fmp knowledge

[ventinc]

I run a service business and have been using Filemaker Pro as our db program for the last 3 years. I have done 95% of the work on our db's and have a great basic understanding of the program. However our db's are disaster and will require a lot of hours of work. I am wondering if anyone can give me advice on some tools to help me develop our program myself or further my knowledge. Is it a better idea to pay someone to do some of the more complicated funtions? Is it possible to be self taught and very up to date on fmp? I should say also I love filemaker and get so excited about making our business run better. I would love to help other people make their businesses run better too. (I have no formal computer training.)What does it take?

[LiveOak]

This is a tough one. So much depends upon the individual. Most of the better professionals in the FM world have some level of background in science, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. Kind of the prototype for a good consultant is:

1) math/science backgound

2) 5 years of small business experience

3) Some formal FM classes

4) 1 year of working with clients on out-of-house solutions

This is not to say that it can't be done without all of these elements, but the odds against you grow with each omission. In your positions I would certainly consider classes, especially if you will omit 1).

As to your in-house effort. The most important involvement for an outside consultant is at the beginning. It's like building a house. I you do the plans not to code and are 90% through construction and bring in a professional architect to consult on paint colors...oh, well. You need the profession when you structure the files for your solution.

As references, I like the Columbre and Price book and Scriptology by Matt Petrowsky and John Mark Osborne. You might also want to subscribe to the ISO online magazine and FileMaker Pro Advisor.

-bd

[ventinc]

Thanks for the reply. I think you are right about the outside help I almost wan't to scratch the whole db because I know so much more now than when I started tinkering 3 years ago. I am still in my twenties maybe I'll go back to school. Thanks Again.

[yafreax]

quote:

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Originally posted by LiveOak:

Kind of the prototype for a good consultant is:

1) math/science backgound

2) 5 years of small business experience

3) Some formal FM classes

4) 1 year of working with clients on out-of-house solutions

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Oh Crap. . . i don't have #1, in fact, i dropped out of Community college after one semester. . . as for #2, i've only worked in any real business (other than retail that is) for a year and a few months. . . yikes. . . nope on #3 also. . . #4, well, that one i have, cause i learned on my own when i got here and after a few months they were confident enough in me to let me do it. . . Now today i'm doing stuff for all of our biggest clients (we're a 12 mil. printing company, so not FM clients, but the printing clients).

I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything ( okay maybe a little), but yes, it can be done on your own. . . i'm not near as good as a lot of these guys but i can honestly say that i've meet every challenge i've been faced with. . . I'm still hoping to take some of #3. . . but for now, web resources and the aforementioned publications help alot, along with lots of reading. . .

Good luck

Jeremy

[LiveOak]

If you are in your twenties, definitely go back to school. Who is to say what you will be doing in 30 years. It's an easy bet that current FM skills won't mean anything in that time. The background obtained in school will provide the foundation for the continued retraining we all have to do. There are no more IBM punch cards or model 29 card punches, but the math, physics, and even the computer architecture principles are still the same. (And I'm speaking as a pre-microprocessor educated electrical engineer in his 50's). So many technologies are different than 30 years or more ago, but many, many of the principles (boolean algebra, sequential machines, linear algebra, etc.) have not changed in over a half century.

-bd

[rogermax]

BIG difference doing this as a side hobby (extra money or gratis) and doing this as your day job.

NOTHING beats continuing education training and practice. The best in any vocation, technical, arts or otherwise practice hard and get educated continually.

I have run my own companies for almost 20 years now (this is my third currently) all profitable, and have watched whole industries devolve into oblivion.

Don't think that if you "hang a shingle" they will come. You might eek out a paycheck, thats ok. And then you might make it big, or not. Doing this as a business is whole other world!

BTW my businesses haven't been FM consulting, but I am getting closer to that every year. Skill sets have to be developed and honed in any endeaver. I think that is what the earlier post was about ie: math and business exp. etc.

just one guy's opinion. And there sure is a wealth of learning if one pays attention to this forum.

[Rigsby]

My first computer was an Amstrad 64k…. What’s this got to do with it all? Well, I just don’t reckon that math or physics or all that stuff has anything to do with FMP development. Lets get something clear here. Producing solutions with FMP is NOT programming. The programming has already been done. We just take the tools and routines and get them to give us the results we want. From my first computer I learned to use the IF statement and to know what a variable is – if you’ve got that, maybe have an idea about arrays (Helps with relationships LOL) and can create practical graphics in just about any format, you can get to grips with Filemaker.

What companies want are solutions. Understanding the storage and basic manipulation of information is lesson one in FMP. One company that I support had a fit with me because I couldn’t get Filemaker server to switch all users to a backup copy of their database, backup the original, switch all users back to the original and import the changes in the backup into the original – and all of this without the users stopping work or realizing that a backup was going on – perhaps the sad thing is that I tried LOL (and am still trying). Anyway, another company gave me a big bonus because they could click on an email symbol in Filemaker and thus send an email without starting Outlook (Like 3 lines of script making- wow!) In other words, offer a solution, and people pay. Anyone that has a bit of computer literacy can learn to create solutions in Filemaker – and without classes or previous programming knowledge. In fact I would recommend Filemaker as a starting point. Now, after about 6 years of Filemaker, I’ve started with C++, and have already made money with it. I think the following tips are all that you need:

Play Counterstrike

Learn as much basic as you can (or at least learn to create simple DOS batch files)

(i.e. learn to say “If X= 20 then Y can kiss my A**) (Don’t forget “case” in FMP LOL)

Learn to create each script, i.e. each solution to a problem in an individual FMP file, when it works, apply it to your main file.

As you’re creating, back up your files every 30 mins or so. Use a zip program and give each backup a name with date and time – if something goes wrong, you don’t have to start again.

ALWAYS start projects with the functions that need to be in every file: Create a muster file and use it as the basis for every new file.

Read Scriptology

Read Scriptology again

Remember that a database firstly stores information. Create a storage base, and then show it how to manipulate data.

…….. I’ve just realized that I could go on forever here…… So I’ll finish with this:

Any halfwit who knows how to use a mouse can create acceptable solutions with FMP. If you want to get really good, then you need to learn, that’s true – but classes (although probably good) aren’t essential. Set yourself problems, and find an answer to them – then you’ll learn.

The rant is over…….

Just one more PS:

Send a message to Claris (Filemaker) saying that it’s time that scriptmaker supported folders, and field definitions too. Imagine if we could pack all related scripts into one folder i.e. (search scripts) or all fields i.e. (basic storage fields)

Rigsby

[LiveOak]

I just disagree. We have recently had questions on the forum on why some decimal numbers don't subtract exactly and on how to calculate an arcsign when FM doesn't have that function. Another question ventured into the area of linked list data structures.

Math, physics and all that stuff have to do with the way the world works. There have been so many jobs where I have been the second or third FM consultant to make the attempt and the difference was made by my background and experience. A recent example is a database for a major airline for use in tracking FAA mandated upgrades. The key to doing the database was understanding how Engineering Orders, Engineering Change Orders, etc. work within an engineering organization. Having this knowledge and a science background made all the difference in understanding the real requirements for the database (not just those explicitly stated). I've also be contracted to do databases for reliability anaysis (per MIL-217) and Failure Modes and Effect Criticality Analysis (FMECA). Another was a database for a company doing human genome mapping. It's would be hard to imagine doing these designs without a background in engineering and math.

Maybe you can find customers with soft ball enough applications that you will never need these things (possible), but it's a much bigger world that just these applications.

If you look at the heavy hitters in the FM community, a lot (not all) of them have this additional type of background. Necessary, no. A big asset, YES!

-bd

(My first computer was an IBM 1620, circ. 1967)

[ventinc]

I appreciate your feedback. I actually have no interest in taking on a big project like you described. I am really trying to gauge if I am ever going to be able to put together a working system for my company on my own. I wish now I spent some money on a premade solution years ago and had the fun of tinkering with it. A little off the subject of how to gain knowledge but does anyone have a premade solution for a service route. We run 5 trucks a night, each truck services 2 to 3 restaurants. I'd like to hold info for each employee's route for directions from restaurant 1 to 2 to 3. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

[Garry Claridge]

Here is another opinion. I believe that a good understanding of relational database design is very important. Being able to apply this understanding to real business models is the most valuable skill for developing solutions.

Once you have your underlying database structure reflecting the business model you have much greater flexibility in applying the user interface.

I will have a look at a possible database structure this weekend; if the weather is bad ;-)

All the best.

Garry