Microsoft’s New App Making App

On December 19, 2013, Microsoft launched “Project Siena.” Project Siena is designed to allow users to develop Windows-based apps without the need for an experienced programmer. According to the statement released by Microsoft, the app is primarily for business professionals, consultants and analysts.

Essentially, create an app with Seina requires only the most basic understanding of apps, as well as the ability to read and understand. This has the potential of being a significant money saver for companies without an in-house programmer.

Microsoft goes on to explain, “Siena apps are as easy as editing a document. You place some visuals on a canvas. You hook them up to your data. You customize how your app looks and works. Then, if you need special logic and intelligence, you write some Excel-like expressions. You can use your app immediately, or share it with colleagues or the world.” App creation is explained in a detailed step-by-step guide once downloaded.

There are a wide range of possible apps that can be created through Siena. These may include, but certainly aren’t limited to product catalogs, logistics, customer service, auditing, inspecting, etc. Created apps can be made capable to utilize pen and voice notes, videos and photos.

Siena app users will be able to connect to web data bases. They will also be able to integrate business intelligence using Excel-like expressions. According to the app’s description in the webstore, “Siena works well with corporate and web data and media content: SharePoint lists, Excel and Azure tables, RSS feeds and the gamut of RESTful services.”

Created apps can be managed similarly to other Windows 8.x apps. Additionally, Siena apps can be modified or expanded by programmers with the knowledge and ability to do so. This allows businesses to create the basic app in-house and then pay to have it customized, as needed. Although Siena is the first of its kind, it is likely that others will follow suite to make an app-creating app available through all systems.

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