FileMaker Pro 8.5
Basic Course

About the course:

FileMaker has grown up over the years to be the best data management tool on the market. This course will give the basic skills required to design create and use your own databases which will help you to store, organise and arrange information needed for your business more effectively and efficiently. FileMaker Pro can easily help you to manage information and arrange data into professional quality reports and forms, giving visual impact for effective communication. This course will teach you how to get started with FileMaker Pro covering all of the basic skills you will need to build your own databases from scratch or perform maintenance and modifications to existing database projects.

Course pre-requisites:

A basic understanding of computer systems.

Recommended duration:

2 days

Topics

What can FileMaker do? (a brief overview)

Database Concepts Overview

Files, Tables, Fields, relationships

Field types:

Text, Number, Date, Time, Time Stamp, and Containers

Calculations, Summary Fields for reporting, Global Storage Fields, Text, Number, Date, Time and Container

Global Field Storage, when to use to use it.

Field Definition Options, Auto Enter, validation, and Storage

Modes

Find Mode

Finding records using multiple requests

Finding records using the Omit [x] check box

Find using symbols

Viewing the Index to find records

Omit functions and refining search criteria

Working with found sets

Browse Mode

Browsing and creating records

Tab, cut copy paste functions

Sorting records

Editing records

Duplicating records

Deleting Records

Find & Replace function

Spelling

Layout Mode

Layout Design tools

Layout Design

Designing pages or layouts to display information for data entry or for reporting such as lists, labels etc…

Creating Tabs

Creating Buttons

Tools explained

Show/Hide Status Area

Zoom In/Zoom out

Drawing objects

Aligning objects with other objects

Fill colours, patterns and effects

Line colour, patterns, and stroke thickness

Precise Positioning of Objects

Duplicating objects

Copy move function [+]

Object Selection skills

Defining and editing Layout Parts

Form or View as List options

Show/Hide parts

Adding New Fields

Add New Parts

Tool panel behaviors

Creating Buttons

Portal Tool explained + creating simple relationships

Tab Tool

Web viewer, naming, selecting objects

Creating reports/layouts for printing

Report builder/assistant

Sub Summary and grouped reports

Creating Reports by hand

PDF, Excel export from page.

Inserting Merged data from field entries.

Inserting Date/Time/Page number symbols

Field Format entry options: Pop-up List, Drop-Down Menu, Radio Button, Check Boxes, Drop-Down Calendar, Defining Value Lists….

Setting the Tab Order

Field Behavior

Inserting layout objects, fields, pictures

Defining buttons to perform simple menu functions such as New Record or Print.

Creating simple Scripts

Defining buttons to perform a Script: Find, New Record.

Rapid database creation methods:

Drag and Drop (drag tab, text, csv, or Excel file on to FileMaker.exe icon)

Open Database from other file sources

Importing Records from other file sources

Exporting records

To another text file (Tab, CSV, dbf, SYLK, DIF, Merge, HTML, XML or FM8)

Setting up Passwords to protect your database