FileMaker 9 Released

The SQL connection options look interesting. I've always thought FileMaker added good features every upgrade. Personally I use Sharepoint for cross-platform databases, but I have wanted to maybe go a fat client route... just expensive.

can anyone post what they use this app for? ie what have you done with it. Just interested to see its real world uses.

eenu said:

can anyone post what they use this app for? ie what have you done with it. Just interested to see its real world uses.

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I created a pretty big database that keeps track of all our jobs... time spent, notes, location, user, etc. I work in a prepress department for a commercial printer. I also created a ton of other layouts that keep track of our hardware and software, vacation time, reports, documentation, projects, etc. Basically anything that goes on in our department is in our FileMaker DB.

First of all I think this update is great but is missing some functions I wished to see.

As for real world applications I have created a reservation book that runs our entire small business (approx 60 workers). I have also created a punch clock system using filemaker where each worker has a swipe card and can login to start a shift, read messages, etc.

The amount of uses is frankly just limited by your imagination. Right now im in the process of using filemaker to interact with a PLC so my program can interact with the real world.

eenu said:

can anyone post what they use this app for? ie what have you done with it. Just interested to see its real world uses.

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i don't use it, but i know one of our printers does. they use it to file, keep track of and update all of their orders. it works pretty damned good for them considering their daily intake and output is huge. (printer as TShirt printer btw)

we use it to keep track of our video tape archives, its a good quick way to track down old projects and find where a single rouge tape is located. Its great if people input the data like they are supposed to....

About time they had conditional formatting.

Don't see anything new in the advanced version, other than the standard's improvements.

How easy are all these things you guys mention to create? Databases like these are one thing i have never ventured into but are something that interests me in learning.

eenu said:

can anyone post what they use this app for? ie what have you done with it. Just interested to see its real world uses.

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I think this is a low-end database. For people who have out grown a spread sheet but are not able to justify a SQL database and all the investment that a SQL DBMS implies.

Also it looks like you could make a nice graphical front end to a SQL database with this.

At first they can be a little difficult but once you can understand the basic concepts of relationships, it is relatively easy, and the programming language (scriptmaker) is very easy to use.

1 - How is this front page news?

2 - What does this have to do with the iPhone?

quigleybc said:

1 - How is this front page news?

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Apple owns Filemaker?

quigleybc said:

2 - What does this have to do with the iPhone?

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I think it's great how that joke's not getting old yet.

We use Filemaker to keep customer contacts, create invoices, purchase orders, keep track of products, and create artwork proofs. It's fairly simple and user friendly to use. Good for small businesses. I'd like to know whether FM9 is suitable for e-Commerce website uses now that it has PHP support.

eenu said:

How easy are all these things you guys mention to create? Databases like these are one thing i have never ventured into but are something that interests me in learning.

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Databases, especially ones with easy "point and click" user interfaces are deceptively simple. It's easy to create a table and other other table and link them to together. Even people who are completely ignorant of relational database theory can use it and they can create a huge mess and not even recognize they made a mess. Of course you can make the same errors with Oracle but typically people using Oracle are professionals who at least have heard about terms like "third normal form" and the like.

Kind of like wiring a house. It's easy to drill holes and pull
wires and put wires in terminals and tighten the screws. Anyone could do it. And connecting a light socket to a switch is trivial. But wiring a whole building offers many chances to make a big mess of it.

So is it easy to use? Just like wire, I'd say. Anyone who stops and thinks can use it for easy jobs.

But simple things are easy with something like this

ChrisA said:

I think this is a low-end database. For people who have out grown a spread sheet but are not able to justify a SQL database and all the investment that a SQL DBMS implies.

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That would be completely incorrect. SQL doesn't automatically mean "high-end database" - it's just a way of querying data.

FileMaker is perfectly capable of high-end solutions with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of records per table. While it is not enterprise-class like Oracle, it's definitely capable for most database needs, and certainly more feature-rich than MySQL.

That said, it is missing some features such as automated (rather than GUI-based) scripting and a modern UI. Those two reasons are why I may hold off on this upgrade.

FileMaker 9 Mobile for iPhone?!

So it begs the question, will there be a FileMaker 9 Mobile for iPhone?! ;-)

eenu said:

How easy are all these things you guys mention to create? Databases like these are one thing i have never ventured into but are something that interests me in learning.

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I have worked with relational (and non-relational) database for about as long as they have been around. Right now, our company is using MS Sqlserver and VB (small amount of C++).

In order to increase our Apple presence, it will be neccesary to have a robust development environment. Databases are essential for business applications. I have just purchased FileMaker and RealBasic to see what the low-end toolsets look like. It should not take me more than a month to throw a decent application together. I also have a few million rows of data for performance testing. That will give me a good opportunity to see what the limits of these two products are. If you send me a PM, I will keep you informed about how the project progresses.

Another Year, Another Filemaker

I'm getting pretty tired of Filemaker releasing new versions [practically] every year. No other major Apps have had so many releases. They could roll the new features into an update, but they'd rather take your money each year.
It's difficult for a small company to keep up with the funding, and even more difficult for a large company to keep up with the versioning (Most large companies require that you upgrade every machine in your company when you upgrade any of them).

employee punch-in

jeffEngland, i sent you a private message. But basically I am interested in your employee punchin method.

I want to do this too, but havent tried it yet.

Can you help?

I was wondering when v9 was coming out -- and almost bought 8.5 upgrade yesterday when purchasing an iPod.

Too bad Apple Stores can't wink-wink-nudge-nudge slide the new version into the bag a day or two before official release.

Finally they support external SQL servers. Can't wait to try this out on my MySQL database, the web interface is getting very ugly to maintain.

Does anybody know the direct download URL for the trial? I haven't received a reply to my request yet.

gjwfoasfsaevg said:

...Does anybody know the direct download URL for the trial? I haven't received a reply to my request yet.

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Go here and click the grey panel below the Buy Now blue panel.

That's what I did, but I didn't receive anything after sending this form.