Yeah, unfortunately, this is the case, but it wasn’t fun.
Stepping back a little, the vast majority of database systems have moved to SaaS models and while this trend doesn’t rule out the inclusion of cloud-data in apps that are bound to the desktop (or any devices’ OS), it does present some challenges.
The very nature of early binding (i.e., compiled apps) is contrary to most SaaS integrations which are intentionally designed for lightweight loose couplings. Axure, for example, requires you to use .NET and C# to bind external data with services like Airtable. Indeed, it’s possible, but it’s not without some concerted programming effort. And therein lies the rub - Axure is a prototyping tool; who goes to great programming effort to integrate data into a prototype based on a codeless process?
I get it - Axure is amazing for building on an idea and mocking up flows and UX to the point where targeted users and developers can easily establish a mind-model of the solution. But, when it comes to integrating actual data in a functional way, a seriously high step has to be taken which is fundamentally contrary to the objective - prove the concept and then leverage that work as a requirements baseline.
In my view, the data in an Axure app should be mocked-up no differently than the images, the screens, and the process flows. I think there’s a way to do that by importing the content into the RP file.
