I am struggling to understand FM7 exporting from related tables, into a single file.

I have three "daisy-chained" tables in a single file. I want to export ALL data from all three tables into a single flat file. When exporting, my focus is on the parent table.

When I look at my exported file, the parent data is only in the first row of the export set. Each succeeding row that should contain the same parent data is blank where the parent data should be. The data from one or both of the child files is in these "parentless" rows, and looks fine.

This is repeated for each parent record.

I am faced with performing the export and then running a looping script on the entire exported file, to copy the parent data into subsequent rows, but this seems ludicrous.

I must be missing some switch that needs to be set...

Please help, me kind sir/madam... I am lost...

Are you exporting from a layout based on the child table (the one that has the most records)?

No, I am exporting from the topmost file. If I export from the bottom-most file, I only get data where the thread goes up to the top.

Example:

Table 1 is SYSTEM. Table 2 is COMPONENT. Table 3 is BANDWIDTH.

A SYSTEM can have zero or many COMPONENTS. A COMPONENT may have zero or many BANDWIDTHs.

If I export from the BANDWIDTH, I only get COMPONENTS that have a BANDWIDTH, and only SYSTEMS that have COMPONENTS.

So, to export the whole enchilada as a single flat file, I need to be on the SYSTEM table, to export all local and linked data.

Oh, nooo! This ain't loooking good. How do I send an improvement suggestion to Filemaker?

... You mean that round thing by the door?