From the professionals to the beginners,

I was wondering, how long it generally takes from the planning to the serving of a new database.

My dB will be used for all internal Co. info. & resources. (as vague as this description is) I was just wondering how long this will generally take to create a system like this?::???

Sincerely,

Newbie, fmp5.5 & fmp server

Vague is right

I do FileMaker Development as a side business on nights and weekends and the length of time to finish a project greatly depends on the complexity of the design. I've had projects that I finished in a couple days and others that took 4 months.

Mike

From my experience: from 1 day up to 5 years and continuing!

Too vague to answer.

It sounds like to me that you've been asked to check into what is involved in developing a solution in-house. There is no accurate answer, with this amount of information. It is difficult enough to estimate timelines when all of the variables are known.

For one thing, you have state that you are a Newbie to FileMaker. Keep in mind that FileMaker has a learning curve, albeit maybe less than it's competitors, the fact remains that it still there, and needs to be considered in any timeline.

My suggestion is for you to read some of the books that are available for FM, and I would start with Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro 5, by Rich Coulombre and Jonathan Price.

You can alsi look at the sample files available on the disk that came with FileMaker, go to their site and download what is available, and check out these sites for sample, tip and trick, shareware, freeware and commercial demos to help you.

http://www.fmfiles.com/

http://www.databasepros.com/

http://www.dwdataconcepts.com/

http://fentonjones.com

HTH

Lee

Yep

Vague yes, sorry, but everyday I am learning more & getting new ideas on what all this is about. It's all really new, and I am getting more & more excited to see it all up and running.

No one here has a clue about FM, so this is helping with all kinds of information that I need to passed on to those who have given me this assignment.

Thanks for your time

THANKS AGAIN

Actually, the length of time required to develop the solution is directly proportional to the vagueness of the project specifications. From your description, you should allow for at least 5 years. If you are an employee of the company, then your continued employment is guaranteed. If you are a contractor, then you need to write up a proposal with a lot of specifics about what you will do and won't do, even if you are being paid by the hour. Otherwise, your customer will likely begin to get upset with you when you start to get bogged down under their never ending changes to the project requirements. I speak from experience, (fortunately not my own experience though).