Making A Living

I am new to FileMaker, but interviewing for a position working with it. They are aware that I am new, but I want to be able to demonstrate that I have done my research. Can anyone help with topics that I should be familiar with? I have been a developer and database guy for a couple decades, so looking for FileMaker specific knowledge.

Hi all, I am self employed, about 1/3 Filemaker, 2/3 web design for about 6 clients. Currently I keep track of my hours in TimeTag - which simply records time worked and category. And I manually process my invoices and expenses. I have been investigating a more comprehensive solution for this, not that my current system is overly cumbersome, I only spend an hour or two a fortnight on invoicing. I was looking at all the different solutions out there, but none of them are exactly what I want. Then I realised, I have a hosting account, a FM licence, why not just build exactly what I want? Project tracking, hours, expenses, invoices etc The pay off may ta…

Hi, I am just curious, are people making a living selling their services creating and maintaining FM databases? Or is this a dying art whose time has passed and moved on to other app software? Thanks, Phil

Evernote has been a true game changer for me. I think it's such an amazing tool it deserves it's own place to share how we're using it. Here's a quick description of the way I'm using it recently - but I may change my organization over time. I'm interested in how you all are using it and has anyone done integration with FM with the Evernote API. How I'm working with it: • Client Info: I create a notebook per client. I like to keep a NOTE for all business logic, language, etc... • Features: I often set up 1 NOTE to store historical notes on a single page. • UI Design Screenshots: I create a note with before and after screen shots, since evernote does…

I am looking for an individual who is interested in writing some scripts for an existing database that I have to generate some reports as well as some relationships between tables. Probably around 3-6 hours of work for this initial project so if you are interested please let me know your information. Mike

What do you think about an affordable Filemaker Pro Layout-less license? I explain: As a developer, and small business owner, I often run into problems selling 4+ $299 Filemaker licenses on top of my developer fee. The $299 x 4+ equals big bucks for a small business. And 10 out of 10 times, the people working with my database, never go to Layout mode. I am suggesting an affordable layout-less license for small business office use. (You would still need a regular license to update the database) I am convinced fellow-developers run in to this as well. Please sign the petition to see if this can be accomplished. Official Petition to be sent to Filemaker Inc.

Hello - I searched what I could but I am completely new to these forums so I apologize if I missed another thread. My question is whether it is feasible for a FM professional to take over an existing server given how customizable I understand it to be. Also, assuming it is, where would I go about contacting and vetting said professionals? I can give more information about or specific Filemaker system and current support person as needed. Thanks in advance

This is a wide-open post soliciting input of any kind. If it sounds like I'm looking for advice specific to my situation, I'm not - I'm just trying to think through some questions and wondering what temperature the water is. (At the same time, in case it helps the discussion be more productive, the thing I'm thinking about would be aimed at anywhere from 3-15 users per site.) I'm contemplating a solution that would be industry-specific and that I'd market in a field that has both large and small installations. I wish to build a price structure (for my clients) that includes the graduated savings of the annual license plan - i.e. I'd like to charge an annual subscription…

Looking to find out info on those that deal with regular billing for international clients. I have tried using credit card payments but it seems to tack on lots of extra fees etc for the client and if it were a one time deal then it wouldn't matter as much but considering that it has been numerous billings, the fees are adding up for them. Another option would be paypal of course but trying to avoid that option. Anyone have any experiences they could share with this? Perhaps some kind of bank that someone has experience with? Thanks. -John

Although the likelihood that any of my clients are using Macs has increased in the last decade, I still have a few clients who use Windows. The only time I launch Windows (running within VirtualBox on my laptop) is to test software. I absolutely never use it for anything else. Usually I'm testing FileMaker solutions, although there are occasions when I'm testing web sites as well. I used to keep up a bit with the Windows world, but that's no longer the case. Given that, I have absolutely no idea which version of Windows I should use. I'm using Windows 7 right now, and would like knowledgable opinions on which version I should use, 7, 8 or 10. Whichever version it is wil…

Since there is so much math involved in coding, calculations, scripting, etc...I've started looking at increasing my proficiency in various areas of mathematics. Math has always come fairly easy to me, but on occasion I run into various ideas or scenarios where it takes me longer than I like to figure my way through a problem. And once I get it working, wonder how much more efficient the process, or me, could be if I broadened my scope of mathematical insights. Since I am primarily self-taught in most areas of my skill-sets, I thought I should reach out to see what other developers are doing. Then I decided this would be a great place to ask. What branches of mathematics…

So I have a few versions of my solution out there, which is nice, but when I want to fix a bug or add an improvement or update to a whole newer version, I have to either add the changes individually to the customer's file, or make a clone of the new version then import all of the tables, update the scripts and value lists, rebuild the accounts....sigh. I suppose I could write a script to import from each table to the clone, but what about the other items? I could find the differences with FMDiff, but I am hoping there is some kind of updater tool out there that will make this quicker and easier. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Now that fm Go 12 is free I suspect we will see many more apps available. Unfortunatly to my knowledge there is no way of using the app store to promote them. This leaves a few options that I can think of: 1. Promote the app privately and have user just download fm go 2. Sell an interface app that launches your fm go app. This could be sold on the app store. 3. Build a native iOS app that connects to a FMP server backend. I'd like to hear what everyone thinks about options and if there are any others. C.

Hello all. I am putting together a proposal for a company that I work for to get a raise. I work in the healthcare industry and we have a small 150-200 person company that offers assisted living for seniors. I am the major database manager and filemaker engineer. In this company we have built our information systems around filemaker. All of their maintenance and growth needs depend upon someone knowing filemaker, or scrapping the system and going with another software solution. I have worked for 3 years with filemaker and am very capable in working with it. I have other responsibilities in the company (sales and web maintenance). I was wondering what pre…

Hi - I've been working on a custom database to address a need in my legal practice, and have thought of marketing it to other law firms. I'm curious what others have done regarding licensing their custom applications and how they manage licenses. (E.g., keep track of the number of licenses each client has, when they expire (if you're charging a recurring license fee), client billing, etc. Also, if there is any way to monitor whether a client has a number of users in excess of its licenses.) I imagine I could write a database to handle that, too, but I wonder if there is an existing solution already. Also, I'd be curious to know how others have approached setting…

What apps do you use without fail? We all use a lot of applications but which one's do you fire up everyday without fail? This is just a starter conversation. If we find a program like "Evernote" is super popular, we can break those out into distinct topics and share how we're using it. Me first! Everyday I fire up the engine by opening: Mail iChat iCal Safari Google (Drive, Docs, Calendar, Google Hangouts) Evernote FileMaker 12 Advanced Dracons 2empowerFM Developer Assistant BBEdit Jing Characters (toolbar utility to copy ) Clocks (toolbar utility to see what time it is elsewhere) Deskscribble (utility to mark up your screen) TextExpander (custom key…

Hi, I'm a filemaker developer (almost 15 years now). Everything I learned is by myself or with the help of this great FM community. There are no FM training services in my country (Israel) and I wish to open a company that does Filemaker training and solutions. Any tips of how to start? Partnerships is also an option. all the best Eldad T.

Hello FMForums! Welcome to... My name is Chiyoko Yoshida and I'm a FileMaker Certified developer. I've been working with FileMaker since version 2 and I love it! I'd like to thank Stephen Dolenski and Steven Blackwell for setting up this forum! "How We Work" stems from a session I recently held at Pause on Error 2013 in Portland, Oregon. I had never held a session before nor have I hosted a forum conversation. So this is all new for me. I've had this topic bubbling in my thoughts for years. I finally bit the bullet and decided to jump in. I'm really inspired to better understand how we work as Developers. I'm fascinated by people's work flow and enjoy learn…

My name is Chiyoko Yoshida and I'm a FileMaker Certified developer. I've been working with FileMaker since version 2 and I love it! I'd like to thank Stephen Dolenski and Steven Blackwell for setting up this forum! "How We Work" stems from a session I recently held at Pause on Error 2013 in Portland, Oregon. I had never held a session before nor have I hosted a forum conversation. So this is all new for me. I've had this topic bubbling in my thoughts for years. I finally bit the bullet and decided to jump in. I'm really inspired to better understand how we work as Developers. I'm fascinated by people's work flow and enjoy learning about how people do things. I hope thi…

If you're contacted by New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) or any GEAR UP program, you may want to contact me before doing business. Thanks, David

Good day I remember finding someones worksheet that they used to help quote for new projects. It had things like layouts needed, and reports etc. It was a worksheet that a dev could use to generate a spec sheet for client proposals. It was made by a fellow developer of course. Does anyone know of this sheet or any other spec-ing resource tools I could use for generating quotes and proposals? What you you all currently use? Charles

My neck and back are screwed up and need a light laptop! so I'm thinking of buying the Macbook Air. Since I would only use it for FileMaker Pro development, I guess this laptop would be OK, right? My question is: should I buy the 1.86GHz or the 2.13GHz? The first one has a 20GB SATA hard drive and the second one a 128GB solid-state drive. It appears that the SATA hard drive is faster writing but slower when reading when compared to the solid-state drive. Any tips on which one I should go for? Thanks in advance!

Reach Technology Group is FileMaker development company and we could use a good programmer who is skilled at PHP and Joomla. And, of course, also being familiar with FileMaker Pro is a big plus as well. We're primarily based out of Central and South Florida, but are absolutely okay with hiring a programmer who can work remotely. If interested, RTG can be contacted at [email protected]. Thanks.

"The extension of Section 179 of the tax code allows business to write off the full amount of qualifying equipment or computer software made in 2010 or 2011, up to $500,000 per business, per year." ....."You can only take advantage of the full Section 179 write-off if your small business booked a profit. A Section 179 write-off can not cause your business to make or increase a loss for the year". As a matter of clarification, the qualifying software must be "off the shelf" and implemented in 2011; custom development would not be covered. In which case any Filemaker licenses needed by the client should be covered.

Our company has been selling a FileMaker-based solution for over 6 years now. We've had over 500 entities purchase it and a handful (150 estimated) of ongoing customers who pay annual service and support contracts. Our company has redirected its product focus and we are looking to sell or partner our FM-based solution to the right individual or dev group. We want to take care of our customers, so we will not make this change lightly. We are flexible in the approach to this, and would assist in the transition as the product is very robust and used heavily by our clients. This is an opportunity for someone looking to go off on their own or a group…

Hi, I am just wondering if there are any FileMaker project that requires monthly services. Thanks. Kent

Hi, I am just wondering how do you guys promote FileMaker to my potential clients? And what are pro and cos of Filemaker vs Access? Thanks. K.C.

I've built a solution which outputs multiple reports as pdfs that I want to sell via eCommerce Subscription software. The customer would subscribe for a fixed # of reports. Upon downloading reports, their account would be decremented to zero, at which point they would have to renew their subscription. Does anyone have a recommendation concerning such software or service that would be a good fit for this need? Thanks.

What are the most effective ways to advertise FileMaker development these days? Direct mailing? Social Networking? Personal networking (like joining a Chamber of Commerce)? Referral programs?

Hello, I have always done filemaker consulting using a dedicated dsl/cable internet connection. However, we are looking at buying a house where only satellite is available. I hate to say this is becoming a deal breaker for me but I need to be able to work. Does anyone have any experience doing remote filemaker work with a satellite connection? How does the speed compare? Does it cut out in storms, etc. I also live in NH where the weather can be rather inclement. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Does anyone know you you add yourself to the filemaker consultants directory (http://developer.filemaker.com/search/?nav=support-consultants)?

Why FMSA11 consumes almost all the RAM even when no users are connected.? Filemaker Server causes the use of 98% of RAM. When I stop the FileMaker Server service the RAM back to normal using only between 20% and 30% of the RAM My FMSA11 run on a virtual machine with Windows Server 2008 Standard Service Pack 2 64 bits and two processors Intel Xeon of 3.0GHz and 4.00 GB of RAM Any ideas?

Why the function Save as PDF don't work using FMPA11 with XenApp 5 when save in the local pc (not in Server XenApp)? Using FMP11 on XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition SP2 64 bits Work: Exporting to Exel in the local PC. OK. Work: Save As PDF in the local account on the XenApp Server OK Don't Work: Save As PDF in the local PC. FAILED Using FMPA10 all work perfectrly on XenApp 5 on Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition SP2 64 bits Work: Exporting to Exel in the local PC. OK. Work: Save As PDF in the local account on the XenApp Server OK Don't Work: Save As PDF in the local PC. OK NOTE FMP10 and FMP11 are installed on the sam…

All: I am an in-house developer and am building a case to argue that the development team should be working on the Mac. All of our users are on Windows XP laptops, and all the development is currently done on the same IT Department standard issue laptops. It is no surprise that these machines have proven insufficient for development purposes. They are invaluable for testing (as well as being sufficient for travel, meetings, etc.) but don't have the power or stability to be used as development boxes, even with docks, external monitors and the like. And sure, most of the developers on the team prefer the Mac (inluding yours truly), but I have to make a business …

As a result of showing a few people the equipment hire system I have been working on I have been approached to do 2 or 3 other filemaker projects. I have received a brief for one, and will have for the second by the end of the week, the clients obviously now wanting pricing for my services. This is where I am unsure how to proceed. I was wondering if you could advise me on how to set out a pricing structure as well as ball park figures for "the going rate" Do you have any example quotes you could share with me?

Northern UK based IT/Operations Director, Filemaker specialist and entrepreneur, recently made redundant seeks immediate further employment in either IT, Sales or combined role. Has in depth knowledge of both IT and Sales, founded on a 25 year association with the printing and graphic arts industries and associated retailers, plus 6 years of bespoke software design & development for a plethora of commercial businesses, retailers, charities, financial organisations and government bodies. A leading expert in developing and deploying e-commerce software solutions and online strategies for print. A qualified designer, marketeer, Filemaker developer and entrepreneur…

Hi -- I'm working on a project for a museum -- it's an in-house database for the use of only 2 or 3 staffers, though down the road the data may be used for broader access in an additional project. For now there will never be more than 3 or 4 users at once. I've been hoping that I would be able to use the 'Open Remote' feature to make further modifications, especially once we install Supercontainer to handle images and documents (up till now we've simply emailed the development versions back and forth) -- but I think the museum may be unwilling to open up a port (I think that's the lingo?) in order to allow me direct access to the file from my home computer. So…

Hi everyone, I am wondering if anyone out there needs a QA specialist or a writer for system documentation and user guides. I’ve worked in a FM development environment for almost 9 years now and have been freelancing for about 3 years. I completely understand the unique environment of working with FM based solutions and know that rapid development leaves little time for full QA and proper documentation. I know that most developers hate testing. But I love it. I don’t develop myself, but I know enough about DB design to talk the talk and test solutions from both a developer’s perspective and an end-user’s perspective. In most cases, the question to answer…

I recently developed a Condominium Management application and was paid well for my time. The client also allowed me to maintain the application as my own and I am free to market it. So, I got into a chat with the President of another condo association and they referred me to their Property Management Org. I had a great meeting with them today and they want to install the app in all 100 condo and homeowner associations, with 15,000 units, that they manage. Sounds great, but, here's the catch ... they want me to package it as theirs and give them the ability to have someone else work on the app if I am no longer available. Look at my age. They also asked that I…

Hi -- I've been moving into freelance Filemaker developing over the past few years, at first doing some by-the-hour work performing improvements on existing solutions (adding non-exitsing listviews, laying out simple reports, cleaning up data, etc. And have recently begun taking on projects from scratch. Things are going well, and I'm learning quite quickly. One thing I'm uncertain of is . . . how much to charge! At first I asked $50/hour, but now that I'm getting faster at everything, I feel I can ask $75/hr. But at some point you develop efficiencies where you can re-use stuff you've already built to some extent and the hourly rate idea starts to have less rela…

[color:gray]Do the members on FMforum have any advice on existing applications for [color:blue]scheduling a school (subjects, classes, classrooms, teachers). Would you advice a certain program or do they all have flaws… Preferable Mac & Windows. If possible Filemaker based. Thank you for your advice as always.

Hi, The company I worked for has gone into receivership and so I find myself available for development work. I have worked with FileMaker for over 13 years. Mainly as an in-house Filemaker Developer for several Print companies as well as the IT manager. I have devloped from scratch the FileMaker solutions that run these companies, including contacts, HR, quoting, attendance, CRM, Job booking, scheduling, project management, stock taking and Invoicing. These systems have also integrated with online web ordering via SOAP and external SQL databases via ODBC. They have used several plugins for email, bar code scanners, RFID readers. My last major project was using…

Reach Technology Group is a FileMaker development group that is always searching for more talent. We're in need of more FileMaker developers, and experience with other programming languages (particularly web languages) is only a plus. We're located out of Central and South Florida, but can work remotely. If interested, please contact at [email protected]

Hi All, Does anyone have a good system for collecting and working through co-workers' feature reqests? My schedule is like many others, Filemaker is only part of my duties and time is scarce. Your thoughts, Tim

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has a sample contract I could get ideas from. I need to write one up and since this is my first, I don't really know where to start. It's a project that has a global price and is not hourly based. Thanks!

Hello! I am in the stage of deciding on a web host. I would like to offer solutions for downloading. Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences with web hosts they could recommend or warn against? Do I need to consider anything in particular in relation to putting an FMP database on the web? Thanks for all your advice!

When you produce a solution for a client, do you include manuals? A Help section in the db itself? A printed file? PDF? What do you use to create a User's Guide to your solution? Looking for general advice as I'm finding this aspect of development lacking for me. Thanks

If my employer were to choose to fire me, then would I be legally bound to provide them with the administrative passwords to the solutions that I have created? The existing solutions would be completely viable without the admin password, they simply would not be able to alter it or worse sell it without the password. Any ideas?

Hi, I currently have a customized solution that I have spent alot of time on and now have the opportunity to sell it. At my current location we have a filemaker server machine for the filemaker file and everything works great. However here lies the problem. Other locations just want a single computer running the database. Is filemaker reliable enough to stand on its own without server as a product? Right now I have a main menu and to proceed you must always click a certain button (makes more sense if you saw my application) it will make a backup on an external hard drive(save copy) also it will only create one backup every 6 hours. Does anyone see any…

I'm an in-house developer for a university exchange program and working for them I built a database that would keep track of our students, courses they take, professors, and can create transcripts as well as other documents. Recently I met someone who works for a similar program and I showed him the database I created and he thought that his program would love one as well. So I did a project proposal based on an hourly fee and starting from scratch from what they need specifically. They have since said that it would be too expensive and proposed that I modify the database (since it's the same basic idea) I've already made and set a global price instead of an hour…

This is for all you independent developers. I am a one person company. I have developed a solution for school districts to manage their Special Education systems. The clients are very happy with the solution, but want to know what they would do if something were to happen to me (the most frequent scenerio is getting hit by a tractor trailer). The solution provides backups, user documentation and some management permissions. For obvious reasons, the Full Access password is not provided. How do other one person shops answer this question? Thanks in advance.

Hi developers. I am CEO of medium size software developing company from EU. I write this post because I have serious thoughts about canceling Filemaker as our primary software deveoping tool. Why? Let me explain. In november 2008 we are about to launch very advanced solution for small and medium size companies. Currently we were making market research and all data shows that we have around 1300 - 1700 potential companies with approximately 4 - 6 users per company. That sums around 5000 to 10000 potential new users. So this is very important solution and opportunity for our company. Where is the problem? The only way to achieve this number of users …

I'm new to the FileMaker program and I'm looking for advice on what I should be doing so that I'm prepared for the certification exam. I took the prep courses (beginner through certification prep), developed a few databases, and generally work in FileMaker 4-6 hours a week. Any advice on how to prepare for the exam? Thanks!

The performace on WAN or Internet to access remote to the databases shared is too slow, FileMaker have any alternative to accelerate the trafic fmnet? **************************** There is any solution to improve the speed of Filemaker on Internet at 200%, 300% or more? **************************** Accelerate by Blue Coat(Match 5), Packeteer, Riverbed, Other? **************************** it's possible do the experience on LAN equal to the WAN(internet) to access remote? **************************** A solution based on FileMaker is designed to work best only on LAN? **************************** the performace on WAN or Internet to access…

Hi all, could I get some best practices, pointers, any guidelines others use to estimate the time/billing for a client's custom FileMaker project? I've both under-estimated and over-estimated in the past. I have a project in front of me now I'm having trouble getting a fix on. Is there a by the field, by the tables, ny the relationships, by the reports - way of doing this? The complexitity needs to be figured in too. Any help would be most appreciated!

I'm not sure if this is the place for it, but I wanted to toss out a question to those of you who do this for a living - did take extensive classes in it, or did you learn on your own? Do you have degrees in Computer Engineering or something similiar?

Hello, I have not worked in Filemaker for a number of years. Recently was volunteered to develop a new database to track jobs through a growing Print shop. I plan to start simple and add things as needed. My first task is to import customer data from a form generated by our ftp upload form. Next I would like to be able to have a button on the page that will create a new folder on the job server and copy the uploaded files to the folder. My question is this: Will I need any specific plugins to perform these tasks? I was thinking I could manage it with some combination of FM script and applescript. Would like to know if anyone has any advice or can point me …

I am starting my own FileMaker developement business, after years of doing solutions in house and for friends. As I begin the process of writing my business plan, I'm trying to get an idea of the size of the market, and what barriers to entry those of you who have been making your living as FileMaker developers see for the next up-and-coming developer. I fully intend to make FileMaker development my sole career and leave my current job in printing behind, so any advice or thoughts you might have would be welcome! Jason Tempestini Curly Media

Welcome Filemaker Developers! Thank you Stephen for implementing so quickly my request to add this category to the Forum! In attending a few sessions focusing on In-House Developer situations here at DevCon '07 in Orlando, FL this week, it became apparent that a forum needed to be established to continue the discussion's beyond the limited timeframe of the session(s). Many attendee's voiced their desire to see someone, somehow, continue these discussion's, so I hope this medium can become that solution! As time goes by we should be able to see some commonality in these on-going threads that will help us determine how to help break them up into separate cate…

IT Solutions is now offering one-day FMAgile project management training in the Philadelphia area. In this class you will learn about the benefits of an Agile approach, gain an understanding of each component of the methodology, and practice real project planning, such as breaking down a timeline and writing system features. Initial classes will be offered on October 18, 2007 and December 6, 2007 at our Fort Washington office. Visit http://www.itsolutions-inc.com/who_we_are/events.html for more information about our training. We will also be offering onsite training and FMAgile classes outside of the Philadelphia area. If you are interested in training in your area, …

Hi. I've scoured the web for Filemaker training in Australia but found nothing of any value (which is subjective I guess). Does anybody know of a company or individual that does FmPro training and/or certification? Greg

Hi, does anyone have any information regarding selling FM database solutions as a product? (ie not customised) Is this done very often? For instance is it legal to sell the runtime files? or would you have to sell it as a proper filemaker file?

I, too got thrown into this role as an In-House Developer about 2 years ago. My question is this: What do you do when you the demands of your clients outweigh the time you have to learn new tools? I work in a school district and it seems the requests I receive come in daily: Add a button here, a report there, a page here, etc. We have 12 schools, 10,000 students and 300 staff who all access Filemaker for their grades, report cards, local assessments, you name it!! It's an awesome tool, but I feel like I can't get my brain around it because I wansn't the one who built it from the ground up. We still have the original developer, but I really don't like relying on him for e…

Maybe this is another thread topic, but I would be interested in hearing feedback from the community on the value of certification in relation to your business and actual bottom line. When presenting a vertical market or specialized product for sale to a client, we've never been asked if anyone involved was "filemaker certified". Honestly, most clients don't really have a clue or care what software platform the solution is based on. Of course, this is just our experience, that's why I'd be interested in what all you have experienced. However at DevCon this year, I had this conversation with several folks and there seemed to be about a 50/50 split on the subject…

Nice to see this place created for the inhouse people who (in my case, anyway) knew a little about FM, and were suddenly the "Filemaker Guy" for the company. Among other things, it was thought by management that spending a few hours a week should be enough to maintain about 20 separate files created in FM3, 4, 5, 6, 7. "Yeah, sure! I'll do it!", I said. Now 2 years later I have distilled and trashed and rehashed those files into a reliable scheduling and job tracking tool for a printing/multi media company. 10,000 records a year are created by some 45 users. I have learned a lot from this project. The most useful thing I've learned is that this is not the way to build a…

Last week, I searched the FMI website and didn't find the information I was looking for. I called a sales rep in California and she was unable to find the answer. My question is: for a new FileMaker Business Alliance member, which licenses are included in the 'package'? I heard the Pro license has been removed!? And what about the Pro Advanced, the mobile and the lite server licenses?? Thanks in advance!

I've developed a professional application that has many great features. One addition that I would like to add is the ability to import sales leads from various lead source companies. Since each file format is in a sense "proprietary" to each company, am I legally obligated to gain their approval before scripting a solution that I provide to others?

I have created and designed an Accounting / Financial Application on File Maker Pro 8.5 Advanced which comprises Journal , General Ledger, Trial Balance, Manufacturing ( Industrial Product Costing ) Module , Payroll, Industrial Productivity Module, Profit & Loss Account ,Balance Sheet, Financial Ratio Analysis, Cash Flow and Document Tracking Modules beside others. The referred application is productivity oriented and unique in itself designed to get maximum control over strategic issues. Rapid search by any criteria whether one year or ten years so it simply means one report for any length of time. Profit contribution reports by invoice or by customer or reg…

Over the past few months I have been writing a blog on FileMaker Consulting. I've written numerous articles on the psychology of marketing and sales. http://www.fmwebschool.com/filemaker_consultant.htm I hope that many of you find the resources available on the Blog helpful In Kindness Stephen Knight http://www.fmwebschool.com

Greetings Fellow Developers! As tax season has just arrived for 2006, I was wondering if anyone was familiar with the tax rules for writing off research & development of software solutions. If this is possible: Can I write off time spent doing development? What documentation is required? How do you determine what amount or rates to use? Do you have to be incorporated? vs. Sole proprietor? If anyone is familiar with this topic and is willing to share I'd be most Thankful as well as others I'm sure! Thanks for your consideration. Will

Forgive me if this is the wrong place to post this question - it seemed the most appropriate, but I may be wrong. To all you FMP professionals: what do you usually charge? I'm asking because I'm trying to explain to my boss why we need to have someone come in and help us streamline our databases (I am far from an expert in Filemaker!). We would need someone to do the following things: Help us integrate FMP with Quickbooks (which would require the purchase of another program) Write us some scripts to automate daily tasks we do with the database (Possibly) redesign parts of the database to make it easier to use I understand that no one can make any sort …

I am considering starting my own business with my main focus developing FileMaker solutions. I also plan to take adavantage of my IT/Telephony background to supplement FileMaker. I currently have a "built in" customer base. My current job takes me to different school districts where a lot of FM solutions could help them out. I would like thoughts on striking out on your own. Also, any caveats I need to look for. I plan on sticking with my "day" job and develop on the side for now. Also do you folks who develop for a living usually charge software maintenance fees on what you develop? Thanks in advance.

I'm curious to know how many professional developers with multiple clients have clients that run FM Server on the same box as another service, such as file sharing, email service, vpn, etc. Thanks in advance. Sorry, this was supposed to be a poll...not sure why radio buttons aren't displaying

I have taken the FM 8 Cert test once and failed. I want to take it again, but cannot find any information on what percentage is needed to pass, nor did the testing center know. Can anyone tell me? Thank you. BTW, it is very involved! You definitely need to know your stuff!

Hi. I am both new to these forums and also fairly new to FileMaker itself but I am hoping that someone will take pity on me and answer a few questions I have about turning my interest in FileMaker into a business. However, before I ask my questions I think that it may be useful for me to post a brief summary of my background and experiences. I started working with MS Access 2 back in 1995 (I think!) and continued to develop applications with it until 2000. I worked for both medium-sized companies and large corporations and also ran an Access web site for many years before 'retiring' and handing the forums over to someone else to manage. In 2000 I switched over to…

I am looking for some opinions surrounding the issue of copy protection as it might apply to the retail sale of my solution. The specific details of my situation will be: Distribution: retail sales, software download only, 8.5 runtime solution on PC and Mac with full access privileges stripped. Since there will be a full featured demo version available, I am not planning to offer a money-back guarantee except where may be required by law - still have to research this. Typical target cutomer: average, non-technical computer user. The Solution: Relatively small activity-simplifying/time-saving application selling in the $20-$30 range, with potentially broad a…

I'm looking for some specifics on Filemaker. Some of the Tech stuff for a client who wants to know why THEY should choose Filemaker over another Database. I'm looking for stuff like 1. Max File Size 2. Performance examples 3. Database structure backend 4. What type of encryption (if any) is used when sending data across the net with the FMNetwork? and stuff like that. Anyone know where I could find like a whitepaper or something that would answer a few of these questions for me? What I do know might not be right, as I'm not sure where I picked it up from. For instance 1. Is 2 TB right? For each file that is? and like a 2 GB size for each fie…

Hi all I have been approached by a client to develop something else for them (albeit more complicated than the first project). They have suggested that the solution has the potential to be sold to others in their industry (although it is a fairly small niche market I would imagine, with a potential customer base in the hundreds rather than thousands). I was happy to take the discussions further, but recently they've said that my ball park estimate is fine, particularly as we'll be going into this as a partnership, and sharing the costs. Now I'm all for earning some extra cash out of a soution with minimal extra work, but am unsure how to approach the negotia…

How does one become a certified Filemaker Developer. I live in South Central Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Baltimore, MD. I have seen courses offered in my area but none seem have any certification program. Any thoughts on the matter are greatly appreciated.

Is there someone out there who would be interested in helping out a small business wite a simple script in perl, using WWW::Mechanize. This would be an easy job for someone who knows perl. Please email me if you are interested: [email protected]

Could someone tell me -- ballpark figure -- what would be a range for a filemaker contractor working in Chicago, IL as opposed to working in Orlando, FL with a per diem so I know that would make the rate less. I have a possible contract position (Filemaker 6 work) and I don't want to underprice myself. Any help would be greatly appreciated. DJC

Anyone have a good template for a License agreement for my solution? I am based in London and New York. Solution is licenced on a user basis not system basis. Many thanks Stuart

Could anyone give me a clue as to how long FM 8 certification takes to achieve. I've got about a month of free / debug time coming up post uni exams and i've been meaning to get aound to it for a while... Also, if anyone could point me toward some appropriate resources that'd be great. Cheers, ~Genx

I'm trying to get an idea of what a reasonable hourly rate is for a FileMaker developer. I've heard everything from $50.00 to $175.00. I know this is a very subjective question and is based on many factors from FileMaker experience, to location and industry. I just thought any feedback I can get will be better than what I know now. Thanks for your help, James

I'm curious as to the educational/experience background of those of you who make a living using Filemaker Are you self-employed or ? Do you have an education in that got you the current position or are you self-taught? Etc . . . .

Hello, I've been a lurker for a while to this forum. I'd like to generate some response about good practices for quoting work. I currently am a boarderline fulltime developer working in a Mac consulting group. One of the owners is also a FileMaker developer who also has Mac centric clients besides FMP work. We've progressed over the last five years to the point where we now need to develop our estimating and presentation skills. We currently are meeting with other "developing and building" professionals to help in the process. We know that there can be jobs of any size out there. From "can you create this report?" to larger "we would like accounting, payroll,…

Hi all, I'm working on a proposal for a bookstore POS system with 3 branches and a warehouse which is also their main office. Receiving/dispatching of books is done on the warehouse (main office). At any branch, they would like to be able to query stock in the other branches as well as stock in the warehouse. e.g: Book Title........B1 Stock......B2 Stock......B3 Stock.......Wrhouse Stock Filemaker Bible..........2.............5.............3................10 My approach is to have a local copy of the stock file in each branch, and at the end of the day: 1) Each branch will communicate to the warehouse PC via DSL link and upload stock change …

Maybe a stupid question but I don't think I've seen it discussed. If you are developing a solution for a company as an independent contractor/developer. Do you provide it "open architecture" where they or another developer can make changes to it. Or do you keep it locked and unavailable for changes, other than by you the developer. I guess this could vary based on the circumstances and customer. But what would the rational be one way verses the other. I guess the question is, "Do you portect your code or does it go to the one paying for the solution? Thanks for your help, James

Does anyone have experience with renting a solution to clients? I have a client who is balking at the potential cost of paying for a total redesign of her solution, but she desparately needs it. She has a solution that was converted from 3 to 7. There are corrupt files and it was designed poorly, as well as being designed a long time ago. I could design a modified solution that would fit their current needs, and that I wouldn't need to keep patching, but she would rather pay me to keep sewing patches on their current system. I don't think she knows how much nicer a solution could be. I'm considering rebuilding her system in advance, to show her how much it could…

Being well aware of Filemaker Inc. in their starter templates leads the newbe right into the limbo by using repeating fields, could a lot been said about focus vs. principles. Then did I encounter this apparent award, that made me drop my jaw! http://www.elmersystems.dk/News/default.htm#WorldsGreatest ...using a .jpg that(from the main page), appears to be almost official - perhaps it is genuine??? This company has some connection to the official filemaker site: http://www.filemaker.dk/developers/elmersys.htm But how can it be you become awarded for exceeding 20000 field definitions in one single solution??? In my ears is such a gestalt or featurette a…

I studied intensively for four months before taking and passing the exam today. Legally I cannot say anything about it--but I think I can say it was "very deep." Unless you're at the level of a "Veteran" here, you probably won't pass it. Good luck to everyone else. Now, let's see if this certification will get me some more business... :

I'm back having a look at FileMaker again after not setting eyes on it for almost 10 years. I had a colleague who was ALWAYS busy back then doing consulting work and she did almost all FileMaker work. I was in another group and did all 4D work and we were just as busy. I've since spent that last 10 years doing mostly web development using various large SQL databases, but I'm getting tired of fussing with browser interfaces and have moved more and more into Rich Interactive Applications. (Such as Flash with Flash Remoting). This makes incredibly nice interfaces that are completely web enabled, but development time is still pretty chewy. Just goofing with File…

Dear All, I am developing a tuition fee billing system for a school and the management requires a contract of agreement between me and the school. I am a freelance FM developer, and have designed small applications for office use but I haven't done any contract of agreement for any solution. Anyone could give me a light of what should it contain(sorry to be dumb on this)? A sample could probably help. The cost of the solution includes training and 1 year free support. Payment terms is 50% upon approval and 50% upon completion. Thanks in advance, Garry

I'm thinking of writing the certification test, but can't find much information about the format or content. I have the Foundation Training Series that I bought from FileMaker. It's a great training resource, but doesn't give much in the way of clues. Is it a multiple choice test? Do you have a copy of FileMaker in front of you? Do you have to know things like "is File Options under the File or Edit menu"? Are there short answer questions? Do you have to build a database? How much do you have to know about things like CWP, Citrix, Terminal Services? Does anyone know this stuff? Are you allowed to say?

Our CIO announced to all of the IT managers in a meeting today that if we wanted to make money we should be working somewhere else. "People at (redacted) University get their satisfaction from doing a good job and they don't care about money". I should mention that I live and work in Southern California - not exactly a place with a low cost of living. Fine. I want to begin working toward making my living as an independent Filemaker developer. I'm currently well versed in SQL Server but am choosing Filemaker because I want to work on smaller projects (although I realize that Filemaker has the capability to tackle the large ones too) and I prefer to work on and for Mac…

Hi, I started using Filemaker 7 back in December 2004. I work in a machine shop and the manager at the time wasn't happy with the system they were using (it's part of a larger system used by a half a dozen companies that the owner of the machine shop has). The manager started me off creating a quote database and from there it kept growing and soon began to take on a life of it's own and eventually included tracking jobs, inventory, shift production, etc. To make a long story short, after a presentation I did last week some of the people higher up were furious that we weren't using their software (even though the software I created was superior - at least I feel it is a…

SmallCo is growing in some new and different directions, and Curtis Michelson and I are looking for folks who are interested in growing with us. Over the next three months, we'll be visiting spots across North America, and we'll be in Europe in October. If you're interested in speaking with us, please send an email with your C.V. and some links to work samples. Here's a little bit about SmallCo: ----------- Small Company is one of the original FileMaker Partners, known for our interface and interaction design. We built the templates that ship in the box with FileMaker Pro 6 and 7. Our clients include Harvard University, Time, Inc., The New York Public Librar…

What are the real benefits of getting Developer 7? I've been working for a small consulting company for the past few years and somehow have ended up redoing their databases in Filemaker 7. They had all been in Filemaker 3. I had 0 experience with filemaker or really databases in general before I started working here, but now I'm preparing to leave the company and they've asked me if I'd be willing to do some contract work for them and one of their clients developing a database, since they think I know what I'm doing. Will Developer make the databases any better? and will it save me any time my first go around, or is it just the sort of thing that makes things fast…

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Hi, I'm currently working on a proposal to build a solution on FM7 for a "Tuition Fee Billing System". The required feature is so simple as follows: -Keep track of student's payment and outstanding balance. They are using few tuition fee schemes. -Daily payment report -Monthly payment report -Statement of Account generation That's all they ask for. I would like to make the solution a bit more complex and I need suggestions from you guys of what other features I could add as far as Tuition Fee Billing System is concerned. Additionally, they want to be able to use the same FMP database on two counters at the same time but not happy to invest for …