Specialty Services
4D Database Development & Consulting
We are one of the few studios in Europe still actively building and maintaining 4D database applications — a rare specialism that keeps your existing investment running and growing.
What 4D is and why it still matters
4D (originally called Fourth Dimension) is a database application development platform from 4D SAS that has been in active commercial use since 1984. It combines a relational database engine, an application development environment, and a built-in application server into a single integrated product. Businesses that adopted 4D in the 1990s and 2000s often built deeply capable operational systems on it — multi-user business applications with rich data models, complex business rules, and decades of accumulated domain logic.
We build new 4D applications from scratch for clients who have chosen the platform — typically because they are already operating in a 4D environment and want to extend their investment with a new application, or because 4D's integrated database-application model is the right fit for their use case. We do not take on existing codebases to fix or maintain — every engagement starts with a clean design and a defined scope.
What we build in 4D
Our 4D work covers operational management applications for logistics and service businesses, multi-user data entry and reporting tools, financial tracking and invoicing modules, and integration layers that connect 4D backends to REST APIs and web front-ends. We work with current 4D versions and use the full range of 4D development patterns: forms and methods, compiled mode, the 4D Server client-server architecture, ORDA (Object Relational Data Access), and the 4D REST server for API exposure.
New application development
When a client needs a new 4D application, we start with the data model and work outward. 4D's integrated environment means the database structure, the application logic, and the user interface are all built in one place — which makes it well-suited for applications where data integrity and business rule enforcement are central concerns. We build applications that are structured clearly, documented properly, and handed over in a state that can be extended without reverse-engineering the original design.
API and web integration
Modern 4D includes a built-in REST server and robust HTTP client capabilities. We use these to expose 4D data to external web and mobile applications, and to connect 4D applications to third-party services. If your 4D application needs to communicate with an external API or serve data to a web front-end, we can build that layer cleanly without compromising the 4D application's integrity.
Who this is for
4D development with Rose Development is the right fit if you are:
- Building a new application on 4D — either as a greenfield project or as a new module alongside an existing 4D environment — and need a developer who knows the platform properly
- A logistics, transport, or service business whose operational environment already uses 4D and needs new tooling built in the same stack
- A software company that needs 4D development capacity on a project basis
- Looking to expose 4D data via a REST API to a web front-end or mobile app
Why Rose Development
- Active 4D practitioners. We write 4D code regularly. We know the current platform, follow 4D SAS's development, and are not applying knowledge from a project that ended years ago.
- New builds only. We build new 4D applications from scratch with a clean design and a proper data model. We do not take on existing codebases to fix or patch — every engagement starts with a defined scope and a blank slate.
- Remote delivery, senior team. We work remotely with clients across Europe and beyond. No hidden team — the person you deal with is the person doing the work.