Month: February 2014

As we've discussed on this blog in the past, FileMaker 13 has an exciting range of new functionalities. KYO Logic was excited to showcase some of the more powerful ones earlier this month, and would like to formally thank those of you that braved the snow to attend and share in the possibilities. 

Guests were treated to the presence of Mia Roop and Ronnie Rios, both of FileMaker Inc. Mr. Rios, who was the featured speaker at the event, is a Solutions Consultant at the company, and brought with him over 15 years experience in consulting and database software solutions development. For over half a decade, he wore an Apple badge providing pre and post-sales technical assistance to customers, developing internal systems and reporting tools, and ultimately growing into Technology Coordinator and Consultant roles. A FileMaker Certified Developer and Authorized Trainer, he also holds an MBA, several Apple certifications, and is fluent in Spanish.

He and Ms. Roop were instrumental in discussing some of the more powerful features, including FileMaker WebDirect, FileMaker Go, Custom Themes, Popovers and Slide Controls, Object Control Visibility, 256 bit AES encryption, and more. These tools are instrumental in creating user-friendly applications with better interface, security and mobility options. 

As Connecticut FileMaker developers, we at KYO logic were thrilled to not only have such knowledgeable guests from FileMaker, but also such interesting and engaged attendees. We hope you continue to check out this blog, and would like to once again extend our gratitude to those that were able to come. 

One of the reasons that FileMaker has managed to be successful for over two decades is the company's firm commitment to innovation. Few companies have been able to navigate the ever-changing tech waters like FileMaker, which has seamlessly integrated new capabilities over the years to keep its classic offerings imminently modern. 

The newest iteration, FileMaker 13, has instituted many changes to benefit customers looking to organize and analyze data more effectively. Many of the most impressive of these come bundled with "Go,", the mobile application for the custom database software, now available on iPad and iPhone via the App Store. What makes the program especially convenient is that its a universal app, meaning that you only need one download to use it on all of your iOS devices, whether they're running iOS 6 or iOS 7.

While Go has been available in the past, the newest version has a slew of new features and improvements, making it easier than ever to create custom business solutions. 

Better keyboard types

Data entry can be a painstaking and meticulous process. With this app, it's quicker and easier than ever, thanks to new input options. You can choose between a variety of keyboards, including ASCII, URL, email, numeric 10-key, number keypad, phone number and number and punctuation. All of these choices are specified in FileMaker Pro 13 for use in the mobile application. 

Bar code scanning

These days, more information is stored on bar codes than ever before. They're not just for supermarkets and other retailers anymore: now, students, job-seekers and researchers are all keeping data in the form of upright black bars. With the latest version of FileMaker Go, you can scan them instantly, and any associated data will be immediately populated into the correct fields. This is possible for a number of different types of codes, including UPC and QR. 

Starter Solutions

Getting started with FileMaker Go has never been more simple. Design clues are available in a freshly designed portal, making it easier to organize contacts, assets, content management and invoices. 

Seamless controls

You don't have to think of content in terms of static boxes anymore. Instead of a program like Excel, which constrains you to particular fields and isn't particularly dynamic, FileMaker now allows you to create multiple sliding panels so that your content can exist in changeable regions. This is especially valuable considering the sometimes limited space on mobile devices, which are built specifically for moveable pieces. 

To this end, you can use the swipe gestures you've become accustomed to on these devices. One finger changes panels to a slide control, and two can be used to change records. 

Better security

The integrity of your information is critical. It's why better encryption was added to FileMaker Go 13. Now, data is encrypted while on your device or hosted on FileMaker Server 13, as well as when it's moving over a network on the web. An AES 256-bit encryption means that you never have to worry about losing valuable information, even if your device is lost or stolen. 

Looking to get the most out of this new, exciting software? Working with a Connecticut FileMaker developer can help you design the sort of custom solutions that make your company more efficient and increase profits. 

When people list the things that they're most afraid of, going to the dentist often ranks somewhere near the top. There's something about lying motionless and slack-jawed in a converted office chair while a person wields sharp instruments in your mouth that gives a lot of people serious anxiety. That makes the sales process even more important. 

For a task that critical, Henry Schein Dental turned to FileMaker help. One of the major hurdles for the company was the sheer volume of products and services it offers. The practice provides tens of thousands of tools for both patients and physicians, from overheard lights to sterilization equipment, so consultants have a lot to remember when it comes to connecting with potential customers. 

And it's not just enough to know what something is called. When somebody is going to be poking something in their or somebody else's mouth, they're going to have a few questions about it. Carrying around bulky binders full of information was cumbersome and slowed the process down immeasurably. Instead, FileMaker lets sales executives have access to visuals and information about different products, as well as create PDFs and pertinent sales materials on the spot.

The change to this sort of custom database software also helped the company on the back-end. By parsing the information automatically compiled by FileMaker, representatives can easily see which items are selling the best and kept in constant stock. Having this information constantly available helps to streamline the product process, and saves tens of thousands of dollars in brochure costs for rarely-used products. 

Joe Baucom, Director of Marketing, Equipment and Techonology Group for the company, raved about the possibilities offered by using this kind of technology. 

"With the FileMaker Platform and FileMaker Go for iPad, our sales consultants have the right information, at the right time, for the right customer, every day," said Baucom. "The time savings from having 24-hour access to all literature, photos and catalogs has allowed our sales team to become more efficient and productive."

Henry Schein Dental might not ever be able to make going to the dentist as fun as a day at the amusement park. But with the help of FileMaker, they're definitely making the process of selling and marketing related tools as painless as possible. 

A Connecticut FileMaker developer won't just provide your company with answers to business-related problems. It could also raise some fascinating questions. 

Consider, for example, the outcome of an argument between Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich and economist Julian Simon. In 1968, Ehrlich, an entomologist by trade who had spent time studying the population density of butterflies, wrote a book called "The Population Bomb." In it, he surmised that, at the rate the Earth was being filled up, humans were headed for a collapse. The environmental movement wholeheartedly embraced his research and used it as a tentpole for their platform. 

Simon, on the other hand, was difficult to convince. He thought that humanity was imminently adaptable, and that we would endure collapse by finding new resources or changing the ways we used the ones we currently have. He offered to back up his rhetoric with a commodities bet: in 1980 they agreed to wager on what the market price for five different metals would be in a decade's time. If the price jumped wildly, it would signal that resources were strained. If not, it would mean that society had successfully navigated population growth. 

Simon won the bet easily. Not only did the price not soar, it actually decreased significantly. 

And yet, Ehrlich remains convinced that his hypothesis was correct, regarding the need for environmental awareness. What was supposed to be an empirically provable fact turned out to lead to further contention, not less. Speaking to Planet Money, Ehrlich doubled down on his original stance, despite the fact that Simon had been proved right in one specific case.

"[Simon] knew absolutely nothing about anything important," he said. "[The bet has] become what's technically known in science as a pain in the [rear]."

There are two valuable lessons in here for managers looking to turn to Big Data. One, that the parameters that you set before you gather data are important.  While both men thought that their commodities bet would be the best way to solve their dispute, that optimism later turned out to be incorrect. 

Secondly, Big Data isn't something you can simply plug in and forget about. Your business should be constantly adapting and altering its strategies, to continue to get the most out of its analytical initiatives. It turns out, a lot can change in a decade.