I’ve got a few queries regarding backend solutions:
Can Tulip facilitate the creation of a comprehensive DB structure? This includes setting up schemas, defining table relations, implementing key constraints, and establishing roles within the system.
Is it possible to utilize an external data source such as SQL as a comprehensive backend solution for interacting with apps?
How does Tulip ensure the retention of historical information within the system, especially in scenarios involving disaster recovery and for purposes of data mining and reporting?
Looking forward to your insights and guidance on these matters!
Let me see if I can help you with these questions:
The short answer is no…
But I’ll elaborate - The primary intent of the Tulip platform is to give our user base a tool to quickly and easily build operator-centric apps. Tables can be created in Tulip and used to store data, but the best way to manage the data going into your tables in Tulip is by building the desired controls into your apps (not the database).
Example - build a trigger that checks a user input before storing it to a Tulip Table, and prompt the user to modify the input if it does not match the desired criteria
SQL or HTTP connectors can be built in Tulip to communicate with external data sources. For example, you might want to get order level information from an ERP system for use in Tulip - you would build a connector function to bring that external data into your apps.
Tulip data is hosted in the cloud. More details can be found here: Privacy Policy | Tulip
If you want to send Tulip data to external locations (for data mining, reporting, etc.) the same SQL or HTTP connectors can be used (in the context of an app) to transfer data for use by external systems. Tulip has a REST API that can also serve up the data stored in Tulip Tables.
Tulip is tightly focused on enabling the shop floor worker! That being said, you can completely connect Tulip to just about anything! We use it with an amazon aurura postgres database which has been fantastic! I’ve also seen other people use it with supabase which was very powerful! This is a post about one integration I’ve done My new favorite way to trigger lambdas from Tulip – Michael Ellerbeck
Within the Tulip eco system, they have an easy to use reporting solution. If you want to get data out of tulip tables you can use the API, there might be direct table in the future (I can’t remember if I read that somewhere). Historical data, I think they retain for two years? I know they also have GxP compliance so that retention might be different?