Communication is the
lifeblood of any venture, business or organisation
whether you receive information or give it.
FileMaker Pro is regarded as the leader of database
creation applications as you will see in this
version it continues to show itself the leader.
No doubt when you think of database creation and processing it seems like a long journey in understanding how to take your data and organise it, present it, and last but not least share it, FileMaker has generally been regarded as not for the faint hearted it has always been thought of as an application only for the most experienced user. However in version 9 that thought is proved wrong. we see that there has been introduced a ”Quick Start Screen” this is designed to quickly acquaint users with what this program can offer. There is also the “Starter Solution” that provides more than 30 templates that can help you set up your database within a few minutes, these templates are typical of what most users would want to do with this application. Also provided are Quicktime Tutorials to help the new user learn at his or her own pace.
Version 9 also looks after its dedicated users there are major new and improved features that will certainly justify the upgrade, concentrating on the new points we have already mentioned the “Quick Start Screen”. But also we have :
Conditional Formatting
The idea of this function is to alert the user when some data needs attention lets take for instance the scenarios of a contract expiring, or it could be due dates for rent and a tenant is in arrears, this would highlight for example in another colour, of course there are many other real life examples that this could be used for. This feature certainly would never allow a business to be inefficient or lose profits knowingly again.
Most organisations have what is known as performance indicators, these are pre-set standards that the user can apply in the application to determine whether performances are inside or outside the thresholds defined. Within FileMaker Pro 9 there are 20 pre-designed templates to choose from, or you can create new one with a calculation.
External SQL Data Sources - Click this Link For More Information
This feature takes the complication out of creating live connections to Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle and MySQL in your website control panel, many books have been published for the understanding of SQL “Structured Query Language” this application now has this new feature that allows you to create a custom database that is now available on the web, without having to learn these high-end skills.
This feature allows you to use special tools without learning programming language and writing SQL queries to perform calculations and summary fields to your SQL table. This is a powerful new feature that definitely will justify previous users to upgrade but also encourage new interest for newcomers.
Group Scripting And Editing
This is also another brand new feature “Script Organization” this enables users to track down their original scripts, by grouping them for faster access, this means you will be able to categorise them, as you accumulate more scripts you will be pleased to know that this new organisation feature will allow you to expand and collapse them for easy access and convenience. (Please see the screenshot below this article)
You can also create new scripts faster, by simply duplicating previous ones and editing them, you can bring up multiple script editing windows. Multiple users can login and edit scripts at the same time.
Enhanced Layout Objects
Yes you guessed it, its not all just the case of inputing data and manipulating it, presenting it is also is very important and there are some excellent tools to assist you along the way. One of those tools is “Tab Control” this feature allows you to sensibly organise information by setting tab widths, you may want to insert an image or it could be that you have a smaller label but you want the tab to be just a bit bigger so you can have a larger area to click on, or it just looks better in your opinion, either way tab size specification is within any users reach and is a valuable benefit. On the subject of layout “FileMaker Web Viewer” is also an excellent tool because if you have html stored in your database you can preview it within that viewer, also you can glance at the status bar to monitor progress when the page is loading.
Leading you off the beaten track for a moment, the real benefit of FileMaker Web Viewer is getting the latest information that enables you to avoid inefficiency, for instance you can track orders being shipped, view maps of the locations of customers and suppliers plus much more. Basically its give you real-time information from the web that is associated with your data.
Conclusion
FileMaker Pro 9 is the industry standard for dedicated database creators, FileMaker have kindly provided a new Quick Start Screen to help newcomers assisting them with all the tools they need to get started. Furthermore they have enhanced certain features to perform even better and they have introduced new ones that help users present their data on the web, and present it in a professional way. A massive plus I have to say is that they have truly cut out the need to learn SQL and other programming enabling businesses to quickly present their databases on the web and receive real-time information as and when it is available, this surely becomes a valuable asset to any commercial business whether it is a one man band or growing organisation. The user interface is very well set out, with prolific features.
For me the icing on the cake is that this fine application is available to both Windows and Mac users. Finally the operative words are “Create, Present, and Share” it not only does it, it does exceptionally well.
Features : 4.5 out of 5
Ease of Use : 4 out of 5
Value for Money : 5 out of 5
Performance : 5 out of 5
Overall : 4.6 out of 5.0
No doubt when you think of database creation and processing it seems like a long journey in understanding how to take your data and organise it, present it, and last but not least share it, FileMaker has generally been regarded as not for the faint hearted it has always been thought of as an application only for the most experienced user. However in version 9 that thought is proved wrong. we see that there has been introduced a ”Quick Start Screen” this is designed to quickly acquaint users with what this program can offer. There is also the “Starter Solution” that provides more than 30 templates that can help you set up your database within a few minutes, these templates are typical of what most users would want to do with this application. Also provided are Quicktime Tutorials to help the new user learn at his or her own pace.
Version 9 also looks after its dedicated users there are major new and improved features that will certainly justify the upgrade, concentrating on the new points we have already mentioned the “Quick Start Screen”. But also we have :
Conditional Formatting
The idea of this function is to alert the user when some data needs attention lets take for instance the scenarios of a contract expiring, or it could be due dates for rent and a tenant is in arrears, this would highlight for example in another colour, of course there are many other real life examples that this could be used for. This feature certainly would never allow a business to be inefficient or lose profits knowingly again.
Most organisations have what is known as performance indicators, these are pre-set standards that the user can apply in the application to determine whether performances are inside or outside the thresholds defined. Within FileMaker Pro 9 there are 20 pre-designed templates to choose from, or you can create new one with a calculation.
External SQL Data Sources - Click this Link For More Information
This feature takes the complication out of creating live connections to Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle and MySQL in your website control panel, many books have been published for the understanding of SQL “Structured Query Language” this application now has this new feature that allows you to create a custom database that is now available on the web, without having to learn these high-end skills.
This feature allows you to use special tools without learning programming language and writing SQL queries to perform calculations and summary fields to your SQL table. This is a powerful new feature that definitely will justify previous users to upgrade but also encourage new interest for newcomers.
Group Scripting And Editing
This is also another brand new feature “Script Organization” this enables users to track down their original scripts, by grouping them for faster access, this means you will be able to categorise them, as you accumulate more scripts you will be pleased to know that this new organisation feature will allow you to expand and collapse them for easy access and convenience. (Please see the screenshot below this article)
You can also create new scripts faster, by simply duplicating previous ones and editing them, you can bring up multiple script editing windows. Multiple users can login and edit scripts at the same time.
Enhanced Layout Objects
Yes you guessed it, its not all just the case of inputing data and manipulating it, presenting it is also is very important and there are some excellent tools to assist you along the way. One of those tools is “Tab Control” this feature allows you to sensibly organise information by setting tab widths, you may want to insert an image or it could be that you have a smaller label but you want the tab to be just a bit bigger so you can have a larger area to click on, or it just looks better in your opinion, either way tab size specification is within any users reach and is a valuable benefit. On the subject of layout “FileMaker Web Viewer” is also an excellent tool because if you have html stored in your database you can preview it within that viewer, also you can glance at the status bar to monitor progress when the page is loading.
Leading you off the beaten track for a moment, the real benefit of FileMaker Web Viewer is getting the latest information that enables you to avoid inefficiency, for instance you can track orders being shipped, view maps of the locations of customers and suppliers plus much more. Basically its give you real-time information from the web that is associated with your data.
Conclusion
FileMaker Pro 9 is the industry standard for dedicated database creators, FileMaker have kindly provided a new Quick Start Screen to help newcomers assisting them with all the tools they need to get started. Furthermore they have enhanced certain features to perform even better and they have introduced new ones that help users present their data on the web, and present it in a professional way. A massive plus I have to say is that they have truly cut out the need to learn SQL and other programming enabling businesses to quickly present their databases on the web and receive real-time information as and when it is available, this surely becomes a valuable asset to any commercial business whether it is a one man band or growing organisation. The user interface is very well set out, with prolific features.
For me the icing on the cake is that this fine application is available to both Windows and Mac users. Finally the operative words are “Create, Present, and Share” it not only does it, it does exceptionally well.
Features : 4.5 out of 5
Ease of Use : 4 out of 5
Value for Money : 5 out of 5
Performance : 5 out of 5
Overall : 4.6 out of 5.0
FileMaker Pro 9 Review