FMP as client for SQL Database?

[wildpacketman]

As a newbie (I haven't worked with FMP since '94) I'm tasked with migrating some existing FMP apps to a SQL based backend database.

The ultimate goal here is to have ALL of our data reside in a single repository (MYSQL) without having to rebuild a significant number of our user interfaces. We have significant time and effort invested in building interfaces with with FMP and I'd like to keep them, only have them connect to MYSQL on the backend.

I've tried using ODBC to connect, but it's not a real 'live' connection ... instead it imports the data into a FMP database, so I end up with a 'copy' of the MYSQL data. Since input is occurring at both ends (MYSQL and FMP) keeping the data synchronized is a problem, hence my decision to move to a single MYSQL repository.

Currently we have some chron jobs that move data back and forth between the two systems, but this method is somewhat of a KLUGE.

Anybody have any experience in this area?

[bbaliner]

If you're employing an sql engine, I imagine you want to use OLE DB, or something like that.

i think FM Pro only works through ODBC, and at a pretty simple level at that.

not sure what to recommend, but i wouldn't mix the two.

BB