There's got to be a way......

[gbrown]

I own a prospecting service that supplies my customers with sales leads and contact info. I want to build a contact management application (Like Act! or Goldmine) to distribute my info to my clients so that they don't have to re-enter the information. This info is RENTED to my clients so therefore I do not want them to be able to export/download/copy this information. In such an application I would have three parent tables: Properties, Company's, and Contacts and I would own the info in these tables. My clients would own and enter the information in the child tables which would include Notes, Call History, Activities, etc.

I would like to find a way to limit the amount of resources needed on the server side. Plus, many of my clients would not be willing to upload their proprietary information to an online application. So the child table info needs to be stored locally. I have some ideas of how I could possibly do this but I have my doubts as to whether any of them will work. Below are some of those ideas. Any suggestions on how I could do this would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Idea 1

Use the Web viewer to distribute my info to my clients. This would be the best solution for me as I would not even need FMPSA and I could use runtimes. But it is probably the least viable as I know no way to relate the info in the web viewer to the child tables. Plus when I create a new record on the server side there is no way to auto-create the record on the client side.

Idea 2

Find some way to download the data in the parent tables (lookup fields?) on start-up and run a script that erases all the info except record ID on shut down. This way the user only hits the server each time they start up the app and all processing is done locally. Since the record is not deleted (just the data in most of the fields) the relationship with the child tables remains intact. Once again though there is no way to auto-create a new record on the client side.

Idea 3

FTP??? Something like #2

Idea 4

Import Hey! Maybe this is the ticket! Could I create a start-up script that would FTP in an import file and auto-import the file thereby updating existing records or creating new ones based on the import file. A shut down script that erases all field data except the record id's. I could then update the import file on the ftp server daily and all is well??? I would not need FMPSA and I could use runtimes! But since you can only import one table at a time the start-up process may take forever.

Idea 4

VPN Since the parent tables will be read-only and the child tables are all stored locally maybe a VPN would have enough performance to handle it? The show stopper here is that my users would have to set up the VPN on their machines. Plus, I couldn't use runtimes.

Thanks for taking part in my brainstorming session (grin) and any suggestions you may have.

Greg

[Mikhail Edoshin]

Runtime can import XML data and you can serve data in XML right from FileMaker via FMSA.

[gbrown]

Thank you Mikhail for your reply. I really like the idea of importing via XML - although after reading more in these forums I am wondering if importing will cause me a bunch of customer support issues and/or maintenance issues. I am still trying to learn more about it. I have also since learned that there is no user limit with customer web publishing via FMSA so I will look more at that too. Any other suggestions/ideas would be appreciated.

Greg

[Genx]

many of my clients would not be willing to upload their proprietary information to an online application. So the child table info needs to be stored locally

I have also since learned that there is no user limit with customer web publishing via FMSA so I will look more at that too

Those two statements seem to contradict each other... Unless I'm misunderstanding your definition of an online application.

I really like the idea of importing via XML - although after reading more in these forums I am wondering if importing will cause me a bunch of customer support issues and/or maintenance issues.

Any solution that is poorly implemented will cause you customer support issues -- But which issues are you referring to in specific relation to XML?

[gbrown]

Yes, (sheepish grin) I know there is some contradiction between my two posts. I'm just looking at all possible solutions that will be reliable and affordable. I think the runtime/xml import option fits my requirements the best. I guess my lack of knowledge on the subject has me a little concerned that the auto-import of three different tables on start-up might be on the edge of a poorly implemented (designed?) solution?: My other concern with that option is how long the app would take to start up if there were 5,000 - 10,000 records in each of the three imported tables? I think I might be able to work around the start-up issue with my customers if I could get some positive feedback from some FMP experts as to the reliability of such a solution.

I guess there is another option I didn't list above and that would be to purchase the full version of FMP for each customer and have them connect to the remote tables on the server. But even if I could afford the $90,000 for client software that would be a poorly implemented solution from the financial stand point.: Especially when they are going to use it just like a runtime.

Thanks for your reply Genx and any further thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated!

[Genx]

Well.. a few notes / questions.

1) Are they only viewing data or also updating it? If they are only viewing it... You could set up some sort of change monitoring system and upload xml changes nightly...

2) You don't necessarily have to do it on start up, you could just have a button somewhere on the main screen.

3) 5000 -- 10000 records... file size depends entirely on what you include.

4) I don't suggest XML anyway, use CSV or something... XML has to much unnecessary data.

Best recommendation would be FMSA and just embed awebviewer or something... seriously, you'll save yourself a LOT of headaches.

[gbrown]

1) The tables that are remote/imported are read-only. All updating/data entry will be done on tables stored locally.

2) A button is an option

3) Ok?

4) I'm familiar with CSV - don't know alot about XML

I'd thought about using the web viewer since the info is read-only and that would be a very "clean" design. I could just build records on the client side that has a record id field and an embedded viewer - that way the table could still relate to other tables. I have also looked at extracting the data in the web viewer via an extract CF - that way you could interact with the data. I could custom build the web page with tags to make it easy to extract. The show stopper here is if you input a new record on the server side it won't show up on the client side. Any ideas of how to get around this?

Thanks

Greg

[Genx]

Disable the new record function?