Is Filemaker what I need?

[Sefu]

Hello - I'd like to ask some advice before going forward with a complete switch to FileMaker.

I'm the system administrator for a photo-rental company. Our stock changes quite frequently (additions, aged material, etc), and we need to track what comes in and goes out (and for how long)... we thus need a constant read/write connection to our database.

We have around ten posts (that I plan to switch to Mac/Filemaker client) and a central server (that I would like to fit with Filemaker Server) that would connect to our database in another remote location.

Can someone please give me some informed advice about the possibilities of this setup using FileMaker, and which versions I should order?

Thank you very much in advance.

[Fenton]

Yes, FileMaker would work for this. I image there are many companies using it for the same thing. Of course if you are dealing with billions of transactions, then that would be a consideration.

You would need FileMaker Server. It should go on its own machine. This is important, as you likely have an already busy "server" machine for file sharing, storing and showing the photos. Do not try to put FileMaker Server on that machine. It does not play well with OS File Sharing, and is not recommended.

You'd want the latest version of FileMaker Server and clients, and would want to immediately install available updates also; there are specific fixes for Leopard in them.

You can get a discount for a package deal of Server and 10 clients. There is also volume licensing. Check out the Purchase options at the FileMaker site.

[P.S. You'll want to post again, with more details about how you want to access and use those photos. There are several possible ways to do this, each with its own pros and cons.]

Edited February 3, 2008 by Guest

[Sefu]

Thank you for your informative reply.

I made an error in writing "photo rental" - our company's main concern is photo equipment rental - but your advice was dot-on all the same, as we are also setting up an archiving service that will indeed treat thousands of photos - yet I won't be using FileMaker for that; the storage system will have its own interface apart from the rest and be dependant only on client info taken from the database.

For a bit of added precision, basically I intend to set up FileMaker/server only on our company LAN: env. ten posts connected to a server, in turn connected with a remote "central" sql database (hosted in a server connected through fibre optic cable) that will be used for various operations (accounting, website content, order/stock calendar, etc) by different offices.

At present we are using a software called SAGE (gescom, compta) that, in addition to its very high price, is completely "closed" to any external operations; because of its ability to maintain a "live" connection to an mysql database, Filemaker seems to be exactly what we need. I hope I didn't miss anything-Thank you!

If it may interest you, you can find our website at http://www.matphot.com - totally database-driven, we just finished it two months ago. In French for now, but the English version is coming very soon.

Addendum: It seems that the Filemaker Server isn't compatible with Leopard yet - but I assume this will be corrected soon. This may be an issue as, not only do we intend to change our accounting software, we will be switching all our posts to Mac.

Edited February 4, 2008 by Guest
Addendum

[Fenton]

Another thing FileMaker 9 can do is read and write to some SQL databases, incl. MySQL. From what I've read, it is not terribly fast, and it requires some things, like the SQL table having a primary ID field (column, whatever they call it). But it is designed for situations where you just need some interaction.

"Filemaker Server isn't compatible with Leopard yet - but I assume this will be corrected soon." Soon, way sooner than you get it all built -]

[Sefu]

Yes, that is exactly what we need: interaction. We need our databases to be multi-purpose: Not only will our accounting department need access to them, but also those in charge of inventory, as well as our rental service (for mapping the entry, exit and reservation of our stock)... quite a complicated affair.

Thank you again for your kind advice.

[Aussie John]

You can also give different users different privileges so only certain sections are visible eg customers could see (via the web) what you have available for hire but no other detail