Filemaker of DBMS

FileMaker 12

The FileMaker company submitted in April, 2012 the new version of the flagship product of the same name, popular DBMS for the Mac OS X platforms, Windows and iOS. The most part of the innovations implemented in the products FileMaker 12 to some extent reflects aspirations of developers to "mobilization" of the platform.

Many of the offered improvements are addressed to representatives of small and medium business who would like to integrate mobile devices into the existing workflows more closely. The enterprises will receive in the order the simple and reliable tools allowing to create databases of the professional grade and to execute their deployment without writing of a program code.

Users are given enhanced capabilities of use of the built-in functions of tablets and smartphones. Including Filemaker 12 Go provides a possibility of fast placement of video and audiomaterials written on the mobile phone in "container" fields. Let's remind that in the previous versions this field could be used for storage of pictures, signatures and data of GPS.

Support of portable devices is implemented also in server editions of the product FileMaker 12 Server and FileMaker 12 Server Advanced which support stream transfer in the mobile client of big files, including images, audio and video records and the documents PDF now.

New subjects and standard solutions, powerful instruments of application design for iPad, iPhone and desktop PCs and also a management tool files for the modern applications using the large volume of multimedia are a part of FileMaker Pro 12. FileMaker Pro 12 Advanced contains additional resources of development and project management.

The FileMaker Go 12 applications are available to iPad and iPhone free of charge through App Store. At the moment these applications are not Russified. Free download of FileMaker Go 12 allows any user to work easily in iOS with the applications of databases created in FileMaker Pro 12.

New 64-bit versions of FileMaker Server 12 and FileMaker 12 Server Advanced improve performance on the global area networks, expand possibilities of support of large databases and provide fast stream file transfer and a multimedia content.

Basic elements of localization for the Central European and Middle Eastern versions:

• the localized interface in the Czech, Russian and Turkish languages;
• templates in Hebrew, the Arab, Polish, Czech, Russian and Turkish languages;
• function of the instant publication in network in Hebrew, the Arab, Hungarian, Greek, Polish, Czech, Russian and Turkish languages;
• dictionaries and spelling for the Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and Polish languages.
• the function of the mirror model allowing users to be switched by a one click from the model with orientation from left to right in the model with orientation from right to left (for the countries of the Middle East and North Africa).

Through FileMaker Pro 12 each user will be able to create databases without special work. 16 new standard tasks accelerate creation of databases for contact management, projects, digital contents, stocks and solutions of other important business challenges. Standard tasks include the ready screens optimized for iPad and iPhone. Users can change appearance of applications by means of 40 new subjects. Subjects can be used with standard tasks or to apply to the existing databases. The special subjects Touch which are specially picked up for iPad and iPhone contain fonts, colors, buttons and other design IOS elements.

Users can create applications only on the basis of ready subjects or individually configure each part by means of new tools of design, such as gradients, cutting of images, dynamic guides of alignment and the configured grids. Special screen cliches simplify placement of information on iPad and iPhone screens.

FileMaker Pro 12 includes the new tool "Fast Charts" for instant creation of evident charts and also five new styles for charts: bubble charts, charts of dispersion, the chart with positive and negative values, column charts with accumulation and histograms with accumulation.

The improved fields containers in FileMaker Pro 12 support preserving of many types of files, such as PDF, video, photos, audio and documents, using a drag-and-drop feature. Files can be stored in the database or in the connected type. Management of the connected files became simpler as FileMaker 12 will automatically organize files on a disk now and can cipher them for ensuring additional security.

New 64-bit versions of FileMaker Server 12 and FileMaker Server 12 Advanced are optimized for fast data processing. The improved performance on the global area network simplifies work at remote connection, especially for users of devices with iOS. The modified publication mechanism in network increases the speed and stability of integration of the user web pages into databases of FileMaker, and consecutive backup simplifies administration of the server and improves reliability of solutions.

Users of corporate licenses with the operating support (maintenance) will have an opportunity in May to upgrade to the 12th version of FileMaker free of charge.

2014: FileMaker 13

On December 19, 2013 the FileMaker company submitted version 13 of FileMaker DBMS.

On March 18, 2014 in the territory of Russia and in the CIS countries sales of FileMaker 13 DBMS localized for Russia and the countries of Central Europe are begun.

Description of changes and innovations

The new product line of FileMaker 13 DBMS for Central Europe underwent adaptation for use in the countries of this region. Users of the Central European versions of FileMaker for workstations (FileMaker Pro 13 and FileMaker Pro 13 Advanced) can select a necessary interface language and templates. In addition to English, the Russian, Czech, Polish and Turkish languages are supported.

The Central European versions of FileMaker for workstations and servers support sorting of data for languages: Bulgarian, Hungarian, Greek, mixed Greek, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Czech, Croatian, Estonian. Installation of the module of spell check using means of Hunspell is possible.

Purpose

The FileMaker platform is focused on rapid development of solutions for business optimization, both professional developers, and users without skills of programming. FileMaker Pro helps to create own business solutions on computers with Windows or Mac OS. FileMaker Pro Advanced contains additional professional tools for development and distinguished setup of solutions.

Availability

To use solutions on iPad or iPhone, it is necessary to install the free application of FileMaker Go from App Store.

The organization of the general access to base for 5 other users of FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Go by means of FileMaker Pro is available to the small company. To organize access of users to bigger number, FileMaker Server is required. FileMaker Server 13 differs in the raised security level, more flexible opportunities of providing the general data access, including support of start of solutions in the browser using new FileMaker WebDirect technology.

Innovations and additions

Among innovations:

• creation of individual business solutions for the browser using FileMaker WebDirect;
• new opportunities when developing for iOS and an optimal working environment for iPad and iPhone due to special functions (sliding panels, auxiliary screens, support of scanning of barcodes, scrolling gestures, the keyboard types, triggers of scenarios and other functions developed especially for iPad and iPhone);
• creation of more functional business solutions using new features (such, as: the choice of fields, the configured styles, management of visibility of objects of the model);
• data protection guarantee thanks to a modern encryption system on the basis of industry standards.

Additions of functions, tools:

• In FileMaker Pro 13 the improved fields containers in models are implemented. The Receive Attribute of a Container function automatically returns metadata for the elements which are stored in fields containers. Depending on the element which is stored in a field container it is possible to return more than 40 attributes (the file name, file size, the name, model, the contractor, an album, a genre, the composer, height, width, width, longitude, date of creation, date of change, barcodes, etc.).

• The main innovation in FileMaker Server 13 - the FileMaker WebDirect component. This web technology provides accomplishment of the configured business challenges directly from the browser and skills of web development are not required for the user. FileMaker WebDirect allows to refuse use of the PHP programming languages, HMTL5, CSS and JavaScript, for creation of the web solution.

• There was a new administration console. The console is rewritten in HTML5 for ensuring quick and convenient access from any browser. Execution of administrative tasks requires less time now, and updating of the status DB happens quicker.

Free of charge new version will be received by buyers of FileMaker Pro 12, during a transient period and users of FileMaker with the operating subscription to updates. Other owners of FileMaker Pro can purchase upgrade-versions at a discount.

Licensing

In the new version of a product licensing of access to the server changed. For connection to FileMaker Server 13 using the browser or FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone it is necessary to purchase licenses for connections

Compatibility

Windows XP and Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) are not supported by FileMaker Pro 13. Upon transition to DBMS FileMaker Pro 13 users of these versions of OS will need updating.