Building low-code applications

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Building low-code applications

    ServiceNow offers a suite of tools designed to help customers create and manage custom applications using low-code or no-code approaches. These tools cater to varying levels of technical expertise, from business users requiring simple request-fulfillment apps to developers seeking full control over app development with integrated or source-code environments.

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    Key Builders and Their Use Cases

    • Creator Studio: Ideal for users who want to quickly build request-fulfillment applications without any coding by leveraging helpful templates. Example: an office supplies request app with approval workflows.
    • App Engine Studio: Provides guided, low-code development for creating a broader range of custom apps from scratch or templates, suitable for users with some technical knowledge but no deep programming skills.
    • ServiceNow Studio: A unified, modern development environment designed for platform developers who want more control and productivity. It integrates low-code tools, metadata editing, and efficient packaging for deployment.
    • ServiceNow IDE and SDK: Support source code development using industry-standard tools such as Visual Studio Code. These are geared toward developers comfortable with coding, JavaScript modules, and using the domain-specific ServiceNow Fluent language for application metadata.

    Specialized Tools for ERP Integration and Customization

    • ERP Data Hub: Connects to ERP systems to extract data like sales orders and purchase documents, enabling use of ERP data in low-code apps on the ServiceNow AI Platform.
    • ERP Customization Mining: Helps identify custom ERP applications to facilitate platform migration efforts, such as moving from SAP to the ServiceNow AI Platform.

    Additional Development and Automation Tools

    • ServiceNow CLI: Enables managing applications through custom commands from the local command line, supporting developer workflows.
    • Decision Builder: Allows creation and management of decision tables to embed if-then business logic rules.
    • Workflow Studio: Integrates workflow automation for process improvement in a single interface.
    • Table Builder: Provides a visual interface to design tables, forms, and flows.
    • UI Builder: Facilitates building web user interfaces for various workspaces and portals using configurable and custom components.
    • Workspace Builder: Quickly creates custom workspaces from App Engine Studio apps.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging these tools, customers can:

    • Accelerate application development with minimal coding.
    • Choose the right builder based on technical skill and app complexity.
    • Integrate ERP data seamlessly into custom apps.
    • Automate business logic and workflows efficiently.
    • Use modern, unified environments to improve developer productivity and app delivery speed.

    This comprehensive toolkit enables customers to build tailored applications that enhance operational efficiency and support digital transformation initiatives on the ServiceNow AI Platform.

    Create and manage custom applications in a simple, low-code environment.

    ServiceNow Studio
    Use ServiceNow Studio to build apps and app files with integrated tools, access and edit metadata in scoped and global apps, and package app changes for deployment, all in one powerful development tool.
    App Engine Studio
    Use App Engine Studio for guided, low-code development to build a custom app from scratch or with a template.
    Creator Studio
    Use Creator Studio to quickly create a request/fulfill app based on Service Catalog using helpful templates.
    ERP Data Hub
    Use ERP Data Hub to connect to an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, create an ERP model, and extract data from the ERP system, such as sales orders, data records, and purchase documents. You can then use the ERP data when building low-code apps on the ServiceNow AI Platform.
    ERP Customization Mining
    Use ERP Customization Mining to find the custom applications in your ERP system for platform migration, such as from SAP to the ServiceNow AI Platform.
    ServiceNow CLI
    ServiceNow CLI enables you to create custom commands to manage applications from your local system's command line.

    Which builder should I use to create an app?

    Figure 1. Types of builders
    Different builders available for different skill levels

    Want to build an app easily, without code?

    Creator Studio specializes in helping you craft request-fulfillment applications without writing code. For example, an application to request office supplies by filling out a form, and someone approves or denies your request. For more information, see Exploring Creator Studio.

    Need a more general app but still want low-code options?

    App Engine Studio lets you build a broader range of apps than Creator Studio without being a programming pro. For more information, see Exploring App Engine Studio.

    Are you a developer who wants more control in a centralized user interface?

    Build apps smarter and deliver them faster with the new ServiceNow Studio. ServiceNow Studio empowers platform developers with a modern, unified environment for building on the ServiceNow AI Platform. ServiceNow Studio features streamlined navigation to applications and metadata, integrated low-code tools, efficient tracking and packaging of development work that accelerates development processes and enhances productivity. For more information, see Exploring ServiceNow Studio.

    Are you a developer who wants to use industry-standard development tools and processes?

    The ServiceNow IDE and ServiceNow SDK support developing applications in source code with ServiceNow Fluent, creating JavaScript modules, and using third-party libraries. ServiceNow Fluent is a domain-specific programming language for creating application metadata in code.

    The ServiceNow IDE is an implementation of Visual Studio Code for the Web on the ServiceNow AI Platform. The ServiceNow SDK uses Visual Studio Code Desktop locally. For more information, see Building applications in source code.

    Related applications and features

    Exploring decision tables
    Use Decision Builder to create and manage decision tables. Embed business logic into a series of if-then decision rules.
    ServiceNow Studio
    ServiceNow Studio gives developers access to app development builders and tools, all in one place.
    Flows in Workflow Studio
    Workflow Studio automates processes and repetitive work to improve efficiency and experience.
    Table Builder
    Use Table Builder to design tables, forms, and flows visually using a single user interface.
    UI Builder
    Use UI Builder to build web user interfaces for CSM Configurable Workspace, App Engine Studio generated workspaces and portals, or custom web experiences using Next Experience Components and custom web components.
    Workflow Studio
    Integrate workflow authoring, configuring, and monitoring into a single page experience.
    Workspace Builder
    Workspace Builder for App Engine enables you to create a custom workspace from App Engine Studio (AES) quickly and efficiently.