Low code is no replacement for software development, say German-speaking SAP users
- Reference: 1669365072
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/11/25/sap_build_dsag/
- Source link:
At TechEd last week, [1]SAP introduced SAP Build , the latest iteration of its low-code concept designed to provide an environment to give business users access to end-to-end processes, data and context to build applications within its enterprise software portfolio.
It draws on SAP Business Technology Platform, a piece of middleware that sits between applications in a way the vendor claims will allow users to create and augment enterprise applications, automate processes, and design business sites with "drag-and-drop simplicity."
[2]
German-speaking user group DSAG offered its view with CEO Jens Hungershausen and CTO Sebastian Westphal welcoming SAP Build as a solution that could be effective in reducing the shortage of skilled workers in many areas of SAP software development and to reduce the problem of "shadow IT."
[3]
[4]
But they also expressed reservations. "It must be clear to everyone that this solution is not a replacement for classic software development, and therefore it remains to be seen to what degree of process depth the offer will prove itself in practice," they said in a statement.
The statement said that it was a positive move to allow SAP Build to closely integrate with SAP's core products, existing IT governance and security concepts, and be upgradeable and releasable in the long term. "IT departments must ultimately ensure the operational capability of the entire SAP solutions and every company must be able to provide information on business and IT processes to auditors and accountants at any time."
[5]
However, large businesses running enterprise SAP software were still struggling with end-of-life dates for many long-standing solutions. "The SAP roadmaps are still full to bursting here and require prioritized implementation – the new SAP Build offer does not provide a remedy here," said the user group, which represents companies using SAP in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
[6]SAP renames developer platform and bundles it with S/4HANA
[7]SAP injects more low code into ERP platform for non-coding biz types
[8]SAP's vision underplays complexity of S/4HANA cloud migration, says Gartner
[9]ServiceNow boss embarks on corporate trolling to get rise out of SAP
It also pointed out that SAP Build was biased towards a cloud-first strategy, something users remain skeptical about.
Integration with the cloud-focused Business Technology Platform showed SAP was consistently pursuing the path to the cloud-only world, it said. "From DSAG's point of view, it is a path that is entirely opportune and understandable. However, as one of our last surveys showed, a large number of our member companies are still heavily involved in the on-premise environment."
As well as SAP Build, the vendor has introduce approaches to low-code including AppGyver, a partnership with specialist Mendix and a different SAP technology called Ruum.
Speaking to The Register , Bharat Sandhu, SVP for AI and application development platform at SAP, said low-code had been an evolution for most companies, including SAP. "What we've been very focused on is making sure we can provide really good value for our customers with what all the learnings we've had in the past. And we'll be hearing from customers as we work with them every single day. SAP Build is an evolution of our low-code strategy. What it really does is it brings together our previously disconnected products into one unified development experience."
[10]
Within the platform SAP has included enterprise capabilities such as authentication, he said. ®
Get our [11]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/15/sap_injects_more_lowcode_into/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y4CgSc63lIbjI6bHHYeEngAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y4CgSc63lIbjI6bHHYeEngAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y4CgSc63lIbjI6bHHYeEngAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y4CgSc63lIbjI6bHHYeEngAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/17/sap_renames_developer_platform/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/15/sap_injects_more_lowcode_into/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/10/saps_vision_belies_complexity_of/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/27/servicenow_q3_2022/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y4CgSc63lIbjI6bHHYeEngAAAAU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Low code in essence is just another level of abstraction from machine code - a very high level language if you like.
The art of programming though is a way of thinking, a mental approach more than a particular language. Ask a business person to define the process or problem they need solving or automating, and inevitably you'll get a vague, poorly specified, ill thought through answer. Your next step is to tease of them what they're actually after, and make them aware of the knock on effects of what they're asking for. It's the classic beginners exercise of writing down how to make a cup of tea. Most non-programmers miss several of the crucial steps.
No matter how high level the language, you still need to think like a programmer to make the machines do useful stuff. Putting amateurs and hobbyists in charge will inevitably lead to a mess of a system and most likely the loss or corruption of valuable data.
Programming is just a small, but important part of software development - just like bricklaying is a small but important part of construction.
Low-code doesn't remove the need to think about the problem and design and implement in a structured and maintainable way, otherwise you are simply back to the business critical spreadsheet some user knocked up and thus is flying under the radar.
Ask a business person to define the process or problem they need solving or automating, and inevitably you'll get a vague, poorly specified, ill thought through answer.
They should not define how it should be automated. What they should define is the problem they have, not what the solution should be. Too often users think in term of 'how' instead of 'why', and it's the job of IT to make them think in term of 'why' instead of 'how'. This should be the base of an expression of needs on which both business and IT should agree, as a contract between them. In an ideal world, this expression wouldn't mention the technical solution to that problem. The solution should come later from the designer, who should ensure the solution fits well the expression of needs.
Understand users needs is an art which should be taught in IT schools.
== Bring us Dabbsy back! ==
Still Generic
Low code always seems to be about generic business needs, and it never seems to allow digging in to the code to allow modifications to that code that are often needed by very specific business needs. As such there's always some demand for actual coding even on the business side of the 'I.T. Wall' to be able to get solutions put together to meet very particular business requirements.
Re: Still Generic
I agree here, I like using power automate TBH, its very useful for some things and it slots in nicely with office and so on, and its the same with things like connectors. Some of them are really useful, some of them are great for the average user.
But they are blocks of code that do a very specific thing, yes you can tweak them and play around a bit. But you can almost end up having to spend as much time figuring out something as it would to actually have someone write some code, and anyone diving that deeply into tweaking it is probably not the average office user low code is aimed at anyway.
Once you start to go past a certain point of complexity, it's either not possible to build it with these blocks or it becomes a monstrosity of hacks cobbled together just waiting to fall over.
Bah Humbug
Inevitably if end users are given the chance to automate something, it is only a trivial few out of thousands that will spend the time to do it.
Reason: they just want to get it done and move on to the next thing. Sort of like IT staff, really. Even if, over the long hall it could be done and result in a net time saving. Time is of the essence.
Most of the time, its one person with one itch to scratch. Once the business realises they can save time, THEN, there is some chance the process might be started. But, never, ever, will it be end users themselves doing it, they will palm it off to IT.
Picking up a new skill, like coding, is something only driven by business imperative. For some, even thinking logically like this is a new field. And for a great many, thinking is something new. If you think users will flock to low-code solutions, ask yourself "How many users still manually add up columns of data in Excel".
Whenever I read about low-code or no-code, I find that all of the praise comes from the people who are making these platforms, or, sometimes, from people who are tinkering with them, or learning to use them, or planning to use them.
Praise from people who actually use them in production is conspicuosly absent.
I also notice a remarkable number of caveats about things it doesn't replace, and not very many mentions of things it does replace.