FileMaker Pro 7

It loaded fine - once I got the serial number from the seller. Works great. Thank you.

I've been using FileMaker Pro since version 1.0, and I was currently using 5.0 which is not compatible with the current ver. 10, 11. So I upgraded to 7.0 which is compatible.

Filemaker is a fantastic product and most powerful user friendly data base I have worked with.

It was just what I wanted. Came at a quickly. Very easy to buy and use. Would buy again from store if needed.

FileMaker 7 is a very fast and reliable rapid-application-development package for both Windows and Macintosh. With it, you can create single- and multi-user databases quickly and easily without programming or advanced training. You can start with a single-user system, and if your needs grow, you can then scale up effortlessly to a server-based platform with up to 250 users.FileMaker is "high level", meaning you don't need a deep understanding of underlying data structures and theory to do useful work. This makes it ideal for smaller organizations who can't afford the expense of a full-time administrator/programmer, but still need a reliable, powerful, multi-user database.If your ideal database environment includes Oracle or Crystal Reports, FileMaker is probably not for you. FileMaker simplifies things. There are only a handful of data types, only a few types of controls. In fact, experienced DBAs are often baffled by FileMaker's simplicity. But FileMaker can do very complex tasks with its streamlined approach.Experienced FileMaker developers will find most (but not all) of their pet peeves have been eliminated with this version. Many long-standing limitations are now gone.Despite some absurd claims to the contrary, Version 7 continues the long FileMaker tradition of importing and exporting a variety of data file formats.The once-pathetic ODBC drivers are dramatically improved, and are now actually useful. JDBC is also available this time around, though emphasis appears to be on XML for the future. The Web Publishing feature is now XML-based, a welcome change for integration with other database platforms.Additional FM7 advancements:- Multi-table files and improved relationship management with multi-field keys.- Elimination of restrictive file and field size limits.- Editable finding and sorting in scripts- Linguistic indexing has been expanded from the old 20 characters-per-word limit to 110 characters per word.- User definable functions with recursion (my favorite)- Encryption support for both native and web-based networking- Script parameter passing- True user-based security replaces old inadequate modelFM7 is not ideal. There's still no full-text editing of scripts, and the new multi-table file format does not allow for simple duplication of a table structure. There are some other annoyances, but overall, it's a huge improvement. Existing FileMaker users will appreciate finally getting some of the things they've been asking for for so long. And if you care more about getting your database up and running quickly than you do about esoteric database ideology, FileMaker 7 may be the right choice for your next project.

As a novice user, with practically no knowledge of computer programming and scripting, I would like to say that Filemaker is one of the easiest databases I have ever used. I started out using Filemaker4 - this had its limitations, but the fact that I could easily and efforlessly create a whole database with functional buttons and easy links to other layouts was so great!It is relatively foolproof for those who do not wish to overload their minds with programming data that they will probably never use (and they only need to pay the cost of the package instead of the programmers they would probably need to employ in order to keep their database up and running flawlessly; with no disrespect to you programmers out there - I wish I could BEGIN to understand the way it all works, but some of us are not blessed with the time or technological knowhow that some take for granted - but I do understand why you are frustrated by the simplicity - remember that for those who need it, Filemaker does the basic database job, in a more simplified manner).I give 4 stars because, although user friendly, there are annoying limitations that have been noted before - ie: multiple layouts for manual change each time IS annoying, auto saving with no "undo" option is dangerous for larger databases etc.In summary, I feel that Filemaker is an excellent ready-prepared database solution for any individual or business that requires the "quick-fix" Filemaker offers so easily.