FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is the clear, thorough and accessible guide to the latest version of this popular desktop database program. FileMaker Pro lets you do almost anything with the information you give it. You can print corporate reports, plan your retirement, or run a small country -- if you know what you're doing. This book helps non-technical folks like you get in, get your database built, and get the results you need. Pronto. The new edition gives novices and experienced users the scoop on versions 8.5 and 9. It offers complete coverage of timesaving new features such as the Quick Start screen that lets you open or a create a database in a snap, the handy "save to" buttons for making Excel documents or PDFs, the multiple level Undo and Redo commands let you step backwards through your typing tasks, and much more. With FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual, you can:

• Get your first database running in minutes and perform basic tasks right away.

• Catalog people, processes and things with streamlined data entry and sorting tools.

• Learn to use layout tools to organize the appearance of your database.

• Use your data to generate reports, correspondence and other documents with ease.

• Create, connect, and manage multiple tables and set up complex relationships that show you just the data you need.

• Crunch numbers, search text, or pin down dates and times with dozens of built-in formulas.

• Automate repetitive tasks with FileMaker Pro 9's easy-to-learn scripting language.

• Protect your database with passwords and set up privileges to determine what others can do once they gain entry.

• Outfit your database for the Web and import and export data to other formats.

Each chapter in the book contains "living examples" -- downloadable tutorials that help you learn how to build a database by actually doing it. You also get plenty of sound, objective advice that lets you know which features are really useful, and which ones you'll barely touch. To make the most of FileMaker Pro 9, you need the book that should have been in the box.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 28 Ratings

Excellent intro to FileMaker for beginner through high intermediate - 2009-08-12
Reviewer Rating:


The Missing Manual series is, overall, quite good with few misses. "FileMaker Pro 10 - The Missing Manual" is no exception to the generally high quality of the series.

I've used FileMaker since its very first version when it was produced by a company called Nashoba Systems. FileMaker has always been an excellent product, but with each new version, new features add another level of complexity. The early Nashoba and Apple documentation was excellent, but bit by bit the standards slipped. Printed manuals gave way to online help.

A mini-industry developed as publishers introduced new titles. It was never a tsunami, but there were a number of books on various aspects of FileMaker, some very well developed references.

The Missing Manual neatly fills the gap.

Starting with the basics, you are guided through the basics in the first three chapters. In reality, many people will not need to go beyond this point. There's enough here to get you through the creation and maintenance of simple FileMaker databases.

Beginning with Chapter 4, on layouts, your knowledge will quickly expand. FileMaker was among the first, if not the first, microcomputer database product to allow you to design layouts to meet your needs. Since those early days, the power of the FileMaker layout engine has grown almost beyond comprehension. You can create whatever layout meets your needs - and you can have multiple layouts per database. The Missing Manual does a superb job of showing you how to create very sophisticated layouts. It is important to understand that a FileMaker layout differs considerably merely creating a user interface: in FileMaker, the various fields are also components of the database. For example, for summaries, you use a particular field and have to create a formula to manage it. The Missing Manual explains all this quite nicely.

The remaining nine chapters lead you into more complex areas of database design in general and FileMaker in particular. In order, the chapters cover using multiple tables and relationships and then advance relationship techniques. These can be difficult concepts to grasp and even more difficult to implement. The book helps you along, though it doesn't really get into very complex relationships.

The next four chapters cover calculations. You can create FileMaker fields that perform virtually any computational task. One of the reasons I've used FileMaker for so many years is because I can use it to rearrange, recombine, sort and do all manner of things with text. Though I don't it use it much for mathematical calculations, it has every function you might reasonably need. Obviously because four chapters are devoted to it, there's a lot to FileMaker calculations and the book is thorough in its approach.

Two chapters on scripting follow. Over the years, FileMaker scripting has progressed from being a hair-pulling experience to being occasionally frustrating. If you're developing databases that must perform for relatively unskilled users, scripting is a must. Only your imagination and the sometimes confusingly documented or undocumented FileMaker feature set will stop you.

The last four chapters are the ones that will be the least used. Most people simply will not need information on adding security to your database, sharing data with other systems, sharing the database itself and using developer utilities.

Overall, "FileMaker 10 - The Missing Manual" follows its earlier editions in being almost a model for a solid technical manual. If you own FileMaker 10, you need this book. It is not the only FileMaker book you'll need, since there are others that are more suited to the reference role, but it is essential.

Jerry

Grat book - 2009-04-11
Reviewer Rating:
This is a great book, easy to follow, with easy language... and project files in the website, it works...

Filemaker Pro 10 - The Missing Manual - Your effectiveness enhancedr - 2009-10-27
Reviewer Rating:
If you are new to this product or have been through the updated versions of Filemaker over the years this book is a must.

For the novice, it explains in plain language, how to set up and use this powerful program and get you up and running with well explained examples and screen shots and exercises. It gets one off and running and gathering understanding very quickly. It logically and simply moves the reader into databases with real examples.

For the seasoned expert, it is an excellent reference of the functionality and advanced techniques that will make your databases perform even better. The new features and functionality that have come with each Filemaker version are fully explained. I personally have found in a few weeks great improvements to old techniques and approaches that I either misunderstood or wasn't aware of. Well thought out examples and explanation of the steps for even the most complex functions help guide the reader .

Whilst Filemaker is a very powerful program, it most forgiving of sloppy database design. However the better the design, the better for both user and developer. The tools for this are available in Filemaker but not adequately discussed in my view. The chapter on Relationship graphs, table occurrences and techniques to work with relationships and keeping them simple and understandable is too focused on 'how to implement' in Filemaker rather than understanding design and how it can be organised, approached and improved. It could be argued this is not the books purpose, however good design benefits the approach and using Filemaker's functionality.

Filemaker Pro 10 - The Missing Manual is a well thought out, easy to understand text that explains how to use the program to its fullest extent and make your information more manageable, no matter what you are using Filemaker for.

FileMaker Pro 10 - The Missing Manual - 2009-09-16
Reviewer Rating:
Product Review

BY: Sally Donaldson, Alaskan Apple User Group Member
Product: FileMaker Pro 10 The Missing Manual
Author: Susan Prosser & Geoff Coffey
[...]
Company: Pogue Press(tm) - O'REILLYr
[...]
PRO: This book explains well from the beginning to the finished product.
CON: I don't find anything to complain about.
MOOSE RATING: 5


.
My experience with spreadsheets has been limited to filling in grade sheets that someone prepared for me.
First I had to begin with vocabulary. Spreadsheets have a vocabulary of their own that is not used for anything else. I'm not working on committing that to memory, but to absorb the meaning of each word and how to apply them to practical use. Fortunately, this book begins with the vocabulary, linked with its use. I was surprised to learn that one must use the numeric pad ENTER key in order to transfer the new data you just entered to the other spreadsheets in the database. That knowledge alone makes my reviewing this book worth my time. I had become very frustrated that the info I inserted into the In-Put Sheet did not flow to the other sheets. I tried several methods that work in other situations, but didn't accomplish this feat until I read instructions in
The Missing Manual.
There is a List of keyboard shortcuts, plus simple instructions to check the View Menu if you forget the shortcut symbols (and who doesn't?).
Fortunately for me, prior Membership Chairpersons had already set the Database up and,
as in my past use of spreadsheets, I had only to in-put information. However, differing a long way from my past use of spreadsheets, which consisted of only one sheet. Our Membership Database has seven separate sheets, each of which is used for a different purpose. However, the basic information which we insert in the In-Put sheet, also needs to flow into all other sheets. That's what I learned to do.
A whole Chapter is devoted to creating and building a new database. I need to understand the process of building layouts, then start by building a basic layout before I move on through The Missing Manual to using Advanced Layouts.
Important features of every spreadsheet are Calculations. After learning about and understanding how to use tables, fields and relationships, we can advance to learn how calculations can make your database total invoices, analyze trends, calculate dates and times, and so on.
Calculations are not only for numbers! They can pick text apart and rearrange it in various forms, such as linking a Web address to a customer's address map. Some other applications for which we can use math and figures together are by using the math to figure how old someone is based on his/her birth date. You can figure how long someone has worked on a job and many other things.
This book covers Advanced Calculations and Scripting plus sharing info. ~END~

Disapointed - 2009-08-12
Reviewer Rating:
I was disapointed in this book. It didn't teach me anything I didn't know and there was nothing about instant web publishing in it, except how to set the database up for IWP, which anyone can figure out on their own. I find my old book, Special Edition: Using Filemaker 7 a better reference than this one. Unfortunately, I have Filemaker Pro 10 Advanced so my old book doesn't cover all the new features. I should have looked for the latest edition of that one.

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