Connecting Spreadsheets with Internal Code (APIs, SQL)
A
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Ops World: Excel
Software Engineering World: Databases, APIs, Scripts, SQL
We need more ways to go back and forth between these two worlds.
Flank puts backend "building blocks" behind URLs, which makes it easy to embed existing code in, well, anything! But Excel-based workflows are the most common example.
Problem
- Friction moving between Excel workflows and internal systems
- For example, Ops identifies a list of user profiles that need to be updated, but then Engineering has to figure out what to do with the spreadsheet and actually make the updates
Existing Solutions
- Engineers have to take time out of their day to do spreadsheet uploads
- Ops has to go into an admin panel and update user profiles one by one
Solution
- Flank autogenerates UI for backend “building blocks”
- These building blocks can be directly accessed via URLs. Their inputs can be populated via URLs. By putting a URL in a spreadsheet, Ops can effectively use internal “building blocks” as Excel functions.
Value Added
- Ops <> Eng meet in the middle with each side doing what they’re comfortable with
