Filemaker Pro
Filemaker Pro is an excellent product for small to
medium business systems and personal use. Filemaker Inc has been
around for approximately ten years, and this database development software is
widely used and supported throughout the world.
Filemaker Pro is similar in specification to Microsoft Access, but is vey stable
and being multi platform means it performs
equally well on both Windows and Macintosh operating systems.
Filemaker's web site is comprehensive and can be found here http://www.filemaker.com
Filemaker Pro is database development software. This
means it provides the user with an environment where they can build
their own database. When writing software from scratch or working with code,
there is much work required to simply
achieve basic operations that we, the users of software, take for granted. Filemaker
already has much of this hard work
done and allows a developer to get on with the job of designing the database.
Filemaker is very user friendly both
for developers and end users and can be integrated with Microsoft Office. In
fact
FilemakerPro's interface is very similar to MS Office and would be recognised
instantly by those familiar with the Office software.
A computer user who is reasonably confident could, with some learning, build a straight forward database using FilemakerPro.
An example might be a contacts or inventory database. FilemakerPro's development
environment sits alongside its user
environment and can be accessed at any time. This means changes or further
programming can take place with ease.
So Filemaker Pro is user friendly and can accommodate those
new to databasing, but beyond the basics, it is also capable
of building powerful solutions. Programming these solutions requires substantial
learning and experience and is generally
left to commercial developers.
Often databases begin reasonably modestly and as time goes
by the users identify areas that could be enhanced.
FilemakerPro is always sitting ready to be added to, this is the great thing
about custom written software. It doesn't
all have to be done at once, but can be added to bit by bit as your software
requirements develop.
Filemaker can be used to build user friendly and intuitive interfaces.This is
an example screen shot of part of an
administration system, Click on the
picture for a closer look
NETWORKING
FilemakerPro has, in my experience, excellent networking facilities.
I have set up a number of systems that use
both Macintosh and Windows computers on the same FilemakerPro network without any
hitches whatsoever !
Many work stations can be included on the same network and data is live. This
means that if a user makes a
change to a database in one office, the person in the next office will see this
change instantly.
To set up a FilemakerPro network does cost money. Each
machine on the network must have a unique registration
number, or you can buy a network license. For up to date prices check FilemakerPro's
web site or ring your local
Apple Dealer. Just as a general idea though, each copy of FM is between $350
& $500, meaning each computer
you need on the network will cost this much. In addition to this, eventually
you will need FilemakerPro server software.
This is approximately $1800.00, but means you will get the best performance
from your network in terms of speed and
reliability. Further, a dedicated computer to serve is recommended. If your
network is small FilemakerPro can network
perfectly well without server software or a dedicated machine, so depending
on your situation you may not need these
two items - and in any case, you don't necessarily need them as of day one !
If you are serious though, and are looking to set up a complete
network with both dedicated computer and server
software, FilemakerPro performs very well in both speed and reliability. In
my experience data loss is very rare !
PERFORMANCE
Filemaker's performance is very good. It's not the
fastest database around, but for personal or small to medium business
use it performs very well. At around 30,000 to 40,000 records FilemakerPro will
perform finds quickly; sorting, importing and
exporting will start to slow down slightly.
For most small to medium business requirements FilemakerPro's performance will
be ample, and its ease of use, flexibility and
reliability make it a great choice for this sort of application.
The information
here is intended to help those trying to make appraisals of various software
packages for their own use or the
use of others. Should you take issue with any of the contect mentioned above
please email me your concerns. What's written
is simply an account of my experiences developing for commercial purposes.