DB2 vs FileMaker Pro

• DB2 maintains itself very well. The Task Scheduler component of DB2 allows for statistics gathering and reorganization of indexes and tables without user interaction or without specific knowledge of cron or Windows Task Scheduler / Scheduled jobs.
• Its use of ASYNC, NEARSYNC, and SYNC HADR (High Availability Disaster Recovery ) models gives you a range of options for maintaining a very high uptime ratio. Failover from PRIMARY to SECONDARY becomes very easy with just a single command or windowed mouse click.
• Task Scheduler ( DB2 9.7 and earlier ) allows for jobs to be run within other jobs, and exit and error codes can define what other jobs are run. This allows for ease of maintenance without third party softwares.
• Tablespace usage and automatic storage help keep your data segmented while at rest, making partitioning easier.
• Ability to run commands via CLI (Command Line Interface) or via Control Center / Data Studio ( DB2 10.x+) makes administration a breeze.

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• The relational database management system makes the program highly customizable to fit the needs of any product. You can add a ton of information to each record and update your inventory on a regular basis with an Excel import or manually inside of the record. It has the capability to incorporate barcoding, which can manage your available inventory with ease.
• The scripting language allows FileMaker to automatically calculate complex algorithms automatically or generate report outs with the click of a button. This allows for greater UI, especially with active users who are not familiar with writing code. Almost all of our internal data is linked to the FileMaker database
• The server license allows many users to update the database in real time, which is handy if your inventory is constantly changing. We have users with Macs, PCs, iPhones and handheld tablets linked to our FileMaker database and they are updating the information constantly throughout the day.
• If you invest some time into formatting and scripting the database, there is a high ease of use for users without knowledge of any programming or FileMaker itself.

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• IBM is really behind in delivering developer tools. They pride themselves on Data Studio, but it is just frustrating.
• Marketing. Horrible to do a Google search and get returns for a COMPLETELY different product, for z/os. Why they share the same name is beyond me. Better marketing would also increase the user base and help the product mature.
• Slower than the competition to roll out next-generation features.

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• I had some big complaints about how to edit calculations and scripts, and not being able to print/export PDF from server but with the last 2 versions I can't complain any more. Those got added.
• Syncing records between iOS and Filemaker Server still requires a developer to accomplish. Although I make money doing it for others I wish there was some "central" method of syncing that everyone can follow.

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• Positive - Very good performance as compared to other traditional DBs.
• Positive - Transaction and query search are made easy from a DB level with good performance, also runs on top scape on AIX servers.
• Negative - There is always room for improvement, such as Webex queries and the GUI base tool. Also the available support documentation should be improved.

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• Our largest client, a Comedy Promoter in the UK, have a suite of software that we created and developed for them over the last few years. The initial outlay was questioned, however the streamlining of the company and the hours saved in unnecessary admin have enabled them to grow at a much faster rate, without the need for extra support staff. The historical data collected now informs the new markets that they are exploring, removing the guesswork and instead creating new opportunities that would otherwise not have been exploited.
• A smaller client of ours, an Events Crewing company, have a very simple contacts management application in Filemaker, which has been created to allow automatic updating from a Web Form by potential employees. This enables the boss to be on site while being able to vet new members of staff remotely. It is estimated that the initial cost of the software was recouped in the first month, and two years later they have grown in size by 33% whilst retaining the same permanent workforce, who still work the same hours.
• The software can also be made for a single job - a Tour Manager for a major UK touring artist came to us with 300 US visas to fill in. We simply overlaid fields onto the scan of the form, and utilised the data from their established Filemaker contacts database to auto-fill the forms for them. These were then auto-emailed to each of the contacts, who updated any incorrect data, signed and returned the forms and a job that would have taken around 3 weeks took less than 2 days.

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