Client database app required

[Scott56R]

Any suggestions on the following.

I am a photographer who often visits potential client houses to discuss their requirements be it wedding, portrait, events etc.

Is there an app that will allow me to enter all the relevant details and sync it to an online service or export. The app will need to allow custom fields as well as other expansion such as when a print order is placed.

I'm basically after an app that will allow me to store from consultation to sale of prints and so on.

I'm pretty certain Bento will do what I'm after but it has terrible reviews at the moment.

 

[inbrissy]

You can have a look at FileMaker Go. This will let you create your own database on your computer using FileMaker and take it with you. Alternatively you can open a database on FileMaker Server via 3G if need be and generate records through an Auto create relationship (since FileMakerGo doesn't support import or export options)

Personally i prefer not to use FileMakerGo OR Bento for that matter. I create my own native database applications for my specific needs. I use either FileMaker or mySQL as back ends depending on the functionality required.

 

[Scott56R]

Thanks for the reply.

I ended up buying Bento which, to be honest seems to work well. I will take a look at Filemaker Go as Bento seems very limited

 

[sracer]

Thanks for the reply.

I ended up buying Bento which, to be honest seems to work well. I will take a look at Filemaker Go as Bento seems very limited

Bento is definitely limited, but it is significantly less expensive and because it is a "flat-file" database it is easier to get set up and running.

FileMaker is a great tool, but it is a relational database, so if you can't find a database template that suits your needs then you'll need to design your own from within Filemaker... which is NOT an easy task for people not familiar with database design.

Most of the negative reviews of Bento are by people who don't understand the difference between relational and flat-file databases. Many people use spreadsheets (with rows representing records and columns representing fields within a record) for flat-file databases. In a nutshell, Bento simply provides a graphic front-end to that structure.