Build business apps with AppSheet without writing a single code

When AppSheet became part of the Google Cloud family earlier this year, it was a move to accelerate digital transformation. AppSheet is Google Cloud’s no-code development platform, designed to let anyone create a powerful app without having to write a single line of code. Instead of learning code or finding someone to create the app you need, you can use AppSheet to create the app, so you can focus on using it instead of developing or fixing it. Extending the ability to create apps and automate business processes from traditional IT to non-technical workers can be transformative. It both empowers those closest to challenges to create solutions and frees up IT to work on strategic initiatives instead of the backlog of line of business apps. 

AppSheet is part of Google Cloud’s business application platform which gives enterprises the tools to create and extend applications, build and automate business processes as well as connect and modernise applications, all with an emphasis on not only traditional developers but also citizen developers. 

Over the last few months, Google has increasingly integrated its machine learning technology into the platform, enabling users to do things like automate business processes via natural language inputs. Google’s machine learning has always been the basis of AppSheet’s intelligence features but Google has further integrated its technologies to give AppSheet an even greater understanding of an app creator’s intent, enabling the platform to accelerate development by offering “human-friendly” suggestions and checks. 

Google technologies have also improved natural language support in search, predictive features, optical character recognition analysis and much more. Whereas building machine learning into an app would have been prohibitively daunting just a few years ago, AppSheet lets anyone do it in as little as a few hours. 

Google has developed an exciting roadmap to make app-building even more intuitive, with planned feature enhancements including automatic detections of sensitive data and refined automation recommendations.

Access to data and apps, wherever they reside, is another area Google is focused on. The recently-announced Apigee data source for AppSheet will take that access to a new level, bringing together API management with no-code development. Citizen developers will now be able to leverage APIs to build no-code applications which gives app developers even more tools to build powerful apps, further accelerates app development and helps eliminate information silos. 

Google is also investing heavily in making it easier to automate business processes. Their recent announcement of AppSheet Automation is one step in this effort with an intent-driven authoring experience, powered by Google AI, along with comprehensive governance for centralised enforcement and monitoring of internal policies. Business developers can use this solution to easily connect to a number of data sources (such as Salesforce, MySQL, and Google Workspace) and quickly model automated business processes.

How to create apps with AppSheet

You can create your own application using AppSheet directly from Google Sheets. Open up a Sheet and you’ll see an option under “Tools” to “Open in AppSheet.” Once you create an AppSheet account, AppSheet will take care of the coding part, analysing the data structure and creating a prototype app from it. 

This easy connection between Sheets and AppSheet means it’s easier than ever to build the apps you need. It could be a curbside pickup app to manage customer orders, a safety app linked to Google Docs, a work order app integrated with Google Meet or a ticketing app to manage work orders. There are plenty of possibilities to explore, especially since AppSheet integrates with other handy tools like Google Calendar, Maps and more.