FileMaker today announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Pro 9, a major new version of the most award-winning desktop database for Macintosh and Windows. FileMaker, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, Inc.
The new FileMaker 9 product line, which the company called its most dramatic new offering in years with over 30 ease-of-use breakthroughs, is available today, and includes FileMaker Pro 9, FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced, FileMaker Server 9 and FileMaker Server 9 Advanced.
FileMaker Pro 9 includes many new features, for end users and developers, to simplify creating, automating, sharing and reporting from databases, including a new Quick Start screen for new users to be quickly productive; Conditional Formatting, which highlights data based on parameters the user sets; and the ability to email a link to other FileMaker users, which they can click to instantly access your database.
The new version also offers easy-to-use tools so FileMaker users and workgroups easily can connect to the world of company and Web data residing in external SQL data sources: MySQL, Oracle SQL and Microsoft SQL Server.
The new Server 9 products, which enable workgroups to share databases over the network and the Web, come with a completely modernized and streamlined Admin Console, so FileMaker Pro users can easily set up and administer Server software.
“FileMaker is the acknowledged leader in easy-to-use database software which empowers workgroups,” said Dominique Goupil, president of FileMaker, in the press release. “With FileMaker 9 we go further. We make it easier than ever for developers and users to manage information in amazingly productive and creative ways. For example, our goal is to make FileMaker Server 9 so easy that FileMaker Pro customers can install it in 20 minutes or less, and quickly share database solutions.
”FileMaker 9 is perfect for innovative organizations who realize the benefits of empowered self-service workgroups,” Goupil said.
Using the new one-way or two-way live connectivity to popular SQL sources, FileMaker Pro 9 users within any business or organization can safely and securely create custom reports, add calculations and other fields, and even build relationships with existing FileMaker data – just using the easy-to-use tools of FileMaker Pro.
“Linking FileMaker Pro 9 solutions to the open source strengths of MySQL will greatly empower the developer and user communities of both product lines,” said Zack Urlocker, MySQL AB’s executive vice president of products, in the press release.
With the new PHP features of FileMaker Server and FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced both users and Web developers can publish information to external websites, gather information from Web visitors, and create new solutions combining a Web-based front-end with a rich, FileMaker Pro back-end.
Mac users of the new FileMaker products can connect to SQL sources with the Actual ODBC Pack version 2.7, now available from Actual Technologies LLC (http://www.actualtechnologies.com).
FileMaker Pro 9 features many new capabilities to make databases more “connected” for users, as well as a suite of advanced but easy-to-use development and customization tools for developers. New features include:
• Connecting to a world of data, by easily creating links and integrating live MS SQL server, Oracle and MySQL data as if it were FileMaker-based data.
• Ease of use breakthroughs, including the FileMaker Quick Start Screen, which remembers your favorites and gives you access to the new videos in the FileMaker Learning Center, Send Link Database Sharing, a one-click feature that sends an email with a hyperlink so you share a database with other FileMaker Pro users, and Append to PDF, which allows users to consolidate multiple data reports into a single PDF file.
• More productive database design, including script grouping and editing tools, conditional formatting, auto-resize, enhanced layout objects, enhanced tab control and an improved Web Viewer.
New features in FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced that are focused on giving users faster and easier ways to create advanced and customized database solutions include:
• Enhanced Database Design Report and File Maintenance tools, making it even easier to modify and maintain databases.
• Improved Script Debugger and Data Viewer, for identifying and correcting script errors earlier in the design process.
• PHP Site Assistant Link, providing a one-click launch of the PHP Site Assistant included in FileMaker Server 9.
FileMaker Server 9 and FileMaker Server 9 Advanced feature one-click integration with the Web using PHP, a simple 20-minute or less install time for basic installations, plus the most significant redesign of the server interface ever. With FileMaker Server 9, users can generate a fully working PHP website using FileMaker data without writing code in just minutes.
Other major new features include PHP Custom Web Publishing for creating dynamic data-driven websites, shared access to live data from external SQL sources, and a web-delivered server console.
All FileMaker 9 products are immediately available. New users may purchase FileMaker Pro 9 for US$299 and FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced for $499. Existing users of FileMaker Pro 7, 8 and 8.5 may upgrade to FileMaker Pro 9 for $179 . Existing users of FileMaker Developer 7, FileMaker Pro 8 Advanced and 8.5 Advanced, and FileMaker Pro 7, 8, 8.5 and 9 may upgrade to FileMaker Pro 9 Advanced for $299.
FileMaker Server 9 is $999 and FileMaker Server 9 Advanced is $2,499. Existing users of FileMaker Server 7 and 8 may upgrade to FileMaker Server 9 for $599. Existing users of FileMaker Server 7 Advanced and 8 Advanced may upgrade to FileMaker Server 9 Advanced for $1,499. FileMaker offers license discounts for volume purchasers as well as for education and non-profit organizations.
More info: http://www.filemaker.com/products/
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Adam P” for the heads up.]
FileMaker still exists?
Now, if they can add a good collaboration frontend to it, we’ll have an Exchange/Lotus Notes killer. Maybe?
like it or not, FileMaker Pro has a place in the Mac universe especially considering that more and more businesses see Macs as a viable computer platform now.
FileMaker is very popular in the Windows world too.
Filemaker sucks, but i love it!
@st1
you can’t be loving it and sucking at the same…wait…that don’t sound right.
There are more Windows users using FileMaker than there are Mac Users using FileMaker.
Sounds pretty common AJ, ask my wife. =)
What does this have to do with the iPhone?!
Does FileMaker still exist? Man, you are ignorant. FileMaker is the #1 best-selling database software for both Mac OS X and Windows. In fact, FileMaker is arguably the most important & robust database product in the entire market today. It is one of only a few very elite cross-platform, fully featured, user-friendly, and extremely powerful database products available today. Its feature set is amazing. It is used in thousands of industries all over the world. FileMaker is easy enough for beginners to start working with immediately, and it is complex enough for advanced developers like myself to go into offices and customize powerful solutions that can run the entire businesses of major corporations for decades. And now, with its built-in ability to natively read & write to SQL data sources, this makes FileMaker that much more important in the business world.
—
Scott Rose
President, ScottWorld
Certified FileMaker Developers. Since 1992.
http://www.scottworld.com
Notice that they did not release FileMaker Mobile 9? Maybe Apple is planning to make it work on the iPhone.
Mobile 8 works on Palm OS & Windows CE, Mobile 9 should be able to work on Mac OS X for iPhone!!!
HILARIOUS ARTICLE on WINDOWS VISTA GRIPES lol!
http://www.kadaitcha.cx/vista/dogsbreakfast/index.html
click next page, to see more, this article is quite lengthy and contains a lot of illustrations. cheers! =)
@Scott Rose
“Does FileMaker still exist? Man, you are ignorant.”
Scottie boy, where did you study PR? I want to stay away from learning how to insult people when I first appear in a scene and need want to convey professionalism. No wonder FileMaker has as thrilling of a profile as accounting pacakges… it’s the bozos pitching it.
@ Scott Rose:
You’re right, of course… Filemaker has been great for many years and continues to shine. But this release (which I haven’t seen) seems to be pointed… higher, maybe.
Am I wrong to read (in the above) a built-in play for big business? Some of this sounds a lot like dashboards, OLAP and so on… are we (soon) going to hear of a Filemaker-driven BI suite?
FileMaker is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple, Inc. Why doesn’t Apple put their name on this product? Why doesn’t Apple include it in iWork?
@ Jooop
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Same applies to Pixar.
Most people I work around only know and use M$ Access; they are about totally blind to anything Mac! I am trying to inform them, but I think they are so prejudiced against Macs they simply cannot see.
I have been working with FileMaker since version 5 in a small cross-platform business environment and am now a week and a half into a full-time FileMaker development job. FileMaker is the most powerful tool I’ve ever used, and it’s my favorite app.
@ zerO
As someone whose income depends on the FileMaker platform I found Good going’s comment stupid and Scott’s comments spot-on. It was an entirely ignorant remark that was begging for a response, and your insinuation that FileMaker people are ‘bozos’ for pitching the FMP platform is off-base.
@ LaserKun
People use Access because it’s included with MS Office for Windows which most people consider a necessity (and therefore buy the whole package). It is not obvious that FileMaker is owned by Apple; in fact most people I talk to who might have a clue are surprised that FileMaker is an Apple subsidary. FileMaker actually acts quite independantly from Apple anyway so it should be a non-issue.