PC Magazine selected FileMaker Pro 7 to receive its “Editor’s Choice” award as the top desktop database software in the June 7, 2005 issue, beating Microsoft Access 2003, Alpha Five Version 6 and askSam Professional 6.
The database applications were graded based on database functions, ease of use, application development, deployment, networking and data sharing. In winning the award, FileMaker Pro 7 received an overall grade of “Excellent.”
FileMaker has “long been a leader” in making “databases easy to develop, use and deploy,” reports PC Magazine. FileMaker Pro 7 “builds further on this already strong foundation with improved capabilities for managing relationships, more sophisticated user-access controls, and other subtle improvements,” the review adds.
“FileMaker’s unique combination of power, ease of use and rapid deployment makes it a favorite among both users and developers,” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president of marketing and services for FileMaker in the press release. “FileMaker’s continuing success as the most popular easy-to-use database comes from its ability to help customers be more productive in creating, managing and sharing information. We are thrilled to receive this honor from one of the leading technology publications.”
PC Magazine’s “Editor’s Choice” is the latest of more than 25 awards and top-rated reviews bestowed upon FileMaker Pro 7 since the product’s launch in March, 2004. In 2004 alone, FileMaker Pro won more awards than those given to its seven top competitors combined. More recently, FileMaker Pro received a 2005 “Codie” award for “Best Database Management Product or Service” from the Software & Information Industry Association (May 26, 2005).
FileMaker Pro is used by millions of individuals and workgroups around the world to be more productive and efficient. Business, education and government customers rely on FileMaker to manage people, projects, images, assets and other information. In addition to being the number one-selling easy-to-use database software, the award-winning FileMaker product line also includes low-cost Applications that automate basic business tasks, ready-to-use Starter Solutions, and tools to create and share solutions from the desktop to the web. FileMaker, Inc. is a subsidiary of Apple Computer, Inc.
Read the full review here.
I’ve used it. Pretty good app.
yaaawn
And 90% of the business PC world says “WTF is Filemaker?” Then, “Oh, it’s some desktop Mac thing” and promptly dismiss it. Most businesses use MS SQL Server, Oracle, or possibly an open source equivalent.
The last thing a enterprise needs is desktop SQL servers scattered around under people’s desks; especially in light of the recent focus on privacy of customer data.
…And my last comment wasn’t a slam against Filemaker per se, just a comment on the inherent weakness in the concept of “Desktop Databases”. Any form of customer data belongs racked in a server room with restricted physical access. Not laying around unsecured & unmonitored in various cubicles.
The article linked to is dated 3-12-2004. Is there an updated one we are supposed to be looking at or was this a flukey story that made it’s way out of the dust bin?
“And 90% of the business PC world says “WTF is Filemaker?” Then, “Oh, it’s some desktop Mac thing” and promptly dismiss it.”
Filemaker is dual platform, so it’s not just a “Mac thing.”
Catalyst.
SQL DB products and Filemaker are different types of product. SQL products such as MS, Oracle and DB2 are targeted for massive databases and back office type of applications typically found in very large biz. These products are a lot more expensive than Filemaker or MS Access.
Filemaker is targeted for small biz and workgroups of all types of biz that need to get an application up and running quickly without a lot of development, maintenance, and up front costs.
As RC points out the Filemaker subsidiary makes products for both Windows and Mac platforms.
Filemaker is used a lot in hollywood because it’s very easy to setup and use. Most post-production people don’t want to be database managers, and setting up a comparable SQL or Oracle solution involves a lot more work than setting up a simple Filemaker database.
Catalyst…
Yes “business” will use SQL, Oracle, etc., but there are lots of non-enterprise applications for which non-db experts need an approachable DB application. Filemaker is a DB app builder that a neophyte can buy off the shelf Saturday morning and have a running DB app completed and functioning by Sunday nite. Filemaker is NOT tarketed to the enterprise. Filemaker is the best solution for the “weekend” DB administrator.
I was amazed to find that my opthalmologists run their entire practice on Filemaker, from direct acquisition of test results right through to billing, stock control and automatic generation of reminder letters. And all on Macs, of course. The director said that one of the great advantages was the ease of customisation. If they have a new task that they want to incorporate, it only takes a few days, something other solutions didn’t seem to manage.
Well, this article prompted me to try it out. My first impression is that it looks like just another port of some typical Windows app. Icons in the tool bar look like crap. I imported some sample data from the wrong file, and Undo is dimmed out so I woulda been screwed if I was really doing something. When I quit FM, and then double-clicked on the file that was saved (and no, no one asked me if I wanted to save this thing – it saved automatically, and that’s why I woulda been screwed with no Undo), it ran FM but didn’t open my database. Had to do that with Open Existing File. Now I may be nik-picking but the sample files have really small text. I could live with that I guess but I would have to make any sample they have much larger both in font size and window size. I may go on and do more but the 1st things I see, I don’t like.
I need to withdraw my criticism of the Icons in the tool bar. They look fine. What I was looking at was the toolbar icons for one of their sample files, Business Reports or something like that. That does suck, but the other examples look OK.
FIlemaker is a subsidiary of Apple. Filemaker Pro is not a ported Windows app- it’s actually the complete opposite- a Mac app “ported” to Windows. Filemaker kicks the shit out of Access for ease of use and functionality- no contest. FM is an excellent app.
BTW you don’t “save” a database. It is saved in real-time as data is entered. This is no different than any other database program, Access included.
Wingsy, just curious- are you new to databases? They are different beasts in the way the operate.
Good thing they did not use ‘printing’ as a criterion then, or FM would have ended last.
That is my only really serious beef with that program, by the way, for the rest it is great.
For the zealots: the first version of FileMaker was called Nutshell and a DOS ONLY app, so don’t go shouting ‘typical Apple product, just works dunnit!’ too quickly
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Wingsy, if you were doing stuff for real, you would not have been screwed, because you would have had a backup of the file from before importing, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you?
Yeah, you could put all my experience with DBs into a 2-week romp with Panorama back around ’99 or so. But still… even if it is the nature of DBs to keep the data current as you go, does that have to mean that Undo is out the window?
And yes I keep backups, automatically every night at 1am. Or at least I DID, until Retrospect quit working with Tiger. Still waiting to hear about an update.
Oh, and my scroll wheel doesn’t work in FM.
Yeah, scrollwheel, that’s true. We keep urging them to fix it, but so far no luck.
Whenever I write an import routine, I make sure a copy of the file is automatically created before doing the actual import, because indeed, line up a field wrongly or accidentally omit (or not, as the case may be) serial numbering and you may be in for a world of trouble.
FILEMAKER SUCKS ASS, ITS A SCRATCH MARK IN THE UNDERWEAR OF A DBA’s….Screw FMP 7. ORACLE, SQL, MySQL are the way to go. More dev time, but still better.
Hey Trick, you’re absolutely right. I need an Oracle solution to track my stamp collection. You also need Photoshop to crop photos and Mathematica to add a string of numbers.
Idiot.
hey riiiiight, your riiiiiight filemaker might work as a solution to track your stamp collection…but not much else. Wanna accomplish anything more complex like a simple freakin right join within a layout and you are better off using a piece of paper and pen. The whole portal concept is rediculous. Perhaps if i drop a hit of acid the GUI will all make sense. in short, Filemaker blows, i hate it, it sucks, i cant believe i got sucked into to building a db with it….oh yeah that reminds me, MACs blow too.
totally agree with you, mopai
I think apple is misleading people in many way. their products ONLY look cool or good, acutally are craps.
It not surprises me that Filemaker is a apple product.