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Building your first app

Getting StartedTemplates & App Exchange

The Quickbase platform is designed to help you get started quickly. That's why we offer many ways to create a new application:

  • Start from scratch
  • Import a spreadsheet or ERD diagram
  • Start with a template
  • Use an API call
  • Generate from AI

Start from scratch

The visual builder for Quikcbase apps

Starting from scratch is the most popular method for creating Quickbase apps. The visual schema builder makes it easy for business users to create applications, working within the guardrails set up by IT.

The process is simple:

  1. Drag and drop your tables, fields, and relationships onto the canvas to get started.
  2. Click and drag each element around to ensure you have what you need for your new application.
  3. Click Create App. This will automatically build out the data model you’ve laid out, along with default dashboards, reports, and forms. 

Import a spreadsheet

Set up a basic production application in under a minute by importing a spreadsheet:  

  1. Import one of your existing spreadsheets.
  2. Use the visual schema builder to add more tables and relationships.

This is a great way to get quick insights from existing data or demo an idea for a new application. 

Start with a template

The Project Management Starter App from the Quickbase app exchange

Clone an application from our template library to explore what’s possible to build using Quickbase.

You can also use this method to get a head-start building your own application, modifying, and extending the schema as needed. However, most successful Quickbase applications are built from scratch. 

Import from Lucidchart

Quickly transform entity-relationship diagrams into working web applications with Lucidchart.

With real-time editing and commenting available in Lucidchart, you can also use it to collaborate on the data model before creating the application. 

Create an app via API

Programmatically create a new application, or clone an existing one, using our library of RESTful APIs.  

Like our other methods for creating an application, this allows you to define your basic data model. You can then customize reports, dashboards, and the like using the Quickbase UI.  

This is also a useful tool if you need to set up a formal process for creating new applications. In this case, you could:  

  1. Use a Quickbase application to manage the approval workflow.  
  2. Create a push-button mechanism to create an empty shell app.
  3. Provision the requestor as the application administrator.

Generate from AI

Generate from AI

Help business users get started creating an application with ease by using generative AI. The process is simple: 

  1. Answer a few questions about what you need.
  2. Within a few minutes a custom application will be generated for you.  

NOTE: This feature is in beta, and administrators can disable it at the account level if your organization does not allow generative AI to be used. 

Getting StartedTemplates & App Exchange