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Re: Do I need Filemaker?

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On Wednesday, November 7, 2012 7:11:23 AM UTC-5, Bill wrote:
> In article <9829dee4-2e86-4f20-abb5-e50963672d8f@googlegroups.com>,
> 
>  Tom  wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> > Hi,
> 
> > I manage/run a relatively small scholarship program. It has about 300 donors, 
> 
> > not all are active. Solicitations are done on a yearly basis, but contact is 
> 
> > maintained year round.
> 
> > 
> 
> > I am currently managing it on Excel spreadsheets, which I am very comfortable 
> 
> > with. However, it just seems like I can manage it better somehow.
> 
> > I have been debating getting either Quickbooks, or Filemaker. I am leaning to 
> 
> > FM, because my issue is managing the people/donors more than it is about 
> 
> > managing the money.
> 
> > 
> 
> > However, I really believe FM is way more than I need for this task, although 
> 
> > I'm sure I can find some other uses for it.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Can any other small non enterprise users give me your feeling about FM being 
> 
> > overkill for a project or not.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Thanks,
> 
> 
> 
> FileMaker will do well for you, but there is a learning curve.
> 
> 
> 
> There are a bunch of templates available from FileMaker to give starter 
> 
> solutions along the lines that will help you, or you can start from 
> 
> scratch and build your own. I have learned by building my own.
> 
> 
> 
> There are some guidance documents available on the FileMaker web site 
> 
> that give guidance for good design. Starting out on the road to good 
> 
> design is important so as to lay a sound foundation for greater power 
> 
> and complexity in your solution, and to make it easy and intuitive for 
> 
> others to use and hard for others to mess up.
> 
> 
> 
> Studying the starter solutions is a good way to learn.
> 
> 
> 
> FileMaker offers self-study courses in use of Filemaker to develop and 
> 
> use database solutions. Various consulting firms offer courses for a fee.
> 
> 
> 
> I've developed FileMaker databases for all kinds of purposes, for my own 
> 
> use and for various organizations:
> 
> 
> 
> -Double-entry bookkeeping, with suitable reports including budgets and 
> 
> actual performance against budgets, balance sheets, detail account 
> 
> balances, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> -Mailing lists with label, envelope and letter production, and now with 
> 
> the ability to work with the post office intelligent mail barcoding 
> 
> 
> 
> -Tracking donation history and volunteer hours history for donors and 
> 
> volunteers, with detailed and summary reports
> 
> 
> 
> -Automatic production of acknowledgement letters for donations etc
> 
> 
> 
> -Management of club membership with periodic invoicing for dues, 
> 
> tracking of payments, production of lists for bank deposits, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> -Scoring of series of sailboat races with time handicap formulas over 
> 
> multiple races and multiple classes
> 
> 
> 
> -Tracking services of charitable organizations to needy people and 
> 
> families, including household composition, movement of household members 
> 
> among different households, types and amounts of services given, over 
> 
> multiple service dates, and among multiple agencies in a consortium of 
> 
> agencies sharing the database, with production of detailed service 
> 
> history for individual households, and anonymous summary statistical 
> 
> reports, including charts, of services given over time, household 
> 
> demographics, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> -Tracking evaluations of performance of an organization against multiple 
> 
> criteria, with calculations of numerical scores to help identify 
> 
> strengths and areas in need of improvement.
> 
> 
> 
> -I have combined these features in database solutions for various 
> 
> organizations.
> 
> 
> 
> FileMaker is a powerful, versatile tool, but you do need to learn how to 
> 
> design a database that will do what you want. I have found it relatively 
> 
> easy to learn the basics, and once you learn the basics you can develop 
> 
> very powerful, easy-to-use solutions.
> 
> 
> 
> I started learning about 10 years ago using FileMaker 4, and have 
> 
> progressed over the years to use the more feature-rich later versions.
> 
> 
> 
> Another poster commented that you could use any old version of FileMaker 
> 
> for the purposes you describe, and he is right, but I recommend you go 
> 
> no earlier than FileMaker 7. Starting with FileMaker 7, relationships 
> 
> are defined in a graphical relationship chart, you can have multiple 
> 
> tables in one file, and you can have chains of multiple relationships. 
> 
> None of these very desirable features was available before FileMaker 7.
> 
> 
> 
> Further, earlier versions of FileMaker are not compatible with FileMaker 
> 
> 7, so if you start using an earlier version, then decide you want a more 
> 
> modern version, you will have to migrate your solution to FileMaker 7 or 
> 
> later, which can be a complex task.
> 
> 
> 
> FileMaker 12, the current shipping version, has a new file structure 
> 
> internally that is not compatible with FileMaker 7-11. It is easy to 
> 
> convert a solution from FIleMaker 7-11 to FileMaker 12, but not to go 
> 
> back the other way. So you could develop your solution in, say, 
> 
> FileMaker 10 or 11, then easily move later to FileMaker 12 if you want 
> 
> to.
> 
> 
> 
> (It is much easier to convert from FileMaker 7-11 to FileMaker 12 than 
> 
> it was to migrate from FileMaker 5-6 to FileMaker 7; FileMaker 12 
> 
> incorporates the same basic features of multiple tables in a single 
> 
> file, graphical relationship diagram, etc, and the conversion is 
> 
> seamless)
> 
> 
> 
> FileMaker 12 has features that help with design of a database to use 
> 
> with a mobile device such as iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. In turn, 
> 
> FileMaker Go is an app available for those devices by which they can run 
> 
> a database designed using FileMaker 12.
> 
> 
> 
> All versions of FIleMaker make it easy to share a database solution over 
> 
> a network among multiple users, but they also work very well as 
> 
> individual, personal, unshared solution.
> 
> 
> 
> Various FIleMaker hosting companies make it possible to share a database 
> 
> solution over the internet among far-flung users. They charge a fee for 
> 
> this service of course. Does not sound like you need that now, but maybe 
> 
> you will in the future.
> 
> 
> 
> Bill Collins, Certified FileMaker 11 Developer.

Wow!

Thanks for the very detailed response... it sounds like you have scaled the learning curve!

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Thread

Do I need Filemaker? Tom <tesnobay@gmail.com> - 2012-11-06 18:31 -0800
  Re: Do I need Filemaker? Martin Τrautmann <t-usenet@gmx.net> - 2012-11-07 03:35 +0000
    Re: Do I need Filemaker? Tom <tesnobay@gmail.com> - 2012-11-07 17:10 -0800
      Re: Do I need Filemaker? Martin Τrautmann <t-usenet@gmx.net> - 2012-11-08 05:17 +0000
        Re: Do I need Filemaker? HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com (Helpful Harry) - 2012-11-08 19:24 +1300
          Re: Do I need Filemaker? Martin Τrautmann <t-usenet@gmx.net> - 2012-11-08 08:03 +0000
            Re: Do I need Filemaker? HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com (Helpful Harry) - 2012-11-09 09:15 +1300
              Re: Do I need Filemaker? dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) - 2012-11-09 13:15 +1300
              Re: Do I need Filemaker? Tom <tesnobay@gmail.com> - 2012-11-08 19:49 -0800
  Re: Do I need Filemaker? HelpfulHarry@BusyWorking.com (Helpful Harry) - 2012-11-07 19:04 +1300
  Re: Do I need Filemaker? Bill <bbcollins@earthlink.net> - 2012-11-07 07:11 -0500
    Re: Do I need Filemaker? Tom <tesnobay@gmail.com> - 2012-11-07 17:07 -0800

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