- Apple numbers templates relational database for free#
- Apple numbers templates relational database pro#
Nonetheless, version 7 offers compelling advantages. And even if you’re already using OS X, converting old databases will take some planning.
Apple numbers templates relational database pro#
If you’re happy with the old FileMaker database you’re running now, upgrading to FileMaker Pro 7 may involve some trouble and expense. It’s possible (and legal) to run FileMaker Pro 6 and 7 on the same machine at the same time, so you can jump into FileMaker Pro 7 and bring your old files along when you’re ready.
Apple numbers templates relational database for free#
The good news is that plenty of first-rate technical help is available for free on FileMaker’s Web site at Study up before you try to convert. You should be able to convert simple databases without a hitch, but converting even moderately complex databases may be somewhat tricky. To use your old databases with FileMaker Pro 7, you’ll need to convert the old files to the newįile format. However, it should be noted that both of these limitations can be remedied by third-party plug-ins. And I wish I had more control over the program’s menus.
What’s Not to Like?įileMaker Pro still can’t trigger a script automatically when the user exits a field. And the tools in version 7 are an order of magnitude more powerful than those available in earlier versions. Careful planning has always been the key to good database design. Managing more than two or three tables takes careful planning, but that’s not a drawback. Even a relatively small number of tables whose basic relationships could be represented in a straightforward ER (entity-relationship) diagram can turn into a rather scary-looking Relationships Graph in FileMaker Pro 7.ĭevelopers I’ve talked to are still debating the best ways to deal with the new relational model, but nobody seems to want to go back to the old one. To avoid this, you have to place a second instance-what FileMaker calls an “occurrence”-of one of the tables on the graph. If you need to relate tables X and Y in more than one way (as sometimes happens), you’ll discover that the graph will not tolerate circularity. Like many innovations, the Relationships Graph solves some problems and creates others. More-complex relationships can be defined using a special dialog box for example, an account record can quickly be related to all invoice records whose paid-date field is empty and whose invoice-date field is more than 30 days in the past. To create a simple relationship between two tables, draw a line between the match fields (see “Striking Up Relationships”). You now define relationships between data tables using something called the Relationships Graph. Rich new possibilities require a flexible new interface for developers. But looking back on it now, I have to say that the old way was a bit nutty. And getting data from indirectly related files was, well, a pain in the neck. Sorting lists of related records in portals in more than one way often required creating multiple copies of the same relationship. In FileMaker Pro 6, tasks such as changing passwords and defining relationships involved opening file after file. In earlier versions of FileMaker Pro, anything more complex than a grocery list required multiple files-one file for each distinct class of data (accounts, invoices, line items, products, suppliers, and so on). The biggest news in FileMaker Pro 7 is that developers are no longer constrained by the old one-file-equals-one-window-equals-one-data-table rule. Beneath the surface, in fact, it’s a whole new app. The improvements I’ve already mentioned would be enough for an ordinary upgrade, but this isn’t an ordinary upgrade. According to FileMaker, text fields can now hold as much as 2GB of text (up from 64K), and files can grow to 8 terabytes (up from 2GB). Container fields are no longer limited to multimedia files such as photos or QuickTime movies in fact, each container field can now store virtually any kind of document, even other FileMaker Pro databases as large as 4GB. In addition, many old technical limits have been obliterated.
A developer can also assign autoenter calculation formulas to data-field definitions, to format phone numbers and Social Security numbers automatically. Text-formatting functions make it easier than ever to do things such as flag invoices that are 60 days past due and show negative calculation results in red. It’s now possible to configure layouts so that changes made to a record require confirmation before they’re saved if you discover you’ve edited the wrong record, you can click on the Cancel button and no harm will be done. FileMaker Pro 7 also has its share of improvements that ordinary users will appreciate, even if many require that a developer set them up.
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