FileMaker Pro 11 review

Also new is the Snapshot Link, a way of quickly sharing a view of data. A snapshot captures the current selected set of records, sort order and layout into an .fpsl file which can be opened by other FMP 11 users with access to the same database from which the snapshot originated. (There's a handy option to create an email with the snapshot as an attachment).

It is quick, easy and ideal for showing a colleague exactly what you were looking at when the brainwave for the next marketing campaign struck.

Whilst changes made to the database after the snapshot was taken will not appear in the snapshot, changes made to the snapshot file will automatically update the database.

Another productivity enhancing feature is Recurring Import. If you regularly import data from a Microsoft Excel file (.xls or .xlsx), .csv (comma separated variable) or .txt files (other formats are also supported), this one's for you. Set up the import routine able and thereafter whenever you open the database, the data will be updated automatically. During setup, a new table is created for the imported data and whenever the data is re-imported, the current data in the table will be deleted and replaced by the new data.

You can also create a recurring import script during set-up that can be run at any time.

Giving improved security to a FileMaker database is now possible with file access security features. Without protection, other users can make use of tables and work with them in a way which subverts the business logic which has been implemented on the original table. You can control access to the database schema (which determines the way tables and their fields are organised and the relationships between them) and once control is applied to secure a FileMaker solution, any use of the protected file will require authorisation.