Multi user capacity

[Ninja]

I am about to make a database for my work which needs to be multi user so that up to 50 people can all access the same database, which have around 5000 records a month added to it, each with about 40 fields. Will FileMaker 6 be able to cope with this, whatkind of restrictions will there be on users?

I'm only asking because i've never made a multi-user database before and i don't want to waste time with big networking problems.

[stanley]

Ninja:

You would have to get FileMaker Server for this, and if your company can afford it, you should upgrade to 7 while you're at it. Maintaining and modifying a multi-user database is so vastly improved in 7 that I now loathe having to deal with those of my clients who won't spring for the upgrade to 7. Here is a link to FMI's FileMaker Server FAQ page:

http://www.filemaker.com/ti/109225.html

An important thing to keep in mind is that your FileMaker Server should be on a dedicated box on the network, NOT on a file-server. As far as how complex it is, there's very little to worry about. FMS is very easy to set up and maintain.

-Stanley

[Ninja]

Bugg*r, i doubt they'll spring that sort of cash. Not for me, i have almost no credentials, no gaurantee that i can provide or that it'll work. And no way of testing it unless i fork out for it myself.

Dont suppose there's any way i can do it with dev 6?

[SJM]

Don't forget that FileMaker Server does not act as a database server in the traditional sense of accepting queries and returning tables. Its role is basically to mediate access to the actual .fp5 files. (I use FileMaker Server 6, but I assume 7 hasn't fundamentally changed its architecture in this respect. It is basically a way for the operating system not to run out of file descriptors on systems with many tables and many users.)

All queries, updates, inserts, and deletes are still done on each client. While this has its advantages, it also means that for 50 users to have simultaneous access you will require 50 copies of the FileMaker client to run on the 50 desktop PCs of these people. So yes, cost is a factor here.

[SJM]

Well, I just read the features of FM Server 7 Advanced linked to above, and what I said in my previous post is largely incorrect. Apparently this software does directly process queries itself. I do not actually understand the architecture of FM7, having never used it. Therefore I have no idea how many licenses and of what you would have to purchase to achieve your goals.

[stanley]

Ninja:

You can try the Instant Web Publishing route, in which case the users would access the system via their web browsers, thus saving a great deal of money. There are a number of limitations - some script steps won't run, limited number of users - but it is definitely doable on a budget. FMD 6 will run IWP, but to a limited number of concurrent users. To serve to a larger group, you'd need FileMaker Unlimited, which may still be available somewhere, but did not make it in the migration to FMP 7 (it was essentially replaced by FileMaker Server Advanced in the 7 line.)

-Stanley

[stanley]

Ninja:

The FAQ for FileMaker 6 Unlimited can be seen at:

http://filemaker.com/ti/108178.html

-Stanley

[Ninja]

Cheers for the help, but i think the general concesus is that it won't work since my company's @ssholes won't pucker up tighter than a snare drum! Not when they can do it with one person entering all data onto an Excel spreadsheet!

Losers

[Lee Smith]

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