Studio Manager Bulletin

Studio Manager 7 and 8 on FileMaker 9

Some users have gotten error messages when trying to open their FileMaker 7 or 8 databases in FileMaker 9. This is true even though FileMaker 9 has the same file format as FileMaker 7 and 8 and is meant to be 100% compatible with all existing FileMaker 7 and 8 databases. I wanted to comment on what I've learned about this so far.

Apparently, FileMaker 9 is more rigorous than previous versions of FileMaker in checking for errors before opening a file. When it finds something not to its liking, it puts up a message advising you to recover the file.

I would advise against this if at all possible. The Recover command in FileMaker really is not a good therapeutic tool. It is instead best for situations where you must recover your data temporarily as it is not guaranteed to leave your database completely in tact. So, use Recover when you must get data because there is no other option and then it is best to use a clone of a clean previous version of your database and import data from the recovered file to the clone. Better still, would be to export data from the recovered file and import that exported file into your clone.

The point is, don't use Recover before trying other much better options. The option I like best is to open the errant file in the highest version of FIleMaker it will open in that you have and use the Save a Copy as command to Compressed Copy (smaller). This is not the normal kind of file compression but is instead a unique-to-FileMaker cleaning process that is lossless and actually good for the file. I have yet to have a FileMaker file that did not open in FIleMaker 9 after it was first Compressed by an earlier version of FileMaker in this way.

I recommend that before you try to open your FileMaker files in FileMaker 9 for the first time, that you do this maintenance step first.

Technorati Tags: FileMaker 9

Learning Enough FileMaker to be Dangerous

I guess I am a risk taker or just an idealist. I want all my Studio Manager customers to learn enough FileMaker to be dangerous. I want you to kick the tires, try things, duplicate stuff, create scripts, add fields and create lots of new reports. I want and give you permission to delete, yes, delete, the pieces of Studio Manager that are in the way.

Before I continue, I want to be clear about one thing. I don't think everyone in your shop needs to be dangerously smart with FileMaker. I just want to make sure that you don't miss out on one of the biggest advantages of FileMaker. In a turbulent world, you need a responsive tool that will allow you to move quickly and get what you want. I don't mean to convert everyone in your shop to be FileMaker tinkerers. One person in your shop or work group who has acquired intermediate FileMaker skills is all you need to get a lot more value.

It is too bad that, for the most part, only my customers who have had previous experience with FileMaker are as dangerous as I would like all my customers to be. Studio Manager is designed to be your mission critical application. It has to be right for you. It is built in the most user-friendly and accessible database available. FileMaker has risen to the top of the database world because it allows users to get what they want and need.

That's why I based Studio Manager on FileMaker. That's why I chose FileMaker. It wasn't going to give me geek cred back in 1986 to use FileMaker. I was already an experienced computer professional at that time and FileMaker was not your database power tool. But it didn't have to be and I seemed to be one of the first computer professionals to realize that complicated power features in vast quantities do not translate into customer satisfaction.

My criteria for a software development tool are: (1) it allows me to rapidly develop useable business applications, (2) it is sturdy so that systems don't break easily and (3) I need to be able to figure out what is wrong and fix it within 5 minutes. I have had to stretch that to an hour with some of my more complex FileMaker features that weren't even possible back in the early days of FileMaker Plus, but FileMaker wins this competition hands down.

Have you been paying attention the last few years? There is a huge movement called user-generated content. Think of FileMaker Pro 8.5 as the best tool to develop user-generated database capabilities. User-generated customization is what I want to talk about in a series of blog posts I am writing.

I kicked off my efforts with an introductory post on FileMaker Fever. Please check it out if you would like to be a little more dangerous with Studio Manager or your home grown FIleMaker solution. Actually, I promise to guide you so that you stay out of trouble. Rule one on that is: you have nothing to worry about once you have a current backup (x2).

When I am actively developing in FileMaker, I just duplicate the file before I start so I have a revision to revert or refer back to if I need it. If you have your backups, you can try new things and experiment. No harm, no foul. Try it!

Technorati Tags: FileMaker 8, FileMaker 8.5