FileMaker Pro: Version 5 Makes it Easier to Share

CreativePro Staff

FileMaker Pro has long been the asset management software of choice for the individual and small workgroup database markets due to its ease of use and its ability to operate in a cross-platform Windows/Macintosh client server environment. However, its limited ability to share data with others (each user needed their own version of FileMaker) kept many “computer professionals” away. With the release of version 5.0, FileMaker Pro has gone a long way to overcoming these limitations. The latest version offers better support for ODBC, allowing it to share information with other Microsoft database applications. In addition, the program now boasts greater Web publishing features and a much more intuitive user interface. It is limited in hosting only up to 10 connected users, but other members of the FileMaker family, such as FileMaker Pro Unlimited and FileMaker Server, running on Windows NT, increases that number up to 250 concurrent users.
The following reviews are available for FileMaker 5.0:

• Lori Robison at Smart Computing Magazine writes: “One phrase springs to mind about the FileMaker Pro 5 data manager software: user-friendly.” Read More
• Mark Simmons at MacAddict gives it the “Freakin Awesome” rating; read his review here
• Timothy Dyck’s, of PC Week Labs, focuses his review on much needed improvements found in FileMaker 5.0 enabling greater ease in the sharing of data: via OBDC and the Web. You can find his review here

Finally, FileMaker, Inc. has made available FileMaker XML Central. “A comprehensive resource for IT professionals and web developers, FileMaker XML Central provides essential documentation that details the Extensible Markup Language (XML) support in FileMaker Pro. It also includes instructional examples and useful links for learning more about XML and XML formatting technologies.”
This and more information can be found at the FileMaker Pro 5 product page here at creativepro.com.