Tips and Best Practices

Expert tips and best practices for getting the most out of Nola

Learn how to work effectively with Nola to build better apps faster. These tips will help you get the most out of your AI sidekick.

Communication Tips

Be Specific and Detailed

The more context and detail you provide, the better Nola can help you.

❌ Too Vague: "Add some fields to my table"

✅ Specific and Clear: "Add these fields to my Customers table: Company Name (text), Industry (single select with options: Tech, Healthcare, Finance, Retail), Annual Revenue (currency), and Last Contact Date (date)"

Use Examples

When describing what you want, examples help Nola understand your intent.

✅ Good: "Create a Status field with workflow stages like 'New Lead', 'Contacted', 'Qualified', 'Proposal Sent', 'Won', 'Lost'"

✅ Also Good: "I need a priority field similar to what you'd see in a project management tool - something like Urgent, High, Medium, Low"

Break Complex Tasks into Steps

Instead of one massive request, break it down into manageable chunks.

❌ Too Complex: "Build me a complete CRM with contacts, companies, deals, tasks, email tracking, reporting dashboards, and automated lead scoring"

✅ Step by Step:

1. "First, create a Contacts table with name, email, phone, and company fields"

2. "Now create a Companies table and link it to Contacts"

3. "Add a Deals table with value, stage, and close date"

4. [Continue building incrementally]

Provide Context About Your Use Case

Help Nola understand your business needs.

✅ Good: "I run a real estate agency and need to track properties. Each property should have an address, price, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, and listing status. Properties are shown to multiple clients."

This context helps Nola suggest appropriate field types, relationships, and features.

Working Efficiently with Nola

Start with Structure, Then Refine

Get the basics in place quickly with Nola, then fine-tune manually.

Nola is great for:

• Creating tables and fields

• Setting up basic relationships

• Generating sample data

• Creating initial views and pages

• Building workflow logic

You might prefer manual control for:

• Exact color choices and styling

• Precise layout positioning

• Fine-tuning form field order

• Detailed visual design

Use Nola for Repetitive Tasks

Don't waste time on repetitive work. Let Nola handle it.

✅ Great uses:

• "Generate 50 sample products with realistic names, prices, and descriptions"

• "Create workflow email templates for each stage of my sales process"

• "Add the same 5 custom fields to all my tables"

Keep the Conversation Going

You don't need to start fresh each time. Build on previous requests.

Example conversation flow:

1. "Create a Tasks table"

2. "Add a priority field"

3. "Now link it to my Projects table"

4. "Generate 20 sample tasks across my projects"

5. "Create a Kanban view grouped by status"

Each request builds on the previous, and Nola maintains context throughout.

Ask Nola to Explain Her Suggestions

If Nola recommends something you don't understand, ask for clarification.

✅ Ask questions like:

• "Why did you suggest a rollup field instead of a formula?"

• "Can you explain how this workflow will work?"

• "What's the benefit of setting it up this way?"

Best Practices for Different Tasks

Creating Tables

DO:

• Think through your data structure before requesting

• Consider relationships between tables upfront

• Use descriptive field names

• Specify field types (text, number, date, etc.)

Example: "Create an Invoices table with: Invoice Number (text), Customer (linked to Customers table), Issue Date (date), Due Date (date), Amount (currency), Status (single select: Draft, Sent, Paid, Overdue), and Line Items (linked to Line Items table)"

DON'T:

• Create tables without thinking about relationships

• Use vague field names like "Field1" or "Data"

• Forget to specify whether fields should be required

Building Workflows

DO:

• Clearly describe the trigger event

• Specify what should happen step by step

• Consider edge cases and conditions

• Test with sample data first

Example: "Create a workflow that triggers when a task's status changes to 'Complete'. It should: 1) Send an email to the project manager, 2) Update the project's completion percentage, 3) If all tasks are complete, mark the project as Complete too"

DON'T:

• Assume Nola knows complex business rules without explanation

• Create overly complex workflows in one go

• Forget to specify conditional logic

Generating Sample Data

DO:

• Specify how many records you need

• Request realistic data that matches your use case

• Ask for variety in the data

• Include relationships in the request

Example: "Generate 30 sample customer records with realistic company names from various industries. Make sure they have diverse locations and company sizes. Also link 2-5 orders to each customer."

DON'T:

• Generate too much unnecessary data

• Forget to clean up sample data before going live

• Use sample data that doesn't reflect real use cases

Setting Up Permissions

DO:

• Describe who should see what

• Explain your user roles and responsibilities

• Consider data privacy requirements

• Test with different user accounts

Example: "I need three user roles: Admins (can see and edit everything), Team Members (can see all projects but only edit their own tasks), and Clients (can only see projects where they're listed as the client, and can't edit anything)"

DON'T:

• Set up permissions without thinking through security

• Forget about record-level access

• Ignore testing with different user roles

Power User Tips

Use Nola to Learn Noloco Features

When exploring new features, ask Nola to show you how they work.

✅ Learning requests:

• "Show me how to use rollup fields by creating an example"

• "Walk me through creating a conditional workflow step by step"

• "What are the different ways I can filter views? Give me examples"

Iterate and Improve

Your first implementation doesn't have to be perfect. Iterate with Nola's help.

Example iteration:

1. "Create a basic customer tracking system"

2. [Review what Nola created]

3. "This is good, but I also need to track customer interactions"

4. "Add a sentiment field to track how happy they are"

5. "Create a dashboard showing customer health scores"

Combine Manual and AI Work

The best workflow often combines both approaches.

Example workflow:

1. Use Nola to create table structure (fast)

2. Manually adjust field order for optimal form layout (precise control)

3. Use Nola to generate sample data (fast)

4. Manually create custom views (visual control)

5. Use Nola to build workflows (fast)

6. Manually test and refine (quality assurance)

Save Time with Templates

Once Nola helps you build something good, you can reuse patterns.

✅ Reusable patterns:

• "Create a table structure similar to my Customers table but for Vendors"

• "Set up the same workflow for Orders that we have for Projects"

• "Copy the permission structure from App A to App B"

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Don't Assume Nola Knows Your Business Rules

Always explain your specific requirements clearly.

❌ "Set up normal permissions for a CRM" ✅ "Sales reps should see all leads assigned to them but not other reps' leads. Managers should see all leads for their team. Admins should see everything."

Don't Skip Review and Testing

Always review what Nola creates before relying on it.

Before going live:

• ✅ Test workflows with sample data

• ✅ Verify permissions with test accounts

• ✅ Check that relationships work correctly

• ✅ Review generated sample data accuracy

Don't Forget to Clean Up

Remove test data and unused elements before publishing.

Before publishing:

• Delete sample/test data

• Remove unused fields and tables

• Clean up test workflows

• Verify all user-facing content is professional

Don't Treat Nola Like a Magic Wand

Nola is powerful, but she works best when you:

• Understand your own requirements

• Provide clear instructions

• Review and refine her work

• Use her as a tool, not a replacement for thinking

Getting Unstuck

Nola Didn't Understand Your Request

If Nola seems confused:

1. Rephrase your request more simply

2. Break it into smaller steps

3. Provide a specific example of what you want

4. Ask Nola what information she needs from you

The Result Isn't What You Expected

If Nola's output isn't quite right:

1. Explain what's different from what you wanted

2. Ask Nola to modify the specific part that's wrong

3. Be specific about what needs to change

Example: "That's close, but the Status field should have different options. Change it to: New, In Progress, On Hold, Complete, Cancelled"

You're Not Sure What's Possible

Ask Nola directly:

• "What are all the ways I could display this data?"

• "What options do I have for automating this process?"

• "Show me examples of how other users handle this use case"

Nola Beta Tips

Since Nola is currently in beta:

Be Patient

Nola is constantly learning and improving. If something doesn't work perfectly, try rephrasing or breaking down your request.

Provide Feedback

If Nola does something particularly helpful (or unhelpful), let the Noloco team know through the support chat.

Watch Your Message Limits

Free plan users may have daily message limits. Use your messages strategically:

• Combine multiple small requests into one

• Use Nola for complex tasks that save the most time

• Reserve simple tasks for manual building

Stay Updated

New capabilities are being added regularly. Check the Noloco changelog or community for updates on what Nola can do.

Next Steps

With these tips in mind, you're ready to make the most of Nola. If you have questions, check out the FAQ:

Nola FAQ

Remember: Nola is your sidekick, not a replacement for your expertise. The best results come from combining your knowledge of your business with Nola's knowledge of Noloco.