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Provides: The ability to generate and/or run databases
Developer: FileMaker Inc.
Requirements: Mac OS X v10.5.7 or later, G5 (512MB RAM, 1GB recommended) or Intel (1GB RAM, 2GB recommended)
Retail Price: FM Pro: $299 ($179 for upgrade); FM Pro Advanced: $499 ($299 for upgrade); No upgrade pricing for Bento users.)
FileMaker is back with another stellar update to its flagship product, FileMaker Pro. I always enjoy seeing what direction each update leads to; sometimes the updates are more for those who create the databases, and sometimes the updates are for the users. This release has a bit more for users and content manipulators, but it's hard to nitpick on this release. For example business users will appreciate the new charting features, while those who collect research data will appreciate the QuickFind and the new highlighting feature. Databases creators will appreciate the new Inspector and a plethora of ways to enhance the users experience. In other words, lots of people will be happy with this release.
[If you are not familiar with databases in general, or FileMaker Pro in specific, you might want to look at my review of FileMaker 10, my review of FileMaker 9 and/or the review of FileMaker 8 where in the early part of the reviews I cover what a database is and why there are big advantages for using them.]
Simply put, FileMaker is an application that lets you construct, or use a database. This is no different than Word is an application that lets you write text and/or see text written by others. What makes FileMaker unique In the database community is that the basic construction of a database is uniquely simple and the results can be amazingly complex. Obviously the more complex you want your database to be, the more of a challenge it will be to create. This is no different than writing a letter as opposed to writing a book with table of contents, complex tables, side-bars, footnotes, endnotes and an index. Nonetheless, a database of linked tables, calculations, and custom scripts is remarkably easier with FileMaker than any other database on the market.* I'm going to start out with the standard version of FileMaker Pro, my comments on FileMaker Pro Advanced can be found later in the review, here.
Things are a bit different from the very first time you start FM Pro because the opening splash screen opens like a bubble popping open on your screen. It's a small thing, but since it's new, it's rather cool. The next thing is that the Open Files menu has been updated and this is for the better as well. As seen below, all you need to access files is in one window, you do not need to flip from tab to tab as before.
Probably my biggest aggravation with the quick start screen from before is that if you wanted to access your "favorites," you had to reopen the Quick Start window and that required you to go to the File menu and access a "New Database..." which didn't make any sense because you wanted to open an old, but "favorite" file. To solve this, FileMaker did two things. First, there is now an "Open Favorite" option in the File menu. Thus, once you've designated a file as a Favorite, it is easily available from this menu option. Also from the Favorite menu is an option to take an open file and select it as a new file to add to your Favorites. Very quick, very easy. My only suggestion request is that one could click on a Recent File and identify that file as a favorite from within the Quick Start window.
Interestingly, the Quick Start screen is only open when you first start FileMaker, and once used will be gone unless you actively bring it back. Now, more logically, instead of instigating it from the File menu (New Database...), accessing the Quick Start window is done from the Help menu.
Otherwise this is a nice update from the constrained Quick Start window used in the previous version.
As soon as you open a database, you will notice one of the subtle but big changes in FileMaker's interface is a new QuickFind field found in the header region of the FileMaker Pro window as shown below within the red stroked region. Funny how a "Find" field never showed up in a FileMaker database till now.
The value and importance of the QuickFind field needs to be explained by how one searches in FileMaker. Traditionally a database is composed of fields and the importance of those fields is that you can manipulate the data as tightly as needed depending on what your goals are. For example, you should always have a field for the first name and a different field for the last name. This gives you the ability to control how data is displayed or sorted (last name first or first name first) or searching by one or the other name. You lose all that control if you place both first and last names together in the same field. But what if you met someone who's name is Thomas. Thomas could either be a first or last name. So in the past if you wanted to find Thomas, you'd have to either do a search in the first name field and then the last name field or do two levels of search, one in each field. With the QuickFind, you can search in every displayed field in the database at once. In addition, you can also set up QuickFind to only look in selected fields. Unfortunately field-selected searches are not intended to be done on the fly and one needs to go into the Layout view to make any changes. One option around this might be for the database designer to create multiple layouts with different QuickFind options for different sets of fields.
Although the "name" example mentioned above might seem a limited example, it's very common for there to be a collection of citations where you want to search in a title, subject, and citation field for all references to a given subject. This is a nice time-saving feature that is long due.
As long as I have the FM header displayed above, let me also point out one other new feature: highlighting. To access highlighting you do need to click the text formatting display button marked in Green above. When this is clicked, a new row is displayed showing the fonts, size, style, etc. In the text formatting bar a new option is now available, the highlight button (marked above in blue). Any text that is selected when the Highlight button is clicked will be highlighted as if stroked with a yellow highlighter. Probably my biggest disappointment with the highlighter is that you cannot change the color and by that same token you cannot highlight different text in different colors. Nonetheless, the highlighted text remains highlighted until you actively re-select the text and undo the highlight button.
Without a doubt, my favorite new feature is something that should have been in FileMaker ages ago (isn't it always that way?), the Inspector (only seen in the Layout view). Since its inception, FileMaker has always had a few floating windows that displayed position, type of field, sliding objects order, (whatever). These were easy to lose on the screen and just sort of were "all over." Now, they are all contained in one new Palette, the Inspector Palette.
The Inspector Palette has three tabs, the first of which is the Position Tab as shown below. Here, besides the position, you can control the size, the alignment, sliding and visibility, and the floating or static nature of a field.
Next is the Appearance Tab where you can control colors, lines, borders, text, and tab order/position.
Lastly is the Data tab that lets you define the nature of the field's display (check box, radio buttons, edit field, etc.), field's repetitions, entry provisions and methods, and how to format the data entered.
I have to admit that at first I was having a dreadful time trying to find out where to alter and/or place things that I've grown very familiar with doing, but they were not to be found. Once I got the hang of constantly looking in the same place for everything I wanted to find, the whole change-challenge went away. Life got easy. After all, "one place to look" is a whole lot easier than "knowing where to look."
For quite some time, FileMaker has been able to create a database directly from an Excel spreadsheet simply by dragging the spreadsheet onto the FileMaker icon or opening the spreadsheet from within FileMaker. Now there is a new twist to this dynamic: Recurring Import. What this provides is that after importing a spreadsheet into FileMaker, there is semi-automatic updating of the database every time the spreadsheet is updated. It works like this: rather than "Opening" the spreadsheet into FileMaker, you must first create a new database within FileMaker. Don't worry about fields, layouts, or anything yet. Now "Import" the spreadsheet (Hint: set the "Show" file types as "All available" as this will show either .xls or .xlsx spreadsheets.) Also, it's very important in this window to check the box that says "Set up as automatic recurring import." In the next window you have the option of taking advantage of column headers you created where you can identify the column headers as the name of fields.
In the image below you can see on the right the contents of an Excel file and on the left you can see that same file after importing as discussed above. In the past, you were done. Any changes in the spreadsheet would have required a re-importing of the records, adjustments, it was a mess.
Now look what happens if you make changes in the spreadsheet. As you can see below on the right, I've added a person and I've changed the number of contacts that "Harry" has, I then saved the document. Then moving over to the FileMaker document, I clicked on the "Excel-FileMaker Test Example" button. In a blink, the content in the database updated.
Probably the biggest limitation is that feature is currently only a one way street. Any changes that you do in FileMaker cannot be transferred to the spreadsheet. The other limitation to this is that if you already have a database based on a spreadsheet, there's no apparent way to link the two. You do need to start with an Excel file and a new database.
Obviously the above example is painfully simplistic. My intent was to demonstrate the process. The simple fact is that while spreadsheets are spectacular for manipulating data, what they cannot do is to manipulate records. This gives you the best at both worlds.
Ironically what often had been done in the past is to export data from FileMaker so that you could manipulate the data to make a chart in Excel. Now, FileMaker can do charts. If making sales charts is something that became a tedious process because of data tossing back and forth between FileMaker and Excel, than sit back and enjoy: it's now possible to easily create your basic charts (line, bar, pie) from directly within FileMaker. If your needs are fairly straightforward, your demands will be met. If, however, your data is a collection of scientific results, your milage may vary, because FileMaker cannot do XY Scatter charts. Thus, the need to interact with Excel for that kind of data still remains.
To make a chart (I will use the same database as above), you need to go into the Layout mode. For simplicity, it might be easier to start with a blank layout. If you look at the Layout Tools, as you look at the screenshot below and note the new option marked in red, it looks like "charts" because it is. In the layout, drag out a marquee and you will be presented to select which fields you want represented in the chart and then with a new window for you to select your options.
Simply, it's simply a matter to identify which field is the X axis and which field is the Y axis. You can add Labels and all text can be set with the font (and size) of your choice. I should also add that besides selecting any field to create the data for the X or Y axis, these can also be a calculation result.
Speaking of Excel, I have always found it interesting that some people seem to be very wedded to the spreadsheet layout (presentation) of records. I have to admit that I really don't care how the data is presented, as long as it makes sense and provides the data I need in a manner that let's me see what I want when I want. I think part of my ambivalence toward the spreadsheet layout is that I've used FileMaker for cumulative indexes and citations, a collection of data that really doesn't jive with a spreadsheet layout. Nonetheless, FileMaker has, for some time, let people view their records in a table format and now there are some special advantages to make this approach more appealing. Enter the new Quick Reports.
In a simple fashion, Quick Reports let the user make their spreadsheet layout more professionally appealing and, more important to me, provide a number of database tools in ready easy access. At it's basic, if you look at the screenshot below you will note the plus (+) sign to the right of the last column and below the last row. This lets you easily add a new record (each row) by clicking on the "+" sign and to add a new field (each column) by clicking on the "+" sign. This is a new level of ease and convenience to FileMaker. Below you can see I've added a new field for years of service to my group of "Contact" gatherers.
Since FileMaker's inception, sorting has always been a basic mechanism, and here, like any spreadsheet, sorting is also an easy option. But new to FileMaker is the ability to create Leading groups by the field that I Control-click (right-click) on. Note that in addition to Leading groups you can also select Trailing Groups and have Trailing Subtotals.
Also, by selecting the Fill Color, I can create a better appearance than just a blank structure.
Before I leave this, let me also point out that you can easily change filed types directly from the spreadsheet views and not have to go into the Database menu system. (You will get the same warnings as before that changing a field type can potentially delete all the current data in that field). All of this is a major step forward to enhancing the efficiency of creating, maintaining, and enhancing a database.
Lastly, as I leave the new features I'm discussing from FM Pro 11, let me bring up the important issue of (what I call) WD, or Wonderful Redundancy (© Gary Coyne). There are many instances in software where it's not only advantages to have redundancy, but redundancies that create efficiencies as well. The problem is that all to often in software you can't do one thing unless you've already done something else. A common example in FM Pro is when you click on an object to make it a button to do something, but forgot to make the script that you wanted it to do. So in the past, you'd have to close the button window, open the script window, create the script, close the script window, double-click on the object you want to make a button, ... "Sheesh," you say, "there has to be a better way!" Well now there is WD.
Now, in the Button Setup window, when you click on the "Specify" button to select the script you see the new "Specify Script" window (see below). From here you can select scripts, click on the "+" symbol to create new scripts, the "-" to delete scripts, or go to the drop-down menu to create a new script that will automatically be the selected script for that button, edit a script, or duplicate a script so you can then edit it for that button. You can also Edit Optional Script Parameters (partially covered up by the drop-down menu) so that you can establish that the results of a given script do (or do not do) given operations.
My only complaint with any of the Windows that let you create a new script is that if you cancel the script window at any point, the current open script will not self-delete. Now normally when you cancel an operation in a computer program, you will revert back to whereever you were before you had started that action. Ergo the word "cancel." In FileMaker, when it comes to creating new (or altering a duplicate) script, Cancel means "Stop what you are doing and just close the window but the initial creation will still exist." So, for example, if you select the "New Default Script" as shown above and then click Cancel, the next operation you should plan on doing is to click on the "-" icon to remove the "New Script" that you just created but probably didn't rename. Certainly not a deal breaker, but a strange oversight. Perhaps a new "Cancel and Delete" button needs to be added.
I could go on-and-on as this is by no means the sum and substance of the new features in FileMaker Pro 11, but it does get you started.
FileMaker Pro 11: Advanced
Also updated and improved is FileMaker Pro Advanced 11. For those who are unaware of the Advanced version, simply put, the Advanced version gives you not only more tools to fine tune a script in a database, but also lets you create runtime versions, kiosk versions, and highly customized versions of a database including the ability to customized menus. A runtime version of a database is one that you create, then either give or sell to others so that they do not need to own, purchase, or pirate a copy of FileMaker Pro to run the database. The catch is that the copy of FileMaker Pro that they have is linked to the specific database that you've created. People can do just about anything they can want (or that you've allowed within the confines of your database) to do with the database except create new scripts, fields, layouts, or other customhouses. They also cannot open any other database nor can they create a new database. Essentially you have an application that can work with one document. The difference here is that this "one document" is a fully functional database limited only by what you chose to limit (e.g., you may chose to remove the ability to export contents or delete records).
At a minimum, the Advanced version has all of the updates for the Standard version including a few updates to features unique to the Advanced version of FM Pro.
When you open FileMaker Pro Advanced, initially there's not much to give away that you are looking at anything different. There are two sections where you'll see the difference between the Advanced and the standard version of FM Pro: one is in the File menu where, from the "Manage" branch, you will see eight options instead of FileMaker Pro's six options. the two addition items to manage are Custom Functions and Custom Menus. Of greater obvious distinction, the Advanced version of FM Pro has the extra menu option, "Tools."
Because you can create custom functions in the Advanced version, you can access and manage them from the from the File menu. That is, this is where you can see a list of, copy (to place into a new database), and/or edit any of the custom functions. This is the only location where one can access the management, creation, or edit functions
Without a doubt, my favorite update to Custom Functions is the ability to copy, paste, or import them from one database to another. Unless you are really into retyping things over and over, ya gotta love this improvement.
Custom menus lets you (as the name would imply) customize menus. This is particularly important if the database that you are creating limits (for example) the user from deleting records. The question would be then, why should the option of "Delete Records" be in the Records' menu if you've prevented the user for doing that action? Using the Advanced version's ability to customize menus, you can delete "Delete Records" from the menu and the user will not be asking why that option is grayed out. Problem solved with a very professional (looking) solution.
As stated, the more obvious visual difference between the Advanced version of FileMaker has an extra menu: Tools as shown in the screenshot below. [Note that you can access customizing menus from the Tools menu as well as from the File menu, you cannot access Custom Functions from the Tools menu.]
Here, prominent on top is the Script Debugger. If you've ever created a script that didn't work, the debugger is a great way to help solve the problem. Probably its best feature is that you can run the script one-step-at-a-time and see exactly at what step the script fails, edit/repair the script and try again to verify the results.
There initially appears to be a step backwards in functionality with this new release. This apparent problem was caused because events are now listed as a "call stack" in the bottom section shown below and scripts initiated by buttons or menu selections are listed and identified by their name in the top window (as shown in the top image in the images below). When you first click on a script initiating Button or menu, instead of seeing the script steps, you see the action. This is shown in the top image below where it shows "Perform Script ["Roster"]. However, if you click on the "Step Into" button (the 2nd button in the Script Debugger window), it will switch over to showing the script steps, just as before. It's rather subtle and not obvious, but everything does work.
[Note: the names for buttons can now be created in the Inspector Panel mentioned early in this review. An unnamed button is simply called "<unnamed button> as shown with the middle Button in the bottom section shown above.]
Once you access the script, besides going through it one step at a time, you can edit the script as well as create duplicates to try experiments to analyze various approaches to solving a tough solution. When you are done you can delete the errant versions and continue.
In short, when you look at the improvements and new features of FileMaker Pro 11, there's lots to like. I'm still disappointed with the dynamics of the various function icons on the top part of every database. As I pointed out in my review of FM Pro 10, as the user (or the database designer) decreases the width of a database, the number of available (visible) given functions decrease from sight. While having these icons wrap to 2nd (and 3rd if necessary) rows might not be the best solution, having them disappear is far worse and currently that's the only option we've got. As such, I strongly recommend that any FM developer simply ignore any functional icon built into a database and simply manually add any tools the developer deems necessary. I also was hoping for the feature that's in Bento (see my review here) where you can have a field be a unique password field that can display a password, but the default view displays nothing but "••••••" dots. In fact, ever since Bento first appeared, I've also been hoping to see the same sliding grid dynamic that Bento has when moving fields around to maintain space and alignment.
On the plus side you've got everything I've mentioned in this review plus a few others that I just didn't take the time to elaborate on. Simply, any time you consider an update to some software you already own, the question has to be asked: is the update going to pay for itself in time, energy, and/or eased frustration. In the case of this release, if you go back and forth from Excel and FileMaker to create charts, the answer should be fairly obvious. Would having a single field to enter search words make your life, or those for whom you create databases for, an added ease and pleasure?
For me, the biggest pleasure is the Excel - FileMaker link. This will save me many hours dealing with those who work in Excel, and expect me to make everything work. So, does saving hours of my time help justify the update price? You bet.
But if you don't have FileMaker Pro yet, and you need/require/could use a database, what are you waiting for?
*[Note: I recently had a running set of e-mail conversations with a gentleman who questioned why I constantly refer to FileMaker as one of the easiest, most powerful, database programs around. He was complaining on how difficult he found it to use. I still hold to my comment as I know a number of people who work with other kinds of database applications. One could point to Microsoft's Access: it's also relatively easy to use, but not only is it not available for the Mac, it's also nowhere near as powerful as FM Pro. If you want power, try Oracle. It is more powerful, but no where near as easy to use as FileMaker. After that there are dozens of proprietary database programs for medical, economic, academic, and other niche purposes where the users need special training just on how to use the database, and that's not even touching the issue of creating a new database. Part of this gentleman's issue was that it turned out he wanted to do a very sophisticated database with a considerable number of table, fields, and interactions throughout. The basic plan was certainly within the abilities of FileMaker but since this was his first database ever, it was a lot for anyone to create.
Creating databases is no different than most other tasks in life. Basic is easy, complex is, well, more complex. I've been using FileMaker for about 25 years now (since Version 1) and I'm good at it, but I'm certainly no expert. The good news is that there are many experts providing classes and tutorials. As you learn FileMaker, or any other application for that matter, take your time and learn basics: you need to learn basic math before trying to take on calculus. If you need to add database capabilities to your work, hobbies, job, or any other need, check out Bento which is about as easy as anything out there. But if you need more capability, go to FileMaker. Trust me, you will have an easier time with FileMaker than any other full featured database out there. If you don't believe me, try any of the other options out there.]
Applelinks Rating:
Buy FileMaker Pro 11
___________ Gary Coyne has been a scientific glassblower for over 30 years. He's been using Macs since 1985 (his first was a fat Mac) and has been writing reviews of Mac software and hardware since 1995.
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