Newbie Lost and confused with FM Pro 4.2

[wcole]

Ok, I know how do design and used databases. But I'm getting FM Pro 4.2 with a database only consisting of 1 table that is just a flat file. No relations, no normilization.

Is that all FM is?

I'm having to rewrite the system in place. It currently has 5 separate applications. I'm not sure if I can use 4.2 for what I want or if a newer version will work or I need to look at Access or even MySQL or whatever out there.

The current system is running with data on Windows server with Small Business Server. There are about 10 copies of FM Pro 4.2 on desktops and the same version on the Windows server. Not a database server version if there is one for 4.2.

I need to create a relational DB that I can have multiple tables with in one database or 2 if necessary. I will be creating event logs of changes to orders so things added or removed from an order can be processed in a timely manor by the werehouse before the order is shipped. I have to add inventory control to add and remove what is available for the time it is in use and checking it back in when returned.

Part of it might be the way I have had everything in a few databases in the past and not one table per database the way FM is working.

When you talk scripts, are these query's, stored procedures and triggers that I have written in the past?

I do like the thought of using C# to write the applications. I see there is a xml DLL interface to allow this. Is there a performance hit greater then if you were using ODBC?

Will the .NET interface work with FM 4.2?

Any help pointing to some answers whould be greatly appreciated. Any other information you need I can try and answer for you.

TIA for any help you can give,

Wes

Edited March 20, 2007 by Guest

[Ender]

FileMaker 4 is very old. Time to upgrade. You might check the FileMaker product specs for the features of version 8.5.

[Lee Smith]

Hi Wes, and welcome to the forum.

As Ender states... OLD. In fact it can't be run under OSX, you have to use the Classic (or OS 9.x.x) in order to use it.

In addition to Enders suggestion of product comparison, this subject has come up in the past. If you do a search for MySQL, or SQL, you should find a lot of Threads on this.

HTH

Lee

Edited March 20, 2007 by Guest
Seems that SQL Topic has been merged :(

[comment]

Yes it is old - but it still works, AND it is relational. Each table needs to be in its own FILE, that's all there is to it.