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Filemaker to save the day!
July 23, 2018

Filemaker to save the day!

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with FileMaker Pro

Filemaker is the heart of our organization. It runs every department in one to degree or another. For each department, we have automated processes which have cut down on hours of work for our organization. Each business work flow is highly custom, and therefore an out of the box solution was not going to work. Filemaker has allowed us to put in place a solution that is tailored to the way we like to do business but also allows us to grow and change process flows quickly that wouldn't be possible using standard development technologies.
  • Develop custom solutions very fast
  • Simple to use for non-developers
  • Easy rollout of solutions company-wide
  • Easy setup of server to host custom solution
  • Developer features need to be beefed up - namely adding the ability to search code for a phrase or keyword and the ability to do the same in the "relationship graph" in the database.
  • Add ability for users to edit the same table record at the same time by version control.
  • Allow Filemaker Server to use more than 1 core; currently multi-processing is not supported and it can be tricky to find just the right server to support the application you've built to the fullest capacity.
  • Positive impact for my company is that we have designed a solution that meets the needs of our very custom processes.
  • My company is in the process of expanding rapidly and with that the need for new tools are need quickly. With most languages (like Java or .Net), it could take weeks to develop the same tool it takes us 3 days to make in Filemaker.
  • The most negative impact however is that at times Filemaker will just become overwhelmed and we have no choice but to restart the server which hosts the application.
Unlike traditional databases, you get an all inclusive solution which allows end-user screens and workflows which can be developed via scripting. With the exception of SQL Server, Filemaker also allows you to setup scheduled scripts which can run on a recurring basis. In addition, Filemaker has the ability to be accessible on iOS using Filemaker Go and in browser using Filemaker Webdirect! The scripting language is easy for any database developer to learn and allow you to create a full application which isn't possible in other database products without multiple levels of technologies which lead to complications.
Despite limitations, Filemaker Pro is perfect for a company which is in constant flux and which requires a custom work flow which an out of the box solution doesn't provide.

One example is that my company requires orders to be submitted where based on product type, purchase location and company category all impact the price that is charged. I've used several e-store solutions and most of these are very cut and dry. You can have a product with 1 price, the only exception is a coupon code. Filemaker allowed us to create an store that allows our users to create an order based on our crazy pricing structure.













Using FileMaker Pro

The usability rating I'm providing is for the development interface - the usability of the application you build is relative to how much effort is put into the application. Filemaker needs to roll out some features that are "modern" sooner rather than later. They do roll out new features every year, but at a slow pace. We generally get 1 new TRULY useful feature every year. They need to step it up some!
ProsCons
Like to use
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Quick to learn
Feel confident using
None
  • Managing tables
  • Editing code
  • Debugging code
  • Managing table relationships
  • Searching relationships
  • Searching code/scripts
  • Code versioning
Yes - Impressive! You can built a mobile interface that works very well in a matter of days. We have built a mobile ordering system for our sales team which was released in a matter of weeks. Better yet, no iOS approval is needed because it was released using Filemaker Go. Simply download the application and open the correct hosted database.