How to Start Building
An overview of different building approaches
Now that you have gotten settled into your new account, you may have big plans for what you want to build next. This might be a new app to help your team tackle their most important work, or an integration to pull data from the systems you rely on. This guide will introduce you to some of the most common methods to create a new app or integration you and your team can take advantage of.
Table of Contents
Building Your Next App
You may have already downloaded a demo app or two - or got help building your first app during your trial. There are a few different ways to create apps you may not have seen yet.
Tip: We recommend new app builders make sure to take our Quickstart Course, a build-along course that teaches you the fundamentals of app building in Quickbase in less than an hour.
A. Smart Builder Chat-to-AppWe know that a blank page can be daunting, so Smart Builder is here to give you a head start on creating a custom app designed for your business. Our Smart Builder takes the guesswork out of getting started on a new app with the help of AI. All you have to do is answer a few questions and in minutes Smart Builder will create an app that includes tables, fields, forms, reports, dashboards, and sample data for you. |
B. Smart Builder AI Spreadsheet Import (Coming soon)Build a custom app – complete with your own data – by uploading your spreadsheet into Quickbase AI. AI Spreadsheet Import uses AI to transform and normalize even the most advanced spreadsheet into a Quickbase app. In less than two minutes, you will have a custom app that incorporates dynamic dashboards, automated workflows, relationships, and most importantly your own data. |
C. Drag-and-Drop Visual BuilderIf you already have a picture in your mind for your app and are ready to build it from scratch, our Drag-and-Drop Visual Builder can help. It is intuitive way to create or update your app by adding tables, fields, and relationships, all by dropping items onto a canvas. After you map out the basics of your app you can always come back to the Visual Builder to expand your app with new tables, relationships, and fields. |
D. Import from LucidchartLucidchart is a popular tool for teams looking to document their workflows and we have partnered with them to support creating an app based on a Lucidchart entity relationship diagram (ERD) diagram. This enables you to visualize, design, and plan the schema of your app with your colleagues in Lucidchart, then quickly import it into Quickbase to create the new app. |
E. Start with a Template App from our ExchangeChoose a template that matches your needs from our library of ready-to-use business apps. Once you install it you can customize the app to your own workflow and team. |
Creating Integrations
While creating new apps to manage important workflows you may be wondering how to integrate with the systems your company already runs on. We have several options outlined below to help you integrate with key systems and automate your workflow to help you do away with manual work.
A. PipelinesUse a drag-and-drop workflow builder with over 40 pre-built integrations to connect to the systems your business relies on, and automate your manual workflows, and streamline processes. | ||
B. Connected TablesConnected tables are for setting up quick, one-way integrations. The data is read-only and can be updated from an external source on a schedule. It can be used to pull data from:
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C. Quickbase API (Advanced)Like many other software platforms Quickbase has an API that allows us to communicate and interface with other software applications. Think of it as a middleman that helps other systems to communicate with Quickbase and make requests. APIs are very common across systems and a developer familiar with them can use them to build custom integrations and workflows across different platforms.
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