Data Type Detection

[FileMaker Magazine]

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By Matt Petrowsky

Learning how to create an efficient FileMaker database requires multiple disciplines. How to efficiently store data, how to present data, how to optimize for performance and other similar objectives such as readable code and ongoing maintenance. Much of what you know now will evolve with what you learn as your solution grows. I’m often saying it’s important to know that how you store data may be much different than how you present and interact with that same data.

It really all depends on the solution objectives. A database which groups people based on their area code needs an area code field - obviously. However, in many cases, the data itself simply needs to be stored. The degree to which data is broken out, from the outset, really depends on the requirements. If all you need to store is a phone number which can be looked up in part or in whole, then a single field, used to store more than just a phone number, may be what’s needed.

This video is about how simple it can be to structure and interact with data in a very efficient method. It focuses on how data can be categorized and simply identified within the table where it’s stored. Determining how to classify the data is simply a matter of recognizing its obvious pattern in relation to all other data being collected.

Because humans create so many patterns, these patterns can be used to make things easier when collecting data.

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