Answer
A business application is software for a clearly defined area of operational work. It can, for example, document goods receipts, control approvals, prepare quotes, support service cases or combine information from several systems into one workable view. Unlike a general office application, it knows the business terms, states, rules and exceptions of that area.
Even so, it does not have to map the entire company. A good first version covers a complete workflow for a real user group and a visible result. Besides the user interface, this includes permissions, data sources, error cases and operation. Existing systems remain connected if they do their job well. This way, a business application can start small enough to remain verifiable without becoming an isolated single-purpose tool.
As of 3 September 2026
Further reading
Related topic: Business applications and web software