Powerful, flexible Mac database: FileMaker Pro - Software Review - The Pros have it - evaluation

Home Office Computing, May, 1991 by Crystal Waters

Better text control. Form letters and other boilerplate text are easy in Pro. This was a troublesome area in previous versions; it's now as easy as using any word processor. And thank you, Claris, for allowing one word to be bold, or italic, or a different typeface--previously, all text in one text block had to be exactly the same.

Database capabilities. Although FileMaker is not a true relational database, it does have a lookup feature. For example, your invoice database can look up descriptions and prices of products from your inventory database, saving you the trouble of retyping the information and ensuring consistency and accuracy. You can sort information any way your hear desires and query as specifically as necessary (all customers who bought over $100 worth of pink notepads via mail order on November 5, 1990, whose zip codes start with 070, for example). FileMaker Pro will run on a 1MB Macintosh, but I'd recommend at least 2MB of RAM (I would for any database software).

In conclusion. I'm fussy when it comes to representing my business on paper. I also like to find out details about my clients, finances, expenses, and products at the drop of a hat. I want to do all of this with a flexible program that doesn't require a degree in computer science to figure out, and that can export and import data to and from word processors, spreadsheets, and databases without fuss. FileMaker Pro is an excellent value for the beginner and expert alike. What would I like to see in the next version? Hmm. Tough one. Give me a while longer.