HPO Software designs, builds and maintains custom database applications on 4D and modern low-code stacks — order systems, inventory, scheduling, CRM and reporting tools for teams that have outgrown spreadsheets but don’t fit an off-the-shelf product.
1// List open invoices older than 30 days 2var $cutoff : Date 3$cutoff:=Current date-30 4var $due : cs.InvoiceSelection 5$due:=ds.Invoice.query("status = :1 and issued < :2"; "open"; $cutoff) 6$due:=$due.orderBy("issued asc") 7Form.overdue:=$due 8OBJECT SET TITLE(*; "lblCount"; String($due.length)+" overdue")
Most projects start with a single painful workflow. We model the data properly first, so the second and third workflows are cheap.
Desktop, client/server and web apps on a single 4D codebase — orders, stock, jobs, billing and the reports your managers actually read. Designed around your process, not a template.
Move an older 4D application to a current LTS release: refactor deprecated commands, convert to project mode, add source control.
Expose your existing 4D data through REST and a clean browser UI, so field staff and customers can use it without a desktop client.
FileMaker, Access, Excel and old SQL schemas into a normalised model — with reconciliation reports so nothing silently disappears.
Accounting, e-commerce, shipping and email services connected through documented APIs and scheduled jobs.
A named developer who knows your application, a ticket queue, and monthly release windows. Upgrades are planned, not discovered.
uptime checks · backups verified · release notes
Move the sliders to describe what you need. You’ll get a rough effort band and the kind of engagement that usually fits. It’s a starting point for a conversation, not a quote.
Rule of thumb we use: tables drive the data model, screens and reports drive build time, integrations add risk.
$ hpo scopeScope & schemaTwo to three workshops. We map the workflow, agree the data model and write down what “done” means.$ hpo build --sprintBuild in sprintsWorking screens every two weeks on a test server you can click through, with notes on what changed.$ hpo migrate --verifyMigrate & verifyTrial migrations with row counts and spot checks signed off by your team before go-live.$ hpo handoverHandoverSource, documentation and an admin guide. Stay on support, or take it in-house — your call.Custom isn’t always the answer. Here’s how we talk clients through it.
| Spreadsheets | Off-the-shelf SaaS | Custom 4D app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fits an unusual process | Partly, by hand | Only if it matches the vendor’s model | Built around it |
| Multi-user with permissions | Fragile | Yes | Yes |
| Where your data lives | Files on drives | The vendor’s cloud | Your server or your cloud |
| Cost profile | Cheap until it breaks | Per-seat subscription | Build cost + optional support |
| Time to first version | Days | Days to weeks | Weeks |
A defined first release with a fixed price agreed after scoping. Change requests are estimated before they’re done.
Bring an existing 4D application onto a supported release, fix what breaks, and leave it under source control.
A block of developer hours each month for fixes, small features and release management, with a named contact.
4D is our specialty, but we also build on low-code platforms and plain web stacks when they fit better. We’ll say so during scoping.
Yes. We start with a short code review and a written list of risks before quoting any changes.
You do. Source and documentation are handed over at the end of each release.
Yes — all of our work is remote, with overlap hours agreed at the start.
Send a short description — screens, users, where the data lives today. You’ll get a reply with questions or a proposal for a scoping session.
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