When you create a system in Proma, you start with a blank canvas. No templates forcing you into someone else's structure, no pre-built fields you have to work around. You build it from scratch using a set of core components, each with a specific role. Datasets store your data, interfaces display it, automations act on it, and logic controls how it all behaves. Put them together and you get a system that works exactly the way your business does.
System Components
Dataset - A smart table that stores your business data. Unlike a spreadsheet, a dataset understands your data: it validates entries, enforces business rules, and connects related information across your system automatically.
Interface - Multiple ways to visualize and interact with your data, from tables to kanban boards, calendars, forms, and AI-generated dashboards. Each view is optimized for a specific task while working with the same underlying data.
Automation Engine - Rules that run on their own. When something happens — a form is submitted, a record is updated, a deadline is reached — Proma automatically sends an email, updates a field, calls an API, generates a document, or triggers an approval. No manual follow-up needed.
Logic Builder - Business rules embedded directly in your data. Set conditions like "require approval if amount exceeds budget" or "auto-calculate total from line items." Logic runs everywhere: in forms, tables, and automations, without writing any code.
Proma Campaign Email and communication sequences for outreach, onboarding, or follow-up, built directly into your system without a separate email tool.
Designer A canvas editor for designing how your records look in card-based interfaces. Create design templates that control the visual appearance of a record, used by your list, kanban, and other card-style views.
AI Intelligence - AI runs throughout Proma, not as a separate feature. Generate an entire system from a plain-language description, build a dashboard by asking a question, classify or summarize content inside automations, or get insights from your data in real time.
System Configuration
How components connect
Most systems follow a natural build order. Start with a dataset to define your data structure, add interfaces to give your team a way to view and interact with it, then layer in logic and automations to handle the rules and repetitive work. Designer and Campaign come in once the core is working.
Before you start building
1. Start with one dataset It's tempting to map out your entire business on day one. Start with the one process that causes the most friction and build that first. Once it works, connecting a second dataset is straightforward. Trying to build everything at once usually means finishing nothing.
2. Map your process first Write down the workflow you want to improve before opening Proma. Note the steps, who's involved, and what information passes between them. This makes it much easier to decide what columns, views, and automations you actually need.
3. Use AI to generate your first structure When you create a new system, describe what you need in plain language. Proma's AI will generate a starting dataset, columns, and views. You can then edit, add, or remove anything — it's a starting point, not a final answer.
4. Iterate with real users Your first version won't be perfect, and that's fine. Build it, use it with real data for a week, then refine based on what doesn't work. Proma is easy to change without breaking anything.