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06 January 2007
Posted in
Office
I've often thought of FileMaker in the same way that I've thought of my Mac. Able to do powerful things, but so incredibly easy to use at the same time that it's almost embarrassing.
I've been a big fan of the database system for years and with the recent release of version 8.5 and the new web enhancements, it was great that the folks at FileMaker gave me the opportunity to take a new look.
| Review | |
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Installation & Documentation
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Ease of use
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Value for money
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Price approx.
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$500 + GST |
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Software/Hardware
Requirements |
Intel
based Macintosh or 256MB of RAM CD-ROM drive and Hard drive
Mac OS
X 10.3.9 or Network access for web publishing and viewing options |
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Available from
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I've said in the past (many versions ago) that some of the new releases to FileMaker have been a little disappointing. That certainly changed with version 7 that came out a while back, which introduced the more traditional table structure to its database schema...something that many people couldn't get to grips with not having in a database system. A former colleague once went to great pains to tell me that as a flat file database it couldn't possibly a relational system. She was wrong, but with the introduction of tables into the database, any talk like that ended.
It's interesting to note how exceptionally proud of the new version FileMaker seem to be. One of their opening statements from their review guide even said…
"The FileMaker Pro 8.5 family has just a handful of changes - but with such impact that we think a version number like 8.9 would be more fitting."
I wouldn't disagree, but I'm glad they didn't suggest version 9.0. In fact, a ".5" release is often seen as bringing in new functionality and bug fixes at the same time, which is appropriate. Version 8.5 sees FileMaker become a Universal Binary, with claims the application runs between 1.5 to 2 times faster on Intel machines. Perhaps the most significant addition is the Web Viewer functionality.
This gives FileMaker the ability to incorporate information from the web on demand, including items such as HTML, QuickTime, PDFs, applets, Flash etc and fillable forms. Because the web pages that you embed can already be interactive, it creates a huge range of possibilities for layouts and interactivity within a database interface. There are some example presets available (such as using Google searching, Wikipedia etc) when you go to add in a web component, but it is also readily apparent how you can generate customised queries that then load any sort of relevant web content or media that you want.
Help - an opportunity wasted
The new version also sees a feature called the "Learning Center" which in basic
terms is simply a rejig of the Help System. Instead of it being localised content on your Mac, it's now a website that FileMaker have developed and where they have
centralized a lot of material. This will obviously make things easier for them, but
the feature in FileMaker is in fact just an HTML file that redirects you to a site. Now as
a web developer, I have my Mac set to open HTML files by default with
Dreamweaver. So when I went up to the Help menu and selected "Help",
suddenly Dreamweaver loaded and I was stuck pondering what to do. In the end I just
loaded the HTML page in a browser and it redirected to the appropriate website (I've been told by a developer that this can easily be resolved within the application rather than forcing me to change my HTML file 'open with' default settings).
Now here's the thing. The Help menu simply launches your browser and takes you to a website. Yet previously, I had been espousing the great new feature in FileMaker where web pages can be embedded in FileMaker documents (or databases). Anyone see an opportunity there?
FileMaker missed a huge and amazingly easy opportunity to demo the potential of their new feature from the get-go. Instead of loading a web page in a browser, why didn't they make the Help menu launch a FileMaker document, with their own Learning Centre website content embedded in it? Considering their own Learning Centre contains video tutorials and more, it would have been a perfect opportunity to wow FM users and make use of their own technology at the same time.
Other
new features include the ability to name layout object and this is a great new feature. You can assign a
name to many elements that previously you were unable to, making navigating to
that object a possibility or performing operations on that object. Assigning these names, the 'Go to Object' script step and
'GetLayoutObjectAttribute' function are also very useful.
Back to the web
The more I've played with the new feature and the more I've thought about its uses, the more I realise the huge potential that this feature has. I think
what we'll see is a huge
range of new possibilities and functionality as clever FileMaker users realise
the full potential that the database system has to offer. From the ability to
import web pages or HTML pages, to the ability to generate HTML and have that
accessible to users means that the database gains greater strength in an area
that it had previously been lacking.
Traditionally FileMaker has released a series of free examples/templates/resources to highlight new features after a release. Whilst there are some example files that come with the application, I'd like to see them bring out some more examples that simply wow users into realising just what it is that they have in front of them. Already in my mind I can see ways in a workgroup environment that HTML generated reports could be shared, accessed and even published on the net via an easy interface that has been generated in FileMaker. Access to web information that previous would have needed translation and formatting of some sort are now accessible and able to be queried. The possibilities are endless.
FileMaker has done a great job at bringing in new functionality and they are obviously enthusiastic about those enhancements. Hopefully FM users out there will match that enthusiasm. Whilst I'm reluctant to suggest an upgrade isn't necessary unless you want the new web viewer features, FileMaker Pro continues to be one of the easiest, enjoyable and powerful databases that I have the opportunity to use.
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