Customer Reviews
Glad I finally upgraded to 8.5 . . . 
2007-05-01
Our small real estate agency (5 brokers) has been on FileMaker Pro 7 for a couple of years now. I hesitated upgrading to FM 8 because we had only just built a couple of solutions using 7. But then I saw the Web Viewer feature in FileMaker 8.5 and we had to have it. I had heard that upgrading might be a challenge, but it only took about an 45 mins. of work after installation to check that everything worked. We immediately began adding the new features of 8.5 to our apps. We have a customer database which is pretty extensive and shows pictures of their existing homes and images of the types of homes they are looking for. Our other solution ties into the multiple listing service, plus has our own home data files and we included links to Google Earth in the Web Viewer so our customers can log into our "homes database" and look at location, lot configuration and how the home is situated on the street. While checking out all the info associated with the listing, our buyers can check out all the images associted with it. Very cool. This has definitely given us the competitive edge against agencies larger than we are. What's more, we didn't have to hire a consultant to do this - although admittedly I've been using FileMaker for 2-1/2 years now. The price of this database is an absolute steal given what it's done for our business.
Wonderful Alternative to Access 2007-02-28
This program works well. It has a learning curve, although not nearly as steep as other databases. In addition, with versions 7 on up it is trivial to publish your databases to the web.
I recommend the quikstart books for getting started with Filemaker. It has no useful documentaion for beginners to databases.
It does however integrate beautifully with Excel and has very powerful reporting features. It also works perfectly in a cross platform (Mac and PC) environment.
Worst Instructions I have ever encountered 
2007-01-24
This may be a good database program but I can't tell due to the truly awful instructions. They talk all about how to use a data base once it is constructed but how to actually create the layouts and instructions is just not covered in the provided manuals, online help or PDF file. You will have to spend hours trying to analyze the provided example files as to how to actually do things. The most basic explanation of how steps and procedure actually work or what is required is just not there.
The on line help is filled with jargon and confusing explanations. Some times the terms used will change within the explanation with no warning leading to more confusion. A typical example is in the developers manual on page 12 which explains how to copy a script. Problem is when it gets to the click on copy part, there is no copy option on the screen. I guess they just forgot to include it in the actual program. This is just one of many examples I have encountered. I doubt they ever had outside users actually try to use the program so they could understand what instructions were needed.
If you want to create your own system, not use one of the templets provided, then plan on many hours trying to understand how the basic nuts and bolts work. It will be mostly trial and error. And consider it necessary to purchase outside books and video tutorials. Considering I taught myself to program in assembly language in the early days and made a good living doing so and that I have learned programs such as SolidWorks parametric modeling I dont think the problem is on my end.
This company has no respect for its users 
2007-01-10
I've been using this product for ten years. Although the product is very easy to use, it is not suitable for any business-oriented use and I'd strongly recommend anyone considering it for that purpose to stay away.
The problem is that the company upgrades the product, and to install the upgrade usually causes so much pain, that it isn't worth it. Once they upgraded by reducing the maximum number of scripts you could run (version 5). So if you had more than the new, lower maximum, the scripts didn't work. Can you imagine what havoc that caused. We had to back out the upgrade, wait for version 5.5, then pay for it (they didn't fix that problem for free - you had to pay extra for it) and install it. The company clearly had no form of compatibility testing. People screamed so they put the maximum back to where it was, and then made everyone pay for an upgrade to get back to where you started. This is a database program, but for comparison purposes, I'll use a word processing program analogy: Could you imagine buying a word processing product and after you upgrade you can't open your old files because the maximum number of words in a file has been LOWERED from the previous version? That's what kind of forward thinking you got in version 5. You had to pay for 5.5 to get the problem fixed.
I waited for version 6 and listened to the online chatter before "upgrading" and decided to skip it. Databases from prior versions were taking ten minutes to open because each table is in it's own file, and each file was taking a minute to open. Unless you were using the database for something simple like recipes, you were screwed. Could you imagine buying a word processing program and finding out that, after paying for an upgrade, files took ten minutes to open? This company just screws its installed base every time.
Version 7 allowed users to merge tables into a single file to shorten the ten minute open times. The merge tool the company supplied was awful. Databases stopped working and required countless hours to fix. The company recommended that people scrap their existing databases and start from scratch. Could you imagine buying a word processing program and finding out after you upgraded that every instance of the word "and" had been changed to "not" and all you had to do was to go back into every document and change it back? I passed on that upgrade as well.
I figured version 8 would be improved enough to install it. Wrong. They added a username and password combination instead of the password only approach of prior versions. But they forget to tell you what your new username will be, so when you "upgrade" you can't get into your own database. Tech support says, back it out and remove the passwords, then re upgrade. Except that the upgrade uninstalls the prior version so you can't open your old files. Could you imagine a word processing program that you upgraded, only to find you couldn't open any of your documents, and the old version was automatically uninstalled so you couldn't use it either? This is just typical of this company. They still recommend that you consider just starting over. Could you imagine a word processing program that converted its own prior version files so poorly, the company suggested you re-type all your files back in with the new program? Would you ever be stupid enough to buy a program like that. If I'm going to do that, it won't be with this company.
We are spending hours so that the files stop taking over a minute to open per file and some of our databases have over 15 files. The conversion program gave us a 15-20 minute file open, and after hours of painstaking correction, we've reduced that. To get the time down further, I can merge them into a single file, but the error handling is so bad that if your computer crashes, the file will be damaged. The product will rebuild the data for you in that event, but it frequently loses large amounts of it without any warning by the rebuilder, which incorrectly tells you everything rebuilt just fine. So over time your data gets more and more corrupt. It was bad enough when only one or two tables would get damaged. But now to overcome the one minute per file open problem, I have to merge 20 files into one. So all 20 files worth of data will be lost the next time the program or my computer crashes. We back up every night, and use a program that backs up continuously. We still lose data on this product.
One of the product's former strength was the fact that it networked, allowing multiple people to work on the same file. It still does that, but with this most recent "upgrade", which is really a downgrade, you have to use one command to open the file if you are the first user to open the file, and a DIFFERENT command to open the file if you are the second or subsequent user. If you don't know if someone else has the file open, and you use the wrong command, you get an error message, and have to start all over. Who designs software like this? A third grader? It used to just work. Now it's ridiculous. I'm sure when I call tech support tomorrow, they'll tell me to buy their thousand dollar server software. For two users. That's just great. Could you imagine buying a word processing program that required you to use one command to open a file on even numbered seconds in the time of day, and another command to open the file at odd numbered seconds? And if you got the command wrong, it just gave you an error message and told you to do over? You'd wonder what the heck they were thinking.
If you are teaching your five year old how to use a database, this is a great product. If your grandma wants to store recipes, buy this product. If you intend to use it in your business, it will work fine, has plenty of features and is easy to use, until you want to upgrade it or your computer crashes. Then you'll realize what a mistake you made.
Take my advice and buy something else. The learning curve is steeper on other products, but my entire company was literally shut down because of the lack of compatibility testing performed by this horrendous company when the files wouldn't open because they added in usernames and didn't tell anyone what they were. Old calculations have stopped working and we have to guess at how to fix them because the way functions used to work have been changed. And I have a Computer Science degree from Stanford. What is someone to do who doesn't have my background?
I realize I probably sound like a lunatic, but please look at my other reviews on this site: I frequently tell you that problems that others have complained about are easy to surmount. Not here. This product is not suited for any form of business use. The people who are running this company should be taken out and shot. Micro$oft, as bad as they are, understands how to do proper upgrades and compatibility testing, unlike Filemaker.
Don't buy this product: you'll invest tons of hours into customizing it and then you'll be stuck. Start with something else. Anything else. I wish I did. This product is a catastrophe. Go elsewhere.
If anyone from Filemaker wants to e-mail me and ask for my opinions, I'd be happy to give it to them. On one condition: That I can punch you and your manager right in the nose for what you've done to my business.
Other reviewers, even PC magazine RAVE about this product only because they don't run their business on it like I do. Don't make the same mistake I did: buy a different product, keep your data on 3 x 5 cards, do anything but buy a product from this company.
Best database software on market - but upgrading is a bummer 
2006-09-02
FileMaker Pro [FMP] is without a doubt the best and easiest database software for home or small business users -- far easier to learn and use than Microsoft Access, and great flexibility. Constructing a relational database (tying together, for instance, client names, invoices, expenses, etc) is a snap and the Help files really are helpful. Lack of a printed manual [rather than just a scanned file] is a downer.
As for upgrading from previous versions [like FMP6] is a bummer however, in that the recently introduced [with version 7] security change is utterly frustratirng. Yes, the old *.fp6 files do convert easily and swiftly, but if you can't open your old 'flat' unsecured Rolodex people files because you don't know the proper password to use, you won't be happy. Took me hours to figure it out -- for upgraders at least, the company should have included printed instructions in plain words so you can go right to work. As to upgrading from ver 8.0 to ver 8.5: the company charges nearly a hundred bucks for the multi-megabyte download, forget it. On-line support is good, with an active user forum.
The software itself rates five stars - but the needlessly complex transition from prior file structure, the lack of a decent printed manual in the box, and the ludicrous charge for an intra-version upgrade take away some of the luster. Still, all considered, FMP beats the Microsoft product by miles.
Never received this item 2007-08-19
Can't really review it because AAA Liquidators never sent it to me. Nor did they send it to nearly 100 other people they ripped off.
No product - no response from Reduction Mart 2007-06-11
I never received my product nor receive any response to my e-mails to Reduction Mart. I hope that Amazon will reimburse me in some way.
8.5 upgrade won't install on Mac 2007-06-03
I paid the company almost $200 for a downloadable upgrade to version 8.5. When I downloaded it, the disk image file downloaded fine and opened into a nice CD icon. But after that, bupkus. Double clicking did NOT launch an installer, just a windoow of the file contents. Double clicking the (supposed) application file did nothing but launch an incomprehensible script window of some sort. Tried to change the file name to add a .pkg or .app extension, but no dice, locked and can't change it. Even went so far as to use disk utility to make a new .dmg image from the mounted cd-icon, made it read-write, then changed the file name, still no installation. Then tried to submit an e-mail help request using their web page, got all the way thru the e-mail, then got a message saying sorry we only do phone support for this. Phone support of course is only during "business" hours. I used to think the product was good, but their customer support STINKS.
great program with one exception 2007-05-19
i've been using this fmp for a few months now. i was able to get the general gist of how to use it but personally found taking a class really helped my understanding. the program can do so many things! well worth the money.
however... one of the books i read on the program "FileMaker Pro Design & Scripting for Dummies" stated, "FileMaker provides full, multiuser support for up to five users without requiring the user to add any additional licenses or patches." that statement is misleading. i understood that statement to mean one license would allow five user. not true! as long as each computer attempting to view the same file has a unique license number, five users can access the same file at the same time. if more than five users at a time are going to be using the file, you'll need to buy filemaker server.
Best database software out there 2007-05-02
I've always been a bit of a technophobe, but as a small business owner, I grew out of spreadsheets long ago and realized I needed a database for invoicing, project management, and other business tasks. The thought of building a database nearly gave me hives but I tried FileMaker Pro and was pleasantly surprised. Templates let me get a jump start on designing my database and now with version 8.5 I've found it easier than ever to customize menus, use fields and tables, and create relationships between tables to make the database meet my needs. I can also easily export content as PDF files to exchange information with clients or contractors. I love this product! It makes file sharing and web publishing a breeze.
