Painless database for Windows and Mac: FileMaker Pro: for Windows, Macintosh - Claris Corp.'s FileMaker Pro 2.0 database management system - Software Review - Reviews - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, March, 1993 by Charles Gajeway

FileMaker Pro Rating: *** 1/2

For Windows, Macintosh

AT A GLANCE: New version of popular Mac database, now available for Windows; the most practical and productive database I have used. A near-perfect balance of power and ease of use.

DOCUMENTATION: Excellent tutorial and fine online help system; the reference manual is profusely illustrated and generally well-written, but occasionally fragmented.

EASE OF USE: Much better than average for a database with this power; you will be up and running in a couple of hours, and tackling tough projects in short order.

SUPPORT: Just about the best around, with telephone technical support augmented by toll-free fax and prerecorded answer lines, and user forums on America Online and Compuserve.

VERSIONS REVIEWED: 2.0 (Windows and Mac)

LIST PRICE: $399 each

AVERAGE STREET PRICE: $299 each

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows: 2MB 286 PC (4MB 386 PC recommended); hard-disk drive; mouse; VGA, SVGA; DOS 3.1 and Windows 3.0 or higher. Macintosh: IMB Macintosh or higher (2MB with System 7); hard-disk drive; System 6.0 or higher.

PUBLISHER: Claris Corp., 5201 Patrick Henry Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95052; (408) 727-8227, (800) 325-2747

Really good software is deceptive. It starts out simple and intuitive, not overwhelming you with power and complexity. Then, as you attempt more and more complex tasks, the program doesn't run out of steam, but keeps on helping you do your job better.

FileMaker has been the top-selling Macintosh database program for a long time, and deservedly so. From the beginning, FileMaker has offered more power, speed, and flexibility than most form-manager programs, but with very little of the complexity associated with powerful relational software (which lets you link multiple databases with common fields). Now Claris has developed a Windows version. I was eager to start digging into both.

Platform equality. I found the Windows and Macintosh versions of FileMaker to be essentially identical. Not only are data files 100 percent compatible (as long as Mac users follow the more stodgy MS-DOS file-name conventions), but the programs look and work alike, right down to many of the keyboard command shortcuts

I was nervous getting started, remembering past problems with various data-base programs. Right from the beginning, though, the process was easier with FileMaker. The program guides you through the task at hand, and never presents an overwhelming variety of choices. Often-used commands and tools are available at all times, while more complex operations are handled with cascading menus and dialog boxes. Each operating mode-- browse, layout, find, and preview--has its own set of tools and menu choices, helping you focus on what you're doing instead of getting frazzled by an over-stuffed menu and a cluttered toolbox.

FileMaker uses the graphic operating environment to great advantage. The layout screen works like a simple drawing program, with fields treated as variable text or graphics objects that can be freely dragged and dropped, sized, and mixed with fixed text and graphics to create strikingly attractive reports.

Fields of glory. FileMaker has two exceptionally useful kinds of fields. The repeating field extends a normal data field, allowing it to hold several different entries. Functioning like a database within a database, this capability enables you to track related items in a field separately, such as inventory on a shirt that comes in three colors, test scores by subject, or invoice payments by customer.

The lookup field compares specified fields in the current file and another FileMaker file, and retrieves data from the second file if there is a match. For example, if the customer code you enter into your invoice file matches a field in your mailing list file, lookup fields can automatically retrieve the customer's name and address. This limited but powerful relational capability lets you save time and avoid errors by concentrating key data in a single common source.

It's in the script. A new and extremely powerful feature in version 2.0 is ScriptMaker, a macro language that allows you to automate tedious or time-consuming procedures. Activating the ScriptMaker command opens an editing window, where you can choose commands from a master list, assign options, then edit and reorder your final list. A finished script can be included in the Scripts menu, assigned to a button on your layout (any screen object except a field can be turned into a button), or both. For example, I easily wrote a simple script that instructs my billing file to look up the latest prices from my inventory file, and a more complex script that selects all open invoices over 30 days old, then prints collection letters and customer statements.

Some dislikes. While the reference manual was good, it didn't measure up to the tutorial. I frequently had to look in more than one place for an answer, and while the writing was thankfully nontechnical, it was a bit long-winded and occasionally on the fuzzy side. Claris usually does a better job.