Server version does not support ODBC ??

[paullam]

I've had my databases up and running from a filemaker Pro 5.5 client. I decided it was time to go 'professional' and install Fm Pro Server 5.5 on a powerfull machine (WinXP Pro). My databases are up and running again for my FM Pro 5.5 clients. However, the server version does not make them available through ODBC. When I try to connect, let's say from Access, i get the message "connect failed..." When I look in c:program filescommonodbc... there isn't even a Filemaker folder installed (as is with the client version). Don't say that FM Server does not support ODBC while the cheaper client version does :

[Kurt Knippel]

FM Server currently only serves to Filemaker clients. Filemaker is not really designed as a general purpose SQL data source, but can be accessed with the following caveats...

From the Filemaker Help file:

You can use the ODBC support in FileMaker Pro to:

work with FileMaker Pro data from ODBC-compliant applications to create charts, construct ad-hoc queries, and analyze your data with a variety of software applications

construct SQL queries in FileMaker Pro to import data from other ODBC data sources like Microsoft Access or Oracle databases

Notes about sharing FileMaker Pro data via ODBC:

FileMaker Pro is Level 1 ODBC compliant, with limited Level 2 support.

FileMaker Pro files support a single connection and multiple statements per connection.

Access FileMaker Pro data from a number of Windows ODBC client applications, like Microsoft Office 97 - Office 2000, BrioQuery 6.0.1, Net Objects Fusion 5.0.2, and more.

Access FileMaker Pro data from Mac OS ODBC client applications like Microsoft Query, Microsoft Excel 98, and BrioQuery 5.5.6.

Note The FileMaker ODBC driver can't pull data from a related FileMaker Pro file. To access data from multiple tables, construct your SQL query accordingly.

Notes about importing ODBC data into FileMaker Pro:

Use one of the included ODBC drivers to import data from one of these data sources:

Text (Windows, Mac OS, and Mac OS X)

Oracle 8 (Windows and Mac OS)

SQL Server 7 (Windows)

You can also import ODBC data using a third-party ODBC driver.

Copyright © 1994 - 2002 FileMaker, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[paullam]

Thanks for your answer. It seems i've spent a useless amount of money on the server version. I explicitly need the ODBC connectivity because an webbases application needs to access the data in the FM database. I'm forced to return to a client sharing version. Will there be improved ODBC support in version 6 ?

Thanx

[Kurt Knippel]

Doubtful. ODBC is not really a standard, so much as a M$ enforced rule. XML is looking more and more like the wave of the future.

[Anatoli]

Server is great, fast, and simple to set up, it protects data and it is doing auto back up. I don't think it was any waste.

True is, that ODBC on FM client sucks. I guess only marketing department is happy with it.

Problem is, that you took wrong advice. I will never recommend FM for ODBC. FM is much better than Access, but only for FM kind of database work.

In your case Access will be better because of ODBC.

[Kurt Knippel]

Well, I doubt that Access would be BETTER. Really a better solution would be a SQL backend database. In this case I would suggest MySQL, which is quite powerful, free and well supported by JDBC.

[Anatoli]

Access fly with ODBC. It is clumsy and slow, but for ODBC will be OK.

Now, if 200 users and ODBC and other things must share that, then Access will not do the job obviously.

[paullam]

I didn't choose Filemaker for its ODBC capabilities. I was already working in Filemaker when the question for ODBC sharing came. I was glad to be able to answer that this was no problem for Filemaker. However, I will have to review my opinion.

[Bob476]

I'm currently running into the same exact problem. I have a web-based application that I was hoping to connect directly to filemaker using ODBC. However, my FM databases are all served through FM Server.

Is there any way to access the database through a FM client?

Alternatively, would I be forced to continue using a synched-up SQL backend for this? Currently, we have a SQL "mirror" db with various synching scripts set-up. I was hoping to phase out the SQL database and just connect direct to Filemaker.

[Anatoli]

You can connect the web directly to FM through WebCompanion and Instant Web Publishing. That is good for simple flat database with stamp collection.

Or you can try WebCompanion and Instant Web Publishing, which is 10 -- 100 times more powerful.

Or you can try Lasso, which is fully featured middleware for practically any database system, from FM and MySQL to Oracle.

For tests up to 10 visitors IP you can use standard FM.

For full size serving you will need FM Unlimited.

HTH

[Hens]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who misses an ODBC option in FMserver5.5.

But I do need a solution...

On my machine I used M$ Access, FMPro6 and M$ IIS to generate an Intranet environment.

When I installed this at our customers site I was not aware of the fact that this ODBC was NOT in the server-version (and we said it would work better/faster): now this intranet site does not work...

I only need a live view on a name and a number from a FM table. Users (webbased) can select this number and add their data, results will be saved in M$ Access...

How can this be done with the FMServer?

[chrisonmaui]

set up a FM client machine as your odbc server on the intranet - this can use the data from your fmserver.

this is the recommended way to do instant web publishing / jdbc connections / and i assume odbc would work the same way

[Hens]

Thanks for your fast reply, but it's definitly not what I assumed to be a server: the old situation (using Novell) on site was that a client performed as server, but whoever it was, the user forgot that he/she was the first to open the file, and when they switched off the machine all other users lost their connection. That's one of the reasons we tried FMserver in a new Win2000 network. For normal operation (FM only) this works great and fast.

So I do need a solution in which no client computer is involved. What this webcompanion and where can I read more about it?

[Anatoli]

WebCompanion is mini web server for FileMaker included with *every* FileMaker for free.