Intrexx Alternative - Appollo Low Code Platform

Today, you can find more than 100 low-code platform provider and there are many alternatives like Intrexx , Mendix or Outsystems. Many of them can be compared e.g., at Sourceforge Software Products.

Start reading what makes Appollo so different.

Why

APPOLLO?

Easy to learn, easy to understand, graphically configurable

Understanding of Low Code

A common understanding of low code is to develop apps using graphical elements, configured and connected by drag&drop, instead of writing millions of lines of code.

Today, there are much more than 100 alternatives of low code platforms, like Mendix, Outsystems or Intrexx. But there‘s a huge difference, especially since many do not model graphically or use dialogs to configure data with highest risk of inconsistencies.

Benefits of Appollo

In Appollo everything is graphical, particularly the data models are graphically represented.

Business and all stakeholders easily understand all graphical modeling, from data model, user interface, process to backend.

For any apps, complex automation, industry & IoT solutions

Understanding Types of Apps

Today, most of low code alternatives are either specialized for mobile app development, like Mendix, Intrexx or Outsystems, or process digitalization, like Pega. According to Gartner, companies are using up to 4 low code platforms to fulfill all business needs.

Also the low code efficiency is different. Which means that dependening on the complexity of your app, you are mostly required to use high code and high professional IT developers in an early stage.

Benefits of Appollo

Appollo provides the development of mobile app, web app, core enterprise apps and process digitalization as well as industry and IoT solutions of any complexity. Even highest complex apps can be developed visually by no-code up to 95%, only 5% remains in simple JavaScript coding, which means a few lines of modularized coding of business logic.

Apps are online at the push of a button, without IT support but highest security

Understanding App Delivery

Application delivery must consider 3 major aspects.

Performance
Security
Ease of Use

Benefits of Appollo

As a precondition, Appollo seamlessly integrates into an existing infrastructure, thus avoiding shadow IT.

Application delivery is just a click at a button without any IT support. Publishing takes place within seconds.

As an outstanding feature, Appollo provides publish application functions right a way, without any restart of the current application for highest availability.

Runtime access can be configured with fine-grain access rights.

The only all-in-one platform that supports the entire application life cycle

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Understanding App Life Cycle

The Application Life Cycle consists of five phases

Analysis
Design
Development
Test
Operation

Benefits of Appollo

Appollo not only supports low code development but all phases of the application life cycle. Starting from Business Analysis and Design, up to Test Automation and Operation.

As an outstanding feature, Appollo has an integrated graphical issue management, including also a Kanban board for an agile project management.

None of the well-known low code alternatives, like Intrexx, Kissflow, Bizagi and many more do not provide the entire application life cycle starting with business analysis and design with a seamless tranistion into low code development.

Up to 10x faster than traditional programming, significantly lower costs

Understanding Low Code Speed

Typically, low code speed is measured using the duration of low code development phases.

Besides that, there is a high potential to speed up application delivery during all phases of the application life cycle.

Benefits of Appollo

Supporting all phases of application life cycle, the Appollo Low Code Platform provides you the potential to significantly increase application delivery, up to 10 times faster than conventional development methods.

This ultimately leads to a significant reduction in development, operation and maintenance costs.

APPOLLO

is more than just

Low Code

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION & INNOVATION

Visualize a complete enterprise analysis for heatmap derived strategic decisions

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Support for Digital Transformation and Innovation

Use Appollo from the very beginning
Make a complete enterprise analysis
Conduct a strategic consulting by identifying gaps, risks, benefits and recommendations
Document all findings, risks and recommendations directly at the graphical model and element using the integrated issue management
Discuss strategic decisions on a heat map-based evaluation of such issues
Drill-Down to any detailed model of your analysis
Seamlessly continue with business analysis and requirements engineering for most critical uses cases
Use one common tool context for all stakeholders and for all phases of digital transformation

From today’s point of view low code alternatives, you can compare IBM BPM, Intrexx, LANSA, AgilePoint or whatever provider, none of them will start with a strategic analysis of digital transformation on their platform.

BUSINESS ANALYSIS & REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING

Use more than 20 model types for a detailed graphical business analysis

Support for Business Analysis and Requirements Engineering

Use more than 20 model types and the integrated issues management for a graphical business analysis and requirements engineering.

Advantage

Close the gap between business and IT
Avoid misunderstandings and miss implementation to speed up delivery time
Instead of writing business requirements in kind of Word, Excel or PowerPoint, deliver graphical models and user stories up to evolutionary prototypes of your use cases

Details

Work together using one common visual language and one common tool context
Add attachments and description to each model or model elements

Support for business analysis and integrated requirements engineering speeds up app development but is hardly to find it in other low code alternatives like Neptun, Simplifier, Axon Ivy, Intrexx and many more.

Create graphical user stories for a seamless transition into low code development

low-code-model-types-for graphical-business-analysis-reuirements-engineeering

Issue Management

Appollo provides an integrated issue management, where issues like user stories, requirements or bugs can be directly added to a model or even an element.

Advantage

Developers directly know where to fix the issue
Project planning and controlling on one platform

Details

Create your sprints to provide an agile project management and assign issues to the developers
Issue creation and verification directly at the correct model and element

The integrated graphical issue management is a unique selling proposition of Appollo and supports for faster app develeopment and maintenance as well as project management. Therefore evaluate low code alternatives e.g., at saasworthy, like Caspio, WaveMaker or Intrexx and many more.

FOR HIGH COMPLEX PROCESS, MOBILE, WEB AND ENTERPRISE APPS

Use BPMN standard for the digitalization of processes

Process Digitalization by BPMN Standard

Other alternatives like Intrexx or Mendix provide workflow automation. But most of them don’t use BPMN as process standard. With the Appollo Low Code Platform, you can easily create high complex process digitalization using the BPMN standard and directly connect to any kind of Mobile, Web or Core Enterprise Apps by no-code.

Advantage

Graphical development of any kind of complex process.
Out-of-the-box integration of process-to-mobile app communication.
Usage of a well-known industry standard.

Details

Realize your workflows by just drag&drop and no-code configuration
The graphical model represents exactly what is executed at runtime

Use CMMN standard to include dynamic case management into your business processes

Dynamic Case Management by CMMN Standard

The Appollo Platform offers the possibility to use Dynamic Case Management based on the CMMN standard for dynamic or document-centric workflows.

Advantage

While processes are rather static, more dynamic use cases can be easily automated by Dynamic Case Management
Case Management offers a high flexibility while still follow the established guidelines

Details

Create your case plan by drag&drop and integrate them seamlessly into your workflows by no-code

Dynamic Case Management is important in many business and public sectors. Therefore also some of the low code providers offer this feature but evaluate e.g., alternatives like PEGA, Intrexx or Mendix if they can provide it according to the CMMN standard, like Appollo.

Use DMN standard and nestable decision tables for your business rules

Rules Engine and Decision Tables by DMN Standard

Appollo provides an integrated Rules Engine based on the DMN standard to integrate your business rules.

Advantage

Any kind of nested decisions can be modeled understandable and maintainable even by the business departments
Simplifies the design and execution of the business rules within a business process by drag&drop and no-node

Details

Use any kind of input and output data to visualize the business rules and integrate the decision tables directly into your process

Use PWA progressive web app technology and one single code base for both mobile apps and web apps

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PWA Technology for Mobile App

Other alternatives like Outsystems or Intrexx create native Apps. The Appollo Low Code Platform instead provides the progressive web app (PWA) technology for mobile app development.

Advantage

Use one single code base for both mobile apps and web apps
No app store is required

Details

Configure a mobile app with just a couple of clicks
Install the app at your home screen directly from the browser
Optionally, your app can be published into any app store

Use more than 50 no-code configurable UI Elements from simple to high complex pixel-perfect user interface

More than 50 UI Elements

Design any complex user interface with more than 50 UI elements, including tables, google maps, charts and many more.

Advantage

Create complex UI pages in nearly no-time

Details

UI elements are highly configurable by no-code
capture events by no-code to easily implement event-based condition, UI validation and UI page flow action
easily configure a fine-grained visibility and access control of UI elements
add individual CSS styles or setup your corporate design
adjust a pixel-perfect responsive design for any device

Easily integrate any kind of individual custom UI components for an unlimited user experience

Support for Custom UI Component

The Appollo Low Code Platform provides the possibility to easily integrate any kind of individual custom UI component available on the market.

Advantage

There is no limit for your creativity to design for gorgeous user experience

Details

Comfortably edit the HTML, JavaScript and CSS of the custom UI component in the UI editor of the Apollo Low Code Platform
Directly integrate the UI component by No-Code into any UI page. Just map your data attributes and connect the UI page flow in a User page flow model based on custom UI event
Reuse a UI component in any UI page

FASTER TIME-TO-MARKET & HIGHER QUALITY

Generate and reuse UI components for high speed delivery and zero fault tolerance

UI Component Generation

The Appollo Low Code Platform provides the possibility to add multi-lingual user interface properties and validation & default values directly at the data attribute.

Advantage

Generate multi-lingual UI components including all necessary validation directly from your data objects in seconds
Lengthy translation effort or scripting of validation rules on User Interface elements is a thing of the past

Details

Add labels, placeholders, tooltips or error messages multi-lingual directly at the data element
Integrate all validations, like range, length, regular expressions or validation functions on data level

Modularize large enterprise-grade projects into subprojects to integrate reusable components by no-code

Project Modularization

To support large scale projects, the Appollo Low Code Platform enables to modularize enterprise grade projects into subprojects.

Advantage

Reuse specific parts of the application, like external system integration, as a library over many projects
Reduce maintenance and familiarization by working with small sized projects

Details

Communicate between subprojects by calling specific API models by no-code from your process, your mobile app or web app
Integrate previously created components into your new project by no-code to ramp up the development
Use GIT-based version management and branches

ALWAYS-ON APPLICATIONS & ON-THE-FLY DELIVERY

Publish-lock-unlock microservices for highest availability and maintainability without downtime

low-code-microservices-publish-on-the-fly

Highest Availability

All models are considered a microservice, which means they can be published independently.

Advantage

Achieve highest availability by publishing change request and new features without server and application downtime
Avoid financial or reputation damage by locking faulty services while still continue using all other application services
Avoid testing effort by only testing the newly published models

Details

In case of an issue in your application, you can directly lock a specific microservice, while the rest of the application is still running smoothly
Unlock it again when the issue is resolved without downtime

REDUCTION OF TOTAL COST OF OWNERSHIP AND CHANGE

Full application lifecycle support to significantly reduce development, operations and maintenance costs

Cost Reduction

Appollo supports the full application life cycle.

Advantage

By supporting the full application life cycle the Appollo Low Code Platform reduces both the total costs of ownership and the total costs change

Details

Start using Appollo from the very beginning of your innovative idea
Invite stakeholders and end users for an efficient collaboration
As a business analyst, deliver prototypes for a seamless transition into low code development
Deliver on-the fly and use test automation
Monitor KPI and business activities
Continue with the next innovation cycle containing optimizations and new enhancement

The Appollo Low Code Platform seamlessly integrates into your enterprise architecture

low-code-enterprise-architecture-integration

Infrastructure Requirements

For the infrastructure, it is recommended to have one server instance per environment, while the production environment should be redundant.

For development, test and staging environments, we minimally require the following specification:

CPU:6 Core x 3.6 GHz
RAM:32 GB
SSD:2 x 480 GB Software RAID 1

For production environments, we minimally require the following specification:

CPU:8 Core x 3.6 GHz
RAM:64 GB
NVMe2 x 960 GB Software RAID 1

Depending on the needed users and the complexity of the applications, these instances may require to be adjusted over time.

Appollo = Success Factor

Low Code &

Citizen Development

SUCCESS FACTOR: Roadmap for fast Ramp Up

Low Code & Citizen Development

Appollo Low Code Platform & Citizen Development

Other alternatives are mainly built for professional developers, like Outsystems or Intrexx. Appollo is built for citizen development, while suppporting also professionals. As a success factor we recommend a roadmap of 3 phases, guided by a Center of Excellence.

Center of Excellence

governance and controlling responsibility
organizational change management

Phase 1 „Discover“

Identity a specific Use Case for a Proof of Concept
Get trained with the Low Code Platform
Find the right Citizen Developer Team (skills: motivated, business experts, technical interest)

Phase 2 „Evolve“

Realize Apps for business functions
make ongoing Assessments and Focus on Quality and risks
identify and close gaps

Phase 3 „Scale“

create apps for organization units
provide rapid implementation
always innovating, high agility

SUCCESS FACTOR: Skill-based Project Organization

Access Control in Large Scale Projects

low-code-citizen-development-skill-based-development

Appollo Project Organization & Citizen Development

A very important second success factor is a skill-based project setup which corresponds to the entire application architecture. Use project modularization into subprojects. Subprojects can be used by no-code from parent projects. Give access rights to authorized users according to skills.

User Interface

use junior citizen developers
tasks consist of mostly drag&drop, no-code, easily testable

Business Process, Business Rules, Dynamic Case Management

requires senior citizen developers
business employees are the perfect candidates as they know their workflows and business rules very well

System Integration and DB layer

take care to search for expert citizen developers
already very familiar with the in-depth technical aspects of Appollo

SUCCESS FACTOR: High Quality by Clean Low Code

Functionality, Robustness, Security, Maintainability

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Appollo Clean Low Code & Citizen Development

Third success factor is about Clean Low Code, an important convention of Appollo Low Code Platform and a basis to guarantee high quality. High Quality not only means functional quality, but also robustness, security and maintainability.

Functionality

separate complex functions in submodels as a microservice
use a test automation

Robustness

fatal errors or business errors are always handled by no-code
you cannot publish a model if those errors aren’t handled

Security

developers never know or can log system access data
SQL injection is not possible
fine grained access rights to publish into runtime environment
audit logs

Maintainability

models should be easy to read and direct understandable
keep models self-contained, small and only use a few lines of code

SUCCESS FACTOR: Agility

Issue Management, Kanban Board, Microservices, Runtime Issues

low-code-integrated-issue-management-kanban-board-agile-project-management

Appollo Agility & Citizen Development

Another important success factor is about Agility. There are several features of the Appollo Low Code Platform which help to support agility and high speed delivery in the project and even more.

Graphical Issue Management