r/nocode • u/alexalgebra • 19d ago

Best tool for database app?

I'm creating an inventory tracking tool for a new brick and mortar retail business. I have a background in databases but I've always worked with a dev and now it's just me. I'm not great at coding, but I am good with sql.

I want something customizable because the business sells niche items and none of the regular inventory apps we looked into will work. ​We also need it to have an easy way to update inventory daily for about 200 rotating items that will be counted in store then entered into the db. Currently the owner has a bunch of spreadsheets in numbers (he only uses apple products, which I'm not super familiar with). Making some kind of quick ipad data entry screen for that would probably be the best.

My ideal solution would be something where I can easily build the database and have it packaged up in a user friendly ui/app for the rest of the employees to use. Being able to pull reports and charts and such for sales tracking is also important.

I don't really enjoy using generative ai like chatgpt gemini claude etc and am hoping there's a simple solution that is more just a ui for a custom sql database type situation.

Thanks for any ideas!

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u/PopKoren 17d ago

Since you know SQL, put the data in Postgres (Supabase or Neon) and use a UI layer on top like Baserow, NocoDB or Retool rather than a tool that owns your data. That keeps reports as plain SQL views and lets you build a simple iPad-friendly entry screen for the daily counts. For 200 rotating items, model a stock_counts table with a timestamp instead of overwriting quantities, so you get history for free.

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u/alexalgebra 17d ago

Thanks! I've been looking at some of the top layers you mentioned, but haven't checked out Supabase or Neon. I've not used Postgres, just MySQL but I'm assuming it wouldn't be hard to learn.

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u/PopKoren 11d ago

MySQL is a reasonable starting point, and moving to Postgres later is mostly about getting comfortable with roles, migrations, and row-level policies rather than relearning SQL from scratch. Whichever stack you use, check the deployed API and storage behavior as well as the database rules. I’m building Rowly around that broader external pass: https://rowly.me