mrc's Cup of Joe Blog

Join us in exploring the world of modern development, evolving technologies, and the art of future-proof software

Month: November 2024

How to turn a spreadsheet into a web app in 6 minutes

EducationI’ve mentioned the dangers of spreadsheet misuse on many occasions, and explained why it’s so important to put that spreadsheet data into your database. However, I realized that I’ve never showed you how to turn your spreadsheets into database-driven web apps.

So, we created a video to do just that. The following video explains why you should convert your spreadsheets into web apps, and even shows you how it’s done. You might be surprised to learn just how simple this process is.

Note: This video is best viewed in 720p(HD) resolution at full screen. Click the “gear” icon below the video to change the resolution.

To learn more, please visit this page: https://www.mrc-productivity.com/solutions/spreadsheets.html

How to create a customer portal in 11 minutes

developmentA customer portal provides a secure, customer-only area on your site where customers can purchase products, view information, submit support requests, update account information, and more. They help businesses improve customer satisfaction, streamline customer support, and even drive revenue.

But…building a customer/vendor portal is a tricky task. One portal must display different data to different users. If one user logs in and sees data that they shouldn’t see, you’ll have a big problem on your hands. You need a way to not only build all of the applications in your portal, but ensure they have at least 3 types of security set up:

1. User security: The most basic security option, user security limits portal access to only registered users.
2. Application security: Once a user logs in to the portal, application security controls which applications they can access.
3. Multi-tenant security: This type of security controls user access at a row level. That means different users can access the same application but only see the data that they’re authorized to access.

Here’s a question: How long does it take to build a secure customer portal and populate that portal with applications for your customers? A few weeks? Months?

How about 11 minutes?

We just created a video to show you how it’s done. This video walks you through the process of building a few applications, setting up security, and creating a customer portal. We walk you through everything from start to finish so you can see just how easy portals can be (with the right tools).

Want to try it for yourself? Set up an m-Power Test Drive.

Want to read the video transcript instead of watching the video? You can find it here: How to create a customer portal in 11 minutes.