Value List From SQL Fields

[Joel Saltzman]

I have setup a SQL Database on my server and I have an ODBC connection to it. I can make forms and manipulate data with no problem.

My issue is, when I try to make a value list from fields that are on the SQL Database, all the tables are grayed out. WTF?

If I create a new table in my Filemaker Application, it shows up as ready to use for a value list. Is this one thing that Filemaker cannot do with SQL Server yet?

[Joel Saltzman]

anybody?

[Reed]

Here's a previous discussion of this topic...

http://fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/188327/

In short, you can't do it right now.

Dana

[Colin Keefe]

If you're talking about creating dynamic value lists using fields from an ESS table, basically you can't. Dynamic value lists depend on field indexes, and FileMaker can't directly access any indexes in the source SQL database.

This is true also of other functionality using indexing.

If this is in fact your problem, I suppose one workaround would be to set up a scheduled import of the value list tables in the SQL database into FileMaker, and build your dynamic value lists from local FM tables. This would only work for value lists that aren't going to change every 5 seconds - like zip code lookup tables, product codes, etc.

[Joel Saltzman]

Awesome! Thanks guys!

[LaRetta]

Check out SQL Select DISTINCT. :wink2: