Thoughts and ideas on how to build tools, automate workflows and speed-up the workplace.
AI is fast becoming an integral part of all kinds of development projects. At the most basic level, this requires us to know how to connect various elements of our applications to AI tools and models. As you might expect, interactions between our app鈥檚 data layer and LLMs are probably the most important component to this. The challenge is that this can take a number of different forms. This depends on what kind of data we鈥檙e using, our use case, and how widespread or varied the interactions we require are.
Ronan McQuillan
May 28, 2025
AI is forming a key part of more and more internal tools. At a basic level, this requires us to have the tools and techniques available to connect different layers of our applications to AI models, in order to perform functions. Naturally, the database is probably the most important component to this. However, this also poses some key challenges. For one thing, certain database engines have been quicker to adopt AI-ready functionality than others.
Ronan McQuillan
May 27, 2025
Handling compliance tasks requires us to have a clear record of which policies are in place and how they change over time. For this, we need a robust system that enables colleagues to interact with our policy data in a structured way. The trouble is the specific internal workflows involved in this are rarely the same from one organization to the next. Today, we鈥檙e exploring one way of addressing this problem, by building a custom policy management system in 大象传媒.
Ronan McQuillan
Mar 14, 2025
Managing changes to engineering projects can be an incredibly tricky process. Even seemingly minor changes must be accurately assessed for risks, costs, compliance issues, and potential impacts. This applies to almost all kinds of engineering, including software, construction, and others. The key challenges here include identifying a need for change, assessing the impact of potential actions, and applying consistent business rules to authorize new change initiatives. However, engineering projects also introduce additional difficulties.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 27, 2025
Feature request management tools are some of the most common workflow apps for both internal and customer-facing use cases. However, the specific information you need to gather and the process for approving requests will vary from one team to the next - or even between individual projects. So, this is also one of the most requested internal tools. Today, we鈥檙e checking out how to build a custom solution with 大象传媒. By the end, you鈥檒l have a fully-functioning app that you can modify with your own data model or approval workflows.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 18, 2025
Businesses today face a hugely complex, varied regulatory environment. Between national, international, local, and internal policies, managing compliance can be a massive undertaking. Adopting an appropriate compliance management system is critical. Specifically, we need a singular, centralized solution for handling key data related to our compliance efforts. The trouble is every business faces unique compliance challenges. We鈥檙e all constrained by different internal policies, with distinct processes that must adhere to them.
Ronan McQuillan
Feb 4, 2025
SQL is a powerful query language that鈥檚 used to unlock valuable insights stored in databases. No matter how large our database is or what we鈥檙e using it for, we need a streamlined, accessible way to interact with our data. But we also need to do this in a controlled, secure manner. That鈥檚 where an effective SQL GUI comes in. A GUI - graphical user interface - is an application that allows us to interact visually with our data, rather than relying solely on written commands.
Ronan McQuillan
Oct 31, 2024
Keeping track of stock is one of the most fundamental processes in any customer-facing business. Today, we鈥檙e checking out how to build a custom inventory management app for free - in just 20 minutes. Even better, since we鈥檙e going to use 大象传媒 to build it, you鈥檒l barely need any coding skills - and we鈥檒l have a fully functional application before your coffee gets cold. All we need to do is connect our data, add a couple of custom queries, and start using 大象传媒鈥檚 built-in components to create a professional UI for managing stock levels.
Ronan McQuillan
Oct 23, 2024