I am really sorry if my questions are very basic, but I don’t know too much about filemaker.

I am looking to buy filemaker, so far the demo is awesome. But my question is,

Is the program a new form of QuickBooks and Access?

My father is currently running his business using both of those programs and we were informed about filemaker.

Basically what we do is Service work for many companies, we have to have a database of all their equipment with equipment numbers, dates that they are required for maintenance, specs on the equipment, and we need to create inspection forms that contain that data all buy scanning a barcode to bring up the information.

We also have an inventory of parts we use, can we use this program to keep an inventory of our parts, at cost, and retail price and create invoices for our customers.

And what about stuff like calculating your taxes and stuff like you do in QuickBooks? Does this program do that or is that something that you still need QuickBooks for? And if so can you export to QuickBooks?

Sorry for all the confusing questions

Hopefully someone will have a few good answers for me

Thanks a bunch

mattyj

Is the program a new form of QuickBooks and Access?

FileMaker isn't new, it's been around about as long as either of those programs.

FileMaker, like Access, is a database. They are both essentially erector sets with which you build your own custom application. They don't do all that much out of the box. You either build something with them, or hire someone to build it, or buy something already built.

QuickBooks is an accounting application. You could build something very much like it using FileMaker or Access, but if QuickBooks is what you need, why bother?

Tracking your equipment, building forms, scanning barcodes, keeping inventory, and invoicing customers can all be done in FileMaker. Or Access. Or QuickBooks for that matter, at least most of it.

For doing your taxes I'd probably stick with QuickBooks. Yes, you can export very easily from FileMaker. In fact there are two products that directly integrate FileMaker and QuickBooks:

www.fmbooksconnector.com/

http://www.filebookslink.com/