1. FM Academy Webinar Nov. 15

    November 12, 2012 by Karen

    FM Academy Webinar: FileMaker Server – Beyond the Admin Console Join us Thursday, November 15th for a free one-hour webinar at 2pm (EST) where we will show you how to select and configure the ideal server for your organization. Your databases are only as good as the servers on which they run. Fast, reliable operation of your server is essential to get the best performance from your database. In fact, the most important decisions you’ll make in regard to your server’s performance happen before you install FileMaker Server. We will explore the following topics: •Why a database server is different [...]

  2. Developing Secure FileMaker 12 Solutions

    August 20, 2012 by Sameer

    Security in FileMaker can be an overwhelming task unless you are aware of the fundamentals associated with Restrictions, Privileges and levels granting access. Unfortunately, with lack of knowledge or worse yet, lack of time, many solutions end up accessible by an Admin or Full Access account. Let me share an analogy that I came across that describes security access:   “Imagine a hotel with those new-fangled magnetic card key systems. Non-guests have access only to public spaces. They cannot enter through staff-only doors nor into guest areas such as sports facilities, and they do not have access to the bedrooms. [...]

  3. 12 Days of FileMaker 12 – Design Surface Behavior Changes

    May 9, 2012 by Karen

    Sameer Khan, of Anvil Dataworks, hosted FM Academy’s seventh webinar in the 12 Days of FileMaker 12 series, on May 1. The Topic – Design Surface Behavior Changes. As files are converted to the new version of FileMaker Pro, we will notice changes to the layout appearance.  Objects will use the default themes of a layout, or that rounded or gradient themes options are already applied.  In the webinar we looked at the new applied theme control, default themes, and the new assistance tools. Some of the behavior changes reviewed: Pixels to Points, a change in base measurement Options no [...]

  4. 12 Days of FileMaker 12 Webinar Series – New Layout Design Surface

    April 16, 2012 by Karen

    On April 10, Anvil Dataworks presented the first webinar in the series 12 Days of FileMaker 12.  Here is a link to the webinar about the new Layout Design Surface, presented by Sameer Khan.  If you’d like to register for any remaining sessions, please visit the FM Academy web site. When designing new modules or systems, one bottleneck to the turnaround time involves the development of Interfaces.  The layout design surface of FileMaker Pro 12 provides tools to streamline interface development, revamps layout themes, and gives the Inspector additional control of objects.. Here is the video from the webinar. We [...]

  5. Interested in learning more about FileMaker Go? Join us for a free webinar.

    October 18, 2011 by Karen

    FileMaker Go promises the power of FileMaker Pro in a smaller package, with the flexibility a mobile device requires. But with a new platform comes new methods, techniques and expectations for development. Leveraging the power of FileMaker Go is not just about understanding general core development skills, but understanding the benefits and limitations of the mobile platform. Are you curious how you can use FileMaker Go as a development platform in your organization? Join Anvil Dataworks and the FM Academy for a free webinar: 5 Important Techniques for Building a Solution in FileMaker Go Thursday, November 10 Noon to 1:00 [...]

  6. Creating Dashboards with FileMaker

    September 28, 2011 by Sameer

    First, I would like to thank everyone who attended the first ever FileMaker Academy Webinar, How to Create Dashboards in FileMaker. This blog is intended merely to summarize the webinar and to act as a reference to the development strategies that were discussed during the presentation. Dashboards, or Management Information Systems, are designed to give employees information pertaining to their companies unique business process. Think of a car dashboard, and how it displays information about the status of the car (e.g. Speed, Odometer, Gas, Engine Heat).  Items known as “Widgets” display information about a particular category, and the combination of [...]

  7. Create Dashboards with FileMaker Pro for Improved Business Performance

    August 31, 2011 by Karen

    Business analytics is one of the hottest topics in management today. Analytics, made visual with graphical dashboards, can provide a wealth of real-time information as to how a business is operating in simple-to-understand formats. Dashboards are windows into a company’s data, helping managers make decisions minute by minute!  We at Anvil Dataworks and Corporate Network Services believe in the power of dashboards to keep track of our work and impact productivity (what gets watched gets done!). If you want to learn how you can use FileMaker Pro to improve business operations by creating information dashboards for your management team, attend [...]

  8. Dive into Your Enterprise Data this Summer

    June 20, 2011 by Karen

    We’re in the middle of summer and we bet all you want to do is dive into a cool, clear pool.  We at Anvil Dataworks cannot provide exactly that for you, but we can provide you with the opportunity to dive into your data—your enterprise data—and make it work better with your FileMaker systems. Join us for a free webinar on July 13 at 2:00 PM EST, and learn how you can pull data out of your MSSQL, MySQL, and Oracle databases, load it into your FileMaker database, manipulate it, and push it out to share with others. Use SQL [...]

  9. Calendar Events from FileMaker – No Plugin Required

    January 3, 2011 by Sameer

    The other day a client asked me if FileMaker could do something, which I had always believed was impossible to do innately from the program, create calendar events in Outlook. I had always thought I needed to use a plugin to get information from a FileMaker database to Outlook. Now the client didn’t want to use a plugin, they wanted to keep cost down on the system, so it fell on me to find a way to create calendar events through FileMaker based on data in the system. I found a way… It started with a dinner date. Strange, I [...]

  10. Dynamic Column Lists in FileMaker

    September 17, 2010 by Sameer

    I recently built an interesting tool for a client, which was based on the requests for having layout after layout of different lists. Some examples were a list for clients and their addresses, another a similar list, except for the need for the phone number to be attached, and than even later on the need for the email address. All as separate lists. Of course the differences for the column structure were based on what “found set” the users were working with. I decided that, instead of building a new layout for each list they needed, I would build one [...]