also in this local platforms like Power Automate or logic apps, I'm not sure if Sapir EFTTT is capable of this. But in the Microsoft system, you can add also some additional code in this flow. So you can combine it with the GUI stuff and some coding. But with everything has in common, you need at least to understand the systems of what my example was to synchronize the calendar, the appointments.

Michael Seidl: It is not just give me that and copy there because I wanted also to when I update an appointment from a private that the destination appointment in my business calendar was also updated. So I needed to store the unique ID of a private appointment in the destination appointment. So when there was an update, I searched for the other appointment and sent the update to the appointment, not create a new one. So for this, you also need to understand how everything works. And you need to dive in or think about, and maybe also try out some stuff. So it's not just drag and drop and everything is done. You need at least to think about and maybe make some failures. You just need to take care about the code, but you need to take care about the process, the flow, how it works. So that's the advantage. No coding, but you still have to think about and understand the thing what's happening behind. Okay. That will not do any low code, no code for you. Low code, no code means no scripting, no programming, but still think about the process and understand what's happening in the back. So the thing is, when do I use to choose programming or local platforms, to be honest. The one example I told you was in the past, so I was just trying Power Automate and it was easy to build. But everything else, I'm using PowerShell and Asia Automation. So not only for my customers, I do this also internally or for our company. when we sync, for example, invoices or contacts from the CM to the Inverse system and to our contact database, everything is done with PowerShell and H-Automation. Why? Just I'm feeling better in PowerShell. I think I'm faster in PowerShell. There might be a lot of processes what I could do with Power Automator Logic Apps, definitely.

Michael Seidl: but I'm just feeling better or I think it might also be sometimes faster in PowerShell than in a low code, no code platform. So that's the reason. So it's your decision. It is no one way for everyone. It's just your decision. You can start with low code, no code to get the idea, to get how everything works behind and maybe then go ahead to coding and scripting. But it's also fine to stay at the low code, no code platforms and to build your processes there. think there might be scenarios where you stuck at the low code, no code solutions because it's not possible to do very complex stuff. And it also depends on what activities are there. So there might be... Maybe every software, every application has an API, but it depends on those platforms. If there is an activity to use that platform, otherwise you have to go back to scripting and coding. that's maybe the limitation of those local platforms that you are limited to the activities this platform is offering to you. So those things can be automated or automated in the flow. And if there is no activity, then you're stuck. cannot do this PowerShell or scripting or any other programming language. Every time there is an API in any program, you can touch it and that's it. So that's maybe also an advantage for this. But let me know your preferences. When do you use low code, no code platform? When do you use scripting? Are you mixing those technologies or are you preferring one? So let me know. At the other hand, if you have any questions for the next podcast episode let me know send me a text message or an audio message and at the end I have to wish you a nice week stay productive and bye bye