FileMaker
2007-07-10
FileMaker 9
Filed Under:
It's been a while since I was an unabashed FileMaker groupie. It's a database program for people who hate databases. Like me.
Yes, I admit it. I don't like databases. Tables, columns, structured queries, errors - blech! It's like working with DOS way back when. Shouldn't somebody throw a comprehensible UI on top of that thing?
They should and they did, years ago, with FileMaker. Alas, it's been a few years since I've used it, because my world turned towards more "powerful" backends. Production caliber Microsoft SQL, Oracle, and MySQL. FileMaker sacrificed speed in its quest for usability. It worked great for a small team or office, but if you ever wanted to take that data and share it out to the untethered masses? Fuhgeddaboutit, the thing just didn't scale.
Ah, but with version 9, that's supposedly all in the past. You can now read and write to external SQL databases - including FileMaker Server 9. And if you need your data to be accessible via a web interface, there is a PHP Site Assistant that'll walk you through creating that interface.
It just came out today, so I haven't tried it out yet, but you can bet that I will be soon. It's always been a great tool for quickly and easily setting up databases and intuitive interfaces into your data. Now it looks like they've made it easier to take that to a more robust and scalable end solution. If so, maybe I'll go back to being a FileMaker groupie again.
Yes, I admit it. I don't like databases. Tables, columns, structured queries, errors - blech! It's like working with DOS way back when. Shouldn't somebody throw a comprehensible UI on top of that thing?
They should and they did, years ago, with FileMaker. Alas, it's been a few years since I've used it, because my world turned towards more "powerful" backends. Production caliber Microsoft SQL, Oracle, and MySQL. FileMaker sacrificed speed in its quest for usability. It worked great for a small team or office, but if you ever wanted to take that data and share it out to the untethered masses? Fuhgeddaboutit, the thing just didn't scale.
Ah, but with version 9, that's supposedly all in the past. You can now read and write to external SQL databases - including FileMaker Server 9. And if you need your data to be accessible via a web interface, there is a PHP Site Assistant that'll walk you through creating that interface.
It just came out today, so I haven't tried it out yet, but you can bet that I will be soon. It's always been a great tool for quickly and easily setting up databases and intuitive interfaces into your data. Now it looks like they've made it easier to take that to a more robust and scalable end solution. If so, maybe I'll go back to being a FileMaker groupie again.
