Getting all your business’s data in a single place is key for making decisions and using data to build productivity-enhancing automation. But doing so can be a massive headache, especially if your data is in legacy systems or spread across various software platforms. In many cases, integrating systems and sharing data across them requires custom development, which is time-consuming and costly.
That’s where low code integration can step in. It’s a fast and cost-effective alternative that can transform how you interact with your business’s data.
In this guide, we explain everything you need to know about low code integration and show how it can be used to harness data across a wide range of industries.
Low code integration enables you to share data between business software with little to no manual coding.
You can use low code integration to extract, transform, and load data from multiple systems into a common database, synchronize data across platforms, and build data-driven automation.
Low code integration is used extensively in various industries, including manufacturing, retail, energy, and more.
At CLEVR, we’re well-versed in low code integration. We help manufacturing, retail, energy, financial services, and healthcare businesses implement low code integration to better leverage their data. We work extensively with the Mendix low code platform to offer integration solutions, including data warehousing, synchronization, analysis, and automation. In particular, we specialize in integrations for Siemens, SAP, IBM, Salesforce, and SIG.
Low code integration enables you to connect and share data between software platforms without extensive code development in application programming interfaces (APIs).
Instead of coding, you can use a visual interface to define the platforms you want to connect and how data should be shared between them. For example, you could use a low code integration platform to synchronize employee data (like email addresses and phone numbers) between your HR and IT software in just a few clicks.
Low code development platforms typically offer a set of predefined categories for syncing and sharing specific types of data from popular business applications. Many also have built-in workflow automations to help you push data to a centralized database. You can augment these low code workflows with custom code if you need more flexibility or have highly complex applications.
The benefit of low code platforms is that they largely eliminate the need for professional developers and enable your employees to act as citizen developers. Employees are empowered to create the data integrations they need, and you can dramatically cut the development time to launch new integrations.
You can use low code integration to harness your business’s data in many different ways. Let’s look at three of the most common low code integration processes.
Extract, transform, load (ETL) is a three-step process that involves taking data from different software applications, transforming that data into a common format, and then loading it into a database or another application.
ETL integrations can be extremely useful for archiving legacy data or combining data from multiple platforms into a single database for business intelligence. You can also create ETL workflows that run regularly to back up data.
Data synchronization ensures changes made in one system update across all systems that rely on that data.
For example, suppose you change an employee’s name in your HR system. Data synchronization would ensure the employee’s name is also changed in your IT system, workforce management software, and all other business platforms.
Data synchronization is critical for preventing duplication of effort and can eliminate repetitive tasks like updating records across multiple systems. It also ensures your employees are always working with up-to-date data.
Additionally, low code development platforms can be used to create automations that span multiple platforms. For example, you could use integrations to ensure a new lead in your customer relationship management (CRM) software triggers a new task in your sales team’s task management software.
Low code automation can significantly enhance productivity, prevent important work from being missed, and help your business achieve digital transformation.
Next, let’s explore some examples of how low code integration can be used in different industries.
Manufacturing companies can use low code integration in several ways.
For example, they can integrate data from legacy equipment with a computerized maintenance management system to better predict downtime and direct capital investments in new equipment.
Manufacturers can also use low code development to aggregate compliance data, reducing the time it takes to file required reports and eliminating costly errors.
Retailers can use low code development to better manage their supply chain by integrating their inventory management and procurement platforms.
These companies also integrate product lifecycle management tools with CRM, procurement, and product design software to create a single source of information for every product. This enhances collaboration between product, sales, and operations teams.
Energy companies can lean on low-code integration to achieve critical automations, such as creating warning systems based on data from multiple types of sensors or equipment.
Businesses in the energy sector can also integrate data from diverse systems to train AI models — which can, in turn, enhance the efficiency of power generation and delivery. For example, energy companies can integrate data from weather sensors and solar panels to predict solar generation and determine the most cost-effective energy mix.
Financial services businesses can leverage low-code application development tools to build automated compliance workflows that pull data from multiple systems, including customer databases and transaction monitoring software. Companies can also create custom ETL processes to warehouse legacy data that regulators require.
Lastly, healthcare companies can use low code integration to develop data pipelines that comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and enable interoperability between billing and patient care systems.
These integrations can also eliminate repetitive tasks, such as record-keeping, which saves healthcare professionals time and enables them to deliver better treatment.
CLEVR helps businesses implement low code integration across new and legacy systems, ensuring data flows seamlessly across all core operational tools. We’re a certified Mendix and Siemens partner with deep experience working with enterprise resource management (ERP), CRM, and product management software.
We work with companies in various industries and tailor our integrations to each business’s unique needs. Our process focuses on flexible and rapid application development so your business can respond quickly to market demands or organizational changes. We support you through the entire integration process — from ideation to implementation to scaling — ensuring your digital transformation is successful.
Check out our low code solutions to learn more about how CLEVR can help you integrate your business’s key platforms and harness your data.
Final Thoughts on Low Code Integration
Low-code integration can be a powerful tool for aggregating, syncing, and analyzing your business’s data across multiple systems. It eliminates the need for professional developers, saving your company time and money while enabling your employees to create the integrations they need to work effectively.
To learn more about how lowcode can boost your business, check out our comprehensive guide to low code.
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