I find it interesting that FM12 can import different generations of excel data (.xls, .xlsx) but FileMaker did not find a way to accommodate importing .fp7 files (all I want is the data) into FM12 databases.

This is causing me great grief.

I have nearly two hundred runtime solutions of my software deployed. My clients generally do not have and do not need their own licensed copies of FM.

I regularly deploy new releases of my software and the update procedure has been working - no effort by me, a couple clicks for them - for years. My users click a button, a backup of their data is made, the new release downloaded/installed, and their data imported into the new release from the backups. I was even able to have hands off updates from FM5/6 files to FM7 (as I recall - it was a while ago and my memory might be failing me).

But not now. If I move my software to FM12, each and every one of my clients will have to email me their data files, I will have to convert the data for them, and deploy their solution back to them as FM12 runtime solutions. And they will be 'down' until I return their FM12 files to them.

They won't be happy, I won't be happy.

Does anybody have a way to convert deployed runtime solutions on site - hands off?

And is Filemaker reconsidering their decision not to accommodate importing .fp7 files - maybe in an FM12 update? IMHO it doesn't seem that it should be that big a deal.

I doubt that either of these requests are possible, simply because the file structure is so complicated. I don't believe FileMaker has ever incorporated a way to directly import from older formats. You could make FileMaker 11 an ODBC source for FileMaker Pro 12, but that is likely more work than it looks like you'd want to do.

Also, runtime solutions are considered "finished" applications. They aren't really meant to be converted to a new version because they are already standalone.

Consider it an Upgrade Path and earn some additional revenue for a upgrade service. Build a new solution in 12 add compelling features - support your 11 files until some date and encourage people to buy a upgrade - that should cover your cost to convert & turn around the files.

someone did suggest that you could have users grab the FMP12 Trial Version and drop the files on it to convert the files where your new distributed fm12 version could import the data from fmp12 to fmp12 files.

Has anyone confirmed that a built runtime will NOT open/convert an FP7 file?

I suspect that you would have had the same issue going from 6 to 7, as I recall the file did have to convert before 7 could open/import it. As you say, that was a long time ago but that's how I remember it.

You say you have existing export routines. Could you modify that to export as text? It would be another step or two for your users. But then there's container fields...

@g40sty: FileMaker runtimes can't be used as ODBC data sources.