my sick relationships

[EAPG]

I don't even know where to start. I created my 'big three' databases when Filemaker first came on the market YEARS ago. Through all the Filemaker PRO changes, all was well. FMP 10 ate my lunch. My complex relationships between my databases went to hell. I can NOT find a definition of the word "table" that I can understand! "A file contains the tables". What? I thought a database has fields & layouts. I know what a "table view" is. So I gave up trying to understand the words.

I opened the 2 databases I want to 'have a relationship'. Went to Manage database > Relationship tab. There is a 'picture' of the database - is that a "file" or a "table"? Somehow I got a 'picture' of the other database in with it so that when I drag a line between various field names, it looks like they are "=". So I drag a line = from the Address Book # in one database to the Address Book # in the other. drop dead, nothing happens when I enter the address book number in the second database.

To make it really simple, I'd be happy if I could put in an "Address Book #" from one database into the other database (drag it across?) and have the name show up in the second database when I enter the "Address Book #". Does that sound like something that would take about 9 hours to accomplish? I HATE to ask for help so I've tried my darndest to do it myself and I finally give up. Am I asking for the impossible? It used to be so easy..... Honestly, I'm not stupid - I've been designing & maintaining my own web site for 15 years & gone from Apple 1 to Mac 10.5.8 all by myself.

I'd really appreciate some help.

Elaine in Albuquerque

[bcooney]

Elaine,

Did you go from FM6 to FM10? That would explain your confusion. FM7 was a huge change in FM's structure, nomenclature, the works!

Pre-FM7, an FM file (the icon on your desktop) could only have one table. In fact, I don't think the word table was even used.

FM7 allowed the consolidation of multi-files into one file with multi-tables. FM7 also introduced the Relationship Graph, a visual representation of your tables and how they relate. The representation of tables on the RG are called Table Occurrences, since you can have a "table" appear more than once in the graph.

Anyhow, "databases" are solutions. They can be multi-file, and multi-table. Each file can have one or more tables. Tables have fields and records and layouts.

What are your file names? If you've opened a pre-FM7 file in FM10, then each file has only one table. You could consolidate your files into one file with many tables. It will probably make things easier for you in the long run. FMI has a white paper about Migrating that should help explain the steps. Many choose to just File>New and start over (importing the data from the old structure).

[David McQueen]

Hi Elaine,

Start up FileMaker Pro 10. If you are on Windows, it will show up as an icon on the Task Bar, on Mac, it will be on the Dock.

Take your original three file solution, the whole folder,and drag it onto the icon. This will cause FileMaker Pro 10 to do a conversion and hook up the relationships beteen files.

1. This conversion will be buggy because there is such a shift from 5-6 family to 7-10 family.

2. If you had passwords in the original files, they will also be in the new files. But there is also an account for each file. On a conversion the password and the account for each account in each file will be the same.

3. If you have been reading through this list, you will have seen mention of an Anchor and Buoy relationship system. All that really is is one table occurance for each table is used for all relationships looking out from that table. You will have the original anchor and buoy system. The relationships in one file will look out to the other files. If you have self relatioships in any file, the table occurance should now be named the same as the relatioship name you had before. If you double click on the little box that links table occurances, you will see the relationship that you created before.

Note that left side and right side of relationship no longer have meaning in that the relationships will arrange on one side orthe other depending on alphabetical naming of the table occurances. However, just as in FMP 5-6, you can have a global field as a key in the table (file) are looking out from (used to be Left Side)but youmust have and indexed field in the table (file) you are looking to (right side).

4. A table just represents a single entity, say contacts or events or sales.... It contains all of the fields that are required to describe that entity. In the old version, by default, each file only had one entity and therefore could only show one table.Think of a single Excel worksheet. The worksheet is the table. Each column has different field information. Each row represents a different record in the database. So it is nothing you have not been doing all along, just different names.

5. You have to convert all files at the same time or the relationships are pooched.

6. Once you get to that point, you can take a look around and get familiar with the new FileMaker landscape.

There are threads here on good books to read. I would sugget investing in at least one. Recommended get two books, one a self help book and one a compendium of the current FileMaker version . The current version of the FileMaker Pro Bible is one I normally get or Special Edition Using FileMaker Pro. But I have not purchased books in a while so I cannot comment on curretn editions, authors etc.

HTH

Dave

[IdealData]

As you discovered FM 10 introduced a whole new dimension in database terms from FM 6 - the TABLE!

I have been through the conversion process before with 40 file system. It took me 3 months to learn the new skills in FM8 (then), 3 months to plan the upgrade, and a further 3 months test/trial of the upgrade through a sequence of scripts.

The database design graph allows you to readily join together tables by literally dragging a field in one table and pointing at the table in the other. After a little bit of experiment you might decide to redesign from new in FM10 or upgrade.

There are many resources on the FM web site and you should read up first before you decide. Good luck.

[mr_vodka]

I would highly suggest reading the Migration Tech Briefs as simply converting a fp5 file to fp7 does not mean that it should be used as is.

http://www.filemaker.com/downloads/pdf/fm7_converting.pdf

http://www.filemaker.com/downloads/pdf/techbrief_fm8_migrtn_found.pdf

[Jack Rodgers]

Perhaps a simple explanation will help...

Do not try to learn by upgrading an old solution as this will lead to brain damage...

The New Filemaker can now import many files into one file. These files are now called tables after they are imported.

Also, you can create a new 'table' within the file and add fields to it just as you did in the 'old way'.

It's best to create a new file and then 'play' a bit importing files to create a new table, creating new tables, new fields in the tables and then creating relationships with the intent being only to learn. After this 'playing about' for a few hours or days you will begin to understand the new system.

After you have sucessfully created a new mini solution with perhaps 10 related tables and some layouts you will have a better idea of where to go next.

Do not try to visit a all you can eat buffet and swallow everything at once... :