FileMaker Update Ships for Windows 2000, Mac OS X

FileMaker has released an update to its namesake database, adding support for yet more platforms--notably Mac OS X and Windows 2000--and enhancing integration with Microsoft Office.

New in FileMaker Pro 5.5 are easier Web-form publishing and extensions to make it easier to integrate with other databases, especially on large systems, company officials note.

FileMaker Pro 5.5, now shipping, is priced at $249, and you can upgrade from earlier editions of FileMaker for $149. The update is available in editions for Mac OS X and Windows 2000. It also supports Mac OS 8.1 and 9.1, as well as Windows 95, 98, Me, and NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3). Support for other platforms, including Pocket PC and Linux, are in development.

Web Support Boosted

"It's not a simple contact manager anymore," says Dominique Goupil, FileMaker president. He suggests that FileMaker supports people who have outgrown Access, which is part of Microsoft Office. It is robust enough to support an entire small business or a department within a corporation, and fits with the Office environment, he says.

"FileMaker Pro uses similar toolbars, and supports drag-and-drop and other familiar Office functions," Goupil says.

Its new Web page support is dubbed Instant Web Forms, and lets you publish databases to a Web page through built-in scripting. A new table view allows buttons in headers and footers, provides quick sorting options, and has new security functions that include record locking.

"The Web is an important new platform for our customers to deploy FileMaker applications," Goupil says of the increased support for Web database functions.

Cross-Platform, Cross-Application Emphasis

The enhanced database integration functions extend FileMaker's Open Database Connectivity and SQL support. You can use FileMaker Pro 5.5 to execute SQL statements from other data sources, including server databases.

FileMaker 5 can import Excel data, even when data is spread across the worksheet file, and can import QuickTime files.

The Mac OS version of FileMaker supports preemptive multitasking and can store PDF files in a database field, which are functions of OS X, Goupil says. The PDF files are stored in QuickTime fields, so those fields can't be viewed if the database is accessed from another operating system, notes Ken Walter, FileMaker development manager.

FileMaker continues to expand its system support. Christopher Trytten, product management director, says the company expects to ship next year a version that runs on the Pocket PC platform. Also in development are versions for Red Hat Linux and the Palm handheld OS. FileMaker currently offers a $49 client edition, called the FileMaker Mobile Companion for Palm OS.