Whenever you create a new app, these basic steps are always followed:

1. First, you prepare the data source, usually a spreadsheet on a cloud platform such as Google Drive.
2. Next, you connect the data source to AppSheet. After you connect the data, AppSheet will automatically generate the app for you.
3. Once the data is connected, the app development process moves to the AppSheet Editor. Through the AppSheet Editor, you define how the connected data will be used and configure various app settings, including creating actions for data manipulation and navigation, designing views and layout, and adding automation bots.
4. You can invite test users to try the app for further improvement.
5. When the app is ready, AppSheet provides an easy way to deploy the app to your team and colleagues.

In summary, those five steps are as follows:

1. Connecting the data source
2. Editing your app definition
3. Deploying the app

By reading this book, you will learn the basic sequence of this app development process. All app developments occur in the AppSheet Editor. We will be covering all the important details of these steps to learn how to configure your app through the AppSheet Editor in the upcoming chapters.

To work with AppSheet, it is helpful if you are familiar with spreadsheets such as Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel; AppSheet uses its own expressions but most of them are identical to Google Sheet formulas. The syntax can sometimes be slightly different, but the idea is mostly the same. Also, having an understanding of the basic concepts of how spreadsheets work will help you to build your app’s foundation. However, don’t worry if you are not familiar with Google Sheets – you will get to know it in the following chapters. In fact, there are a number of AppSheet expressions that are unique to AppSheet and not found in other spreadsheet services. We will cover AppSheet expressions throughout this book, especially in Chapter 4, Manipulate Data with Expressions and Formulas.

In addition to familiarity with spreadsheets and formulae, it is helpful if you know a thing or two about databases. AppSheet is a database-driven platform; the concept of the relational database is one of the basic foundations of AppSheet. However, this is not absolutely required, as you learn what you need to know while learning AppSheet.

We wish to highlight some important concepts before we begin looking at AppSheet.

Whenever you develop apps with AppSheet, your requirements for the application come first. Building apps means that your ideas are converted to AppSheet apps. You should always have an idea of what you want and expect from your app. For example, you may wish to develop an app with a function to help a company’s internal approval process for applications for holidays. You also may wish to add a function to send notifications to concerned parties once the applications are approved.

Once you have a clear idea of what you want, think about what you need to do with the AppSheet Editor. AppSheet provides a wide range of options to customize the behavior of your app. To achieve your goals using the AppSheet Editor, you need to know where in the AppSheet Editor to go and how you need to define your own logic. Finding the shortest paths through the AppSheet Editor is key to making your app development process efficient. To gain that skill, you need to understand AppSheet’s basic processes.

We hope that you now have an AppSheet account prepared and are ready to start the journey with us. As stated in this chapter, the app-development process consists of certain routine steps, regardless of the kind of app you are trying to create. By learning these essential steps in detail, you will be able to master AppSheet.

In the following chapter, we will start with data preparation and creating a new app, which is always the first step in AppSheet app development. Let’s start learning now!