Review: FileMaker 9 easier, but still not easy
Posted by Don Foy 
Nov 29, 2007 at 6:11am
FileMaker Pro 9 is billed as the database for the rest of us. Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not a programmer. I’m a tech support guy. I test software. I make sure it works right. I break it, if I can. I don’t write it. So I was anxious to see if they had brought this down to my level.
With 9’s Quick Start Screen, you can start a new database, open the user guide, open an existing database or go to the FileMaker Knowledgebase. That makes getting started easier.
But does that make database development easy? Easier, yes. Easy, no.
FileMaker 9 makes it easier to keep up with what you’ve done, with better script organization, better tab control, better toolbars, better database sharing (Instant Web Publishing does not yet work on Leopard), conditional formatting, better reporting—lots of improvements.
I had used FileMaker Pro 7 before and was looking forward to the promised enhancements in FileMaker Pro 9—especially the script grouping, the lack of which really confused me in 7 (all the scripts were just kind of lumped together in a mish-mash of scripts).
But it still isn’t as easy as I’d like for it to be. Maybe I’m making it harder that I should. Maybe I’m just not that smart. Maybe I’m trying to do too much fancy stuff before I learn the basics. It’s just not that easy for me. Maybe I’m trying to make it too nice and should just worry about making it functional.
Part of my regular job is to support nine newspapers, all on Macs, some old, some new. Keeping up with serial numbers, versions of software, what software is on what hardware and all of that, I wanted to build myself a database with all that info. I got it done, but it wasn’t pretty, and some things didn’t work the way I wanted them to.
I can’t blame that on the program, however. Most of it was my inexperience.
But it does bring up one of the best features of FileMaker Pro—the user base. There are a lot of FileMaker experts out there who will answer questions on forums. I got tremendous help with my database from those folks.
There are also other resources, like a white paper by David Kachel of Foundation">http://www.foundationdbs.com/downloads.html">Foundation Database Systems, which really helped me understand the basics I was lacking. There are other resources, but this was the best I found of this type. There are also many, many examples of FileMaker databases out there, many in a form that you can learn from the programmer. There are many plugins and add-ons, as well.
This is a very rich support community.
There are multiple version of FM Pro 9. The base version ($299) can be used to create or use a database. The Advanced version (US$499) is for folks who administer or frequently modify databases. Server ($999) is for folks who are on teams of users or Web developers. Server Advanced ($2,499) for teams who use Instant Web Publishing or submit SQL queries to FMP databases.
So, should you go out and buy FileMaker Pro 9. It depends on what you want to do. Simple databases are very easy to build with the program. If that’s all you are looking to build, and you have time to learn a few basics, FileMaker Pro may be your answer. It’s definitely easier than anything else out there.
If you have your sights set on a professionally designed database, hire a professional to design it for you.
Macsimum rating: 8 out of 10.
Jeff Says:
Hey Jamie!
I have to agree, as the former Product Manager for Developer 4.X I look at FileMaker like InDesign in that anyone can make a document but to make it a compelling marketing piece you need to learn the product and good design to max it out. This is why FMI includes so many templates, tools, and the many starter packs. There are a ton of books and such but I would agree that if you’re running a business and need a system you’re time will be better spent working with a FileMaker professional, such as those listed on FileMaker’s site, than trying to do it all yourself. Similar to hiring a design company to do your logo and stationary. Unlike a lot of apps FileMaker is really a construction set and a collection of tools that together enable you to build a unique solution matched to the specific needs of your life, business or department. Oh, and everything can always be easier. ;-)
Posted on November 29, 2007
roger Says:
A consultant. That’s the solution I’ve come to for our business. Something like Excel doesn’t do what I want to do, but to me FM has always been a “Huh?” experience, and I’ve dutifully purchased each upgrade since about FM3--just don’t get it. This consultant is getting everything set up exactly the way I want, so it is possible. You have to weight the time spent trying the learning curve vs. the expense of a consultant; for us the additional cost is going to be minimal--should have done it years ago.
Posted on December 03, 2007
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Don Foy
Don Foy is a past president and current Apple ambassador for the Upper Cumberland Macintosh User Group in Cookeville, Tennessee. He is also a former newspaper reporter who has been fixing Macs for 13 years. His first Mac was a Mac Plus maxed out with 4MB of RAM and a 17MB hard drive.
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Jamie Pruden Says:
FileMaker is basically whatever you make of it. I’ve worked with it for over 15 years (including time at Claris doing phone support on FileMaker 2.1- FileMaker Pro 4...) and still have difficulties with making “pretty” solutions. That being the case, I tend to take their templates and tweak the back end to make the database do what I need for it to do.
You’re absolutely correct about the whole professionally designed DB thing, though. It takes a lot of time and planning to have a really well done database, so unless you’re ready to invest some serious time in learning the product, it’s probably best to just pay someone else to set up the file for you. You can always tweak it later to make it work better for your situation.
Posted on November 29, 2007