Help please.

I know this is an easy question for most of you guys, but as a non-expert with poor contacts I'm struggling to get good advice.

We've got a FileMakerPro v5 pupil database for each department at our school. These are stand-alone files on individual departmental PCs. They have quite a few different layouts and are related to other files so that, for example, there are pull-down menus to enable the choosing of comments from other files to paste into reports.

This stand-alone approach however has many shortcomings, such as

a) only one person being able to access a particular file at one particular machine

: not possible to pull together the separate departmental comments centrally to make a pupil report.

Presumably these shortcomings could be resolved by networking.

We've tried using the browser-read version of sharing FileMaker but this seems unable to do the job. For instance, one can't use LIST anymore (very useful for departmental records) even though it's available on 'normal' FileMaker. Also, this version of networking loses the function of buttons and scripts created for the stand-alone version. And finally, the pull-down menus etc don't work in this approach.

So what's a better approach to networking our system?

Suggestions would be very very welcome.

Carl Dawson

>Presumably these shortcomings could be resolved by networking.

No. They may be helped by have a central database, but the structure and architecture will likely have to be redesigned, unless each database is an exact clone of all others. Even then, a redesign is likely needed.

Old Advance Man

I have developed a progress report for our school. Just as you are, I am a novice. Our database is located centrally and teachers access individual class modules. The information they enter is compiled in a report card and for the high school a transcript. Teachers access their modules with passwords. This has been a great and challenging experience.

This forum has been the source of timely and expert information.

Thanks to all.