Quick Base Apps for Dev Ops

When you start to design and build apps in Quick Base one thing you quickly learn is how rapidly you can build user interfaces (UIs) for collecting data (Quick Base Forms). As a long time QB builder and integration developer I’ve learned that the speed at which I could build front end UIs and capture data into a table is truly unmatched by any other software platform I’ve worked with.

In a previous Dev Ops role, I discovered that I can leverage Quick Base’s speed and flexibility for many projects that I would not have originally thought to build on a No Code platform. Data elements that are bound to form elements, ability to use HTML and JS, data validation, and advanced rules capabilities with native forms are some of the features and properties of the platform that I appreciate for rapidly building UIs.

Recently I had to create a way to manage access to an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) and after a little thought about this might work, I built an app! Here’s the use case:

• Create a VM in Azure that is accessible by a group of engineers.
• To save cost the VM should be off when not in use.
• Usage of the VM should be tracked to justify cost.
• Engineers should not have access to the VM via Azure portal.

After doing a little research I learned that I could use API calls or timers to turn the VM on or off. I also needed a database table to track the access requests. For a quick and simple UI, a data table, and an API integration my next step was obvious…build an app! Within a couple hours I had a Quick Base app with 3 tables, a webhook, a workflow in MS Flow, and notifications to end user.

The engineer wanting to access the VM now goes into the Quick Base app and creates a new request. That new request record triggers a webhook to MS Flow that will check to see if the VM is running on and start it if needed. Once the VM is running the engineer is sent an email that it is ready. The Quick Base application also contains documentation and support materials for using the Azure VM. Each evening the VM is automatically turned off save cost as there is no overnight engineering shifts. Creating the request in Quick Base takes a few seconds but the app is able to collect the time and date of access, the engineer requesting use, and some additional attributes about intended use which all might provide additional insight at a later date.

I hope this example helps spurs some creative new apps! If it does, please share them with me!

Erich Wehrmann

Best Practices Consultant