Another great new feature in FileMaker 11 is the ability to filter portals without needing to create specific relationships, as was with previous versions. There are a couple of drawbacks to this – although if your requirements are fairly basic you’re unlikely to find either a major problem.

The first drawback is that the filtering is at the user-interface level only, and does not affect the actual relationship between the two table occurrences. The net effect of this is that the filter you apply to the portal won’t alter the result displayed in summary fields of summary calculations in the related table, that are outside of the portal. If, taking the Invoices starter solution as an example, you wanted to filter the invoice line items portal based on the product name (perhaps the first word of a product name, with a large number of line items this may be useful), the price calculation fields would still reflect the cost of ALL the line items, not just those that were displayed in the portal. In that particular example, that’s not a bad thing, however if you were to take a slightly different portal filtering requirement, such as a portal showing related tasks for a project with due dates and time estimates, and you had a summary calculation Sum ( Project_TASK::estimateTime ), basing your filter on the “status” field of the task, wouldn’t affect the result of that SUM calculation. See the attached file to see what I mean.

There is a workaround to this, and it’s a fairly elegant workaround – so no “hacking” required! Just create another single row filtered portal, using exactly the same filter as your main portal, and place the summary calculation field within it. The calculation will update when the filter changes.

The second drawback is the way the Goto Related Record (GTRR) script step works, specifically when it’s defined to “Show Only Related Records” – with the native portal filtering, the GTRR will show all the records that would be displayed in the portal if there filter wasn’t in place. This is because the portal filter doesn’t change the relationship between the table occurrences. Again, this is less of an issue in some applications than others.

Native portal filtering is a really useful feature for beginner and intermediate level FileMaker developers. It gives you a quick and easy way to filter your portals (and of course you can make the filter based on whatever criteria you like), that doesn’t require you to create additional relationships.

I have developed and refined a working process that ensures every project moves from idea to implementation smoothly and efficiently.

Your first point of contact with me will usually be via a RFQ (Request For Quote) which you usually complete online.  Once I’ve reviewed your RFQ form, we will spend an hour or so either face to face or on the phone (depending on geography) to discuss your project, budget and ideas along with your options for deployment.  The objective of this discussion is for me to understand your business and your initial goals for the project, to enable me to produce a project estimate.

The estimate is just that, an estimate. The next stage is to conduct a Needs Analysis, which consists one day’s elapsed time, billable at my standard daily rate (currently £400) – we spend around half a day together at your offices where I will interview at least one representative from each “department” within your business.  We will define the goals and end point of your project and discuss your expectations with regard to the user interface.  We examine the information that needs to be captured at each part of your operations process, the decisions that needs to be made, how these decisions are made & who by and discuss whether and how they should be automated in order to improve consistency and reduce reliance on individuals.

The outcome of this session is a needs analysis report and a final fixed cost estimate.  In most cases, the fixed cost estimate doesn’t vary by more than 5-10%.  At this stage you have two choices.  Continue with the project or walk away.  If you choose to walk away from the project, the needs analysis report is yours to keep.

Once the project is under way, we continue as follows:

• Contract Signed
• Project Specification
• Build & Interface Design
• Test & Debug
• Implementation & Deployment
• – Sever Setup
• – FileMaker Pro Installation
• – Plugin Installation
• Training & Handover
• Support
• Future Development / Enhancements

To discuss your FileMaker project, please get in touch.

The Stuchbury Group was formed in January 2006 to develop and market bespoke FileMaker database applications for the creative service sector. Our CEO, Dan Stuchbury, has been in the IT industry for nine years, beginning his career at a company who, through a series of acquisitions, are now part of Virgin Media. After leaving what was at the time, NTL, Dan worked with a niche business development company as Operations Director, responsible for amongst other things, customer relations. A key element of this role was sourcing a CRM package to replace the existing, out-dated system, with a brief of flexibility and saleability. It was this brief that directed him to FileMaker, and developing a bespoke solution that would be guaranteed to fit the requirements of the business.

The result of a few weeks development and testing was Knowledge Base CRM. Dan continued live development of Knowledge Base CRM, as well as deploying it for several clients in the creative sector, until December 2005, when he left to form The Stuchbury Group.

Our Values
We have a set of values, that shine through in every project we deliver:

• To be approachable, friendly and professional
• To give advice that is in the client’s best interest
• To deliver solutions that exceed the client’s expectations
• Maintain an open-door policy to staff, clients and suppliers

We believe that our logical approach to problem solving is one of our most valuable assets, which delivers exceptional value to our clients. We are proud of our creativity, both in terms of the ideas we put across for solving business problems, and the way in which our database applications operate. We are professional, thorough and creative.

We are also human, and are very happy to talk through any aspect of your database requirement, completely without cost or obligation.

The Invoices starter solution is pretty good, but there are a few quick ways in which you might want to improve it ready to use it for your business.  An easier way of selecting products to enter into your invoice is one such improvement.

When you have an increasing catalog of say, 30+ products, it quickly becomes difficult to find an individual product using a standard drop-down list or popup menu.  To avoid this issue, we’re going to implement a quicker and easier way to search for and select products to insert into our invoices.

To achieve this, we’ll create an additional product list layout, designed to fit in a popup window, add a global field to use to perform the search, then create a script to either filter the list or select a product and insert it as an invoice line item (depending on the parameter passed to it).

The line items portal on the Record Detail-Invoices layout needs to be named, so we can reference it using the “Goto Object” script step.  I’ve called it InvoiceLineItems, but it can called whatever you like, but it’s best to name it something memorable.  You can name objects via the Position tab in the inspector, visible in Layout mode (you might need to click View->Inspector to se it).

First, we need to create a global field in the products table to act as the “search box”.  I’ve called it “z_Filter_g”.  Remember to define it to be global from the Storage tab of the Options dialog.  Then we need to create the filter popup layout, which looks like this:

In the image above, you’ll see the global field (z_Filter_g), with an OnObjectModify script trigger set to perform the “Filter Product” script with the “Filter” Parameter.  Of course, of you have FileMaker 11, you could use the Quick Find box instead of the global search field.

Next let’s write the script, that will need a Four way “If” statement to decide whether to “Open” (the popup window) or  ”Filter”, “Clear” (the search results) or “Select” (the product and insert it as an invoice line item)  The script looks like this:

Define the Clear and Select links to be buttons performing the “Filter Product” script, passing “Clear” and “Select” respectively as the Script Parameter.

On the Record-Detail-Invoices layout, disallow entry into the Product ID field in the Line Items Portal, and define that field as a button, performing the “Filter Products” script with “Open” as the parameter.

When this is all completed, clicking in the “Product ID” field in the Invoice will open the popup window.  You’ll then be able to select a product, and it will be inserted into the invoice.

In this particular example, the search works only for the “Product Name” field.  By creating an auto-enter calculated text field returning several fields separated by spaces or carriage returns, as defined below, we can search across multiple fields.  If you’re doing this, you’ll need to modify the Set Field script set in the “Filter” branch of the Filter Product script to “Set Field [Products::z_MultiFieldSearch_c; Products::z_Filter_g]”  Or, if you’re using FileMaker 11, you can remove the “Show/Hide Status Area” script step, and the “Filter” and “Clear” branches, and use the Quick Find box instead.

The attached files shows both options. Any questions, please ask away in the comments!

Invoices (Quick Find Line Item Search)

Invoices (Global Field Line Item Search)

For more info about the author and the FileMaker product line, or to discuss how I can help with your next project, please get in touch.

Copyright © 2010 – The Stuchbury Group – All Rights Reseved.

This document and all attached files are offered as is, without warranty expressed or implied. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure any attached files are robust and functioning as intended, the author and any contributors accept no responsibility for loss or damage of any kind. Before making any changes to your data you should ensure you have an up-to-date backup made. The author and any contributor to this document and all attached files, accept no responsibility for any loss or unintended change to any data whatsoever.  Guarantee of fitness for any purpose is expressly disclaimed.  If you are unsure of anything, don’t attempt it with live data.  You have been warned.

Dear Dan

I just wanted to write a short note of thanks, with regard to the database you have designed and commissioned for us here at Solarsense.

Coming from an admittedly slightly chaotic starting point, the Filemaker solution you have designed from scratch has been a breath of fresh air for our business operations.

The value that it has added to our business is not simply defined – there is the primary organisational impact, which has been immediate and wide-ranging.

The database has streamlined our operations, made customer contacts traceable and easily managed – including all sorts of media, from photos to videos that are related to each job.

More importantly, there is a financial impact from the number of person-hours spent on each job file within our previous system. I would say that by using inputted data to produce relational and standardised paperwork has reduced the number of person-hours spent on each job by at least 10, meaning that we are saving at least 4000 person hours per year  – that’s the equivalent of 5.5 months of a full-time staff member that we no longer have to pay-for. In these terms, I would estimate that we’ll recoup the cost of the database software, design and commissioning within a very short time.

Furthermore, as we get to understand more about how the database works, and what Filemaker can do for our operations (e.g. stock control etc) I am certain we will make more time savings and more inroads into a highly successful CRM system, which will inevitably make a positive change to the bottom line.

Thanks very much for your help Dan, we would be happy to recommend your company to all and sundry.

Mr K.Burns

Commercial Manager, Solarsense UK Ltd

FileMaker is marketed as being the world’s #1 easy to use database application, so is it not entirely unreasonable to think that you can buy a licence and get creating?

In theory, not at all.  FileMaker is easy to pick up and have a fiddle with, and I’m fairly confident that you could have a basic database together to record details of your projects, customers etc. in just a couple of hours, probably less.   But, if good database design & development was as simple as just recording information, I wouldn’t be writing this, and I wouldn’t have been working with FileMaker for eight years!

Probably before even buying FileMaker, the first exercise is to sit down and plan in details what you want to achieve – what ‘entities’ of information exist in your business (clients, suppliers, subconractors, invoices, purchase orders, etc) and how they relate to each other.  You then need to consider the functionality you require from your solution, and at this point it’s often useful to get the input of everyone who will be using it – they will each have their own ‘wish list’ and ideas for how to become more efficient.  It is important to have a clear understanding of what your finished solution will do before you go anywhere near FileMaker to start creating something.   As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail.

As a professional FileMaker developer, I have been asked on a number of occasions to work with a solution that has been developed in-house to add functionality or just “tidy it up a bit”.   Working with someone else’s database is naturally more difficult than your own, as everyone’s style is different, but working with someone else’s database with no documentation whatsoever is incredibly difficult, especially if they haven’t followed any sort of naming convention for tables, fields and scripts etc.   When you’ve not looked at it from a developer’s perspective for a while, even your own work can be confusing, and for this reason I cannot stress enough the importance of documenting your work to a degree that it could be easily understood by anyone with an understanding of FileMaker.   A couple of useful resources are the ‘White Paper for FMP Novices‘ and ‘Database Design for FMP‘ white papers by Foundation Database Systems (scroll down the download page for the second one).

Consider carefully if you have the time available to learn the skills you will need to develop a fully-fledged solution in FileMaker.   Bear in mind that a developer is likely to be reluctant to take a half-baked solution that you’ve been working on, and turn it into the fully-fledged solution you intended it to be, especially if you’ve not documented it and thought it through fully – it is often easier for them to start from scratch.   That isn’t to say you won’t be able to find a developer happy to work with you, in a consulting role, but it pays to have that conversation before you start, if you are unsure as to the time you can commit to the project.

There are many good books that can teach you most of what you need to know, not to mention the FileMaker Pro 10 Bible, and FileMaker Pro 10: The Missing Manual, both available now.

When you’re looking for a FileMaker Developer, and you’re UK based, should you be talking to UK-based or overseas developers?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how can freelance job boards help or hinder you?

A client of mine found my details on a freelance job board, and approached me directly about a project he had in mind and was looking for a developer to take on.  They had posted this project on at least once freelance job board, with the intention of having sensible conversations with a few developers and choosing one to give the project to, based on their own criteria.  In theory, this is a good idea, as you will often get project bids from a handful of experienced developers and be able to open discussions with them privately once you’ve received their bids

The experience my client had, however, was less than ideal.  They were flooded with ‘proposals’ from people who hadn’t even heard of FileMaker, let alone had any development experience telling my client that he “was doing it all wrong” and “shouldn’t be using FileMaker” for this particular project.  Of course, they were wrong.  Not because FileMaker is the best solution for developing absolutely everything, because it isn’t necessarily, but because that was what the client had decided and there was no reason based on the content of the board posting to suggest otherwise.

The problem here, in my view, is one of language and culture.  Whilst I’m sure that there are many overseas developers who are perfectly fluent in English and that understand our work culture, they aren’t the ones that regularly post irrelevant responses on freelance job boards.  As a developer, for some reason I’m fairly regularly contacted by offshore (usually Indian) software developers suggesting that I stop developing and effectively become a reseller for them.    None of them I’ve ever spoken to have had any sort of experience with FileMaker development, yet tell me that they can “learn it quickly” and be at skilled developer level within a week.

The trouble is, when I mention offshore here, I’m talking about the likes of India, the Phillipines, and so-forth.  There is no reason why an American developer couldn’t work for a UK client, and deliver an outstanding solution, however there would be little if anything to gain in cost savings, which appears to be pretty much the only reason for “offshoring” everything these days.

Disadvantages of a UK client working with a UK-based FileMaker developer?  Not sure there are any, and I’m not just saying that because it’s what I do.  You speak the same language, are in the same time zone, and if necessarily can physically meet.  Yes the project might cost you more than going overseas for the work, but I’d bet you’d spend less time chasing missed deadlines, explaining in piegon-English how your business works and worrying how much it’ll cost to fix broken code written in a language you don’t understand.

Ask FileMaker questions, get answers.  Full details coming soon.

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Is your FileMaker application in need of modification or upgrade?  Do you no longer have access to the developer who created your FileMaker database?

No problem.  Providing you have the master access password details, I am happy to work with existing FileMaker solutions for the purposes of maintenance and upgrades, and have signifiant experience in doing so.  It happens all the time – a previous employee created a database to handle your customers and / or projects, billing etc. but has subsequently left.  Maybe they didn’t document their work, or you want to add additional features or make changes to the database, but don’t know how.

You might be familiar with FileMaker yourself, and need some guidance as to how best to progress with a project, or make changes to an existing database. This is no problem, and once an initial analysis of the database has taken place, the majoriy of this advice can be given remotely, saving you both money and time.  You might be also interested in my FileMaker Question Time service.

Many of my clients have seen either Knowlegde Base CRM or Creative Pro or been recommended to, and have come back to me looking for additional functionality or tailoring of specific features to suit their businesses.  More often than not, the most appropriate option for them is a bespoke FileMaker solution, due to the nature of their business.

Interestingly, a lot of businesses start out using FileMaker for CRM purposes, and for this reason there are a lot of FileMaker CRM solutions around in the market place, many of which are very good.  The trouble is, how many of these do everything you want them to do, in exactly the right way?  Because of the nature of FileMaker, it is not as complex a task as you might imagine to create a bespoke solution tailored to your precise requirements.  Many people, even today, think of the phrase “bespoke software” and think of big companies in plush offices charging tens of thousands of pounds.  FileMaker changes all that, you can even do it yourself!

If you don’t fancy yourself a software developer, or don’t have the time or inclination to learn FileMaker in such a way that it can really make a difference to your business, we should talk.  As a developer with many years experience in developing outstanding, creative FileMaker applications, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss your requirements with you, completely without cost or obligation.  Please get in touch here, I look forward to talking to you.