How low-code approaches are changing the ERP applications : pros and cons

Abstract

ERP applications play a vital role in today’s business world due to its ability to centralize and streamline key business processes into a single, integrated platform. Conventionally, even after an ERP application is developed, it requires custom code to perform configurations and upgrades. But with rapidly changing businesses, growing business demands and a shortage of IT expertise, this process is no longer effective for the modern world. To address this challenge, building inbuilt components, drag and drop features and lobby pages using low-code (LC) approaches is a workable and satisfactory solution when developing ERP applications from scratch using custom code. This enables non-technical users to make customizations and enhancements within ERP applications to meet customer requirements within a fleeting period and minimal budget. This thesis discusses the advantages and disadvantages of applying LC approaches into ERP applications.

Applying LC approaches in ERP applications offers ease of use, faster development, and lower costs by enabling users with minimal technical knowledge to efficiently create and deploy applications. This approach promotes digital innovation, improves cross-functional collaboration, and accelerates deployment, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and fostering flexibility and adaptability in the development process. Despite its advantages, this approach has limitations such as restricted customization, which can hinder the development of highly tailored solutions. Additionally, they may encourage unofficial IT solutions, introduce security concerns, and face challenges with tracking changes, performance constraints, and scalability issues.