Author: Justin Hesser

Kyo Logic will be attending this year’s FileMaker Developer Conference (DevCon). Here is session highlight.

Script Triggers, Workflow, and the User Experience
Presenter:   Thomas Kunetz (FileMaker, INC.)
Time:          Tues. August 13, 2013 3:45 pm
Track:         Design
Skill Level:   Intermediate

One of the most powerful paradigms in software development is event-driven programming; that is, a program that responds to events generated by the user or the host system, rather than relying on the user to complete a specific set of predefined steps to complete a given task. Script Triggers bring event-driven programming to the FileMaker Platform. Script Triggers execute scripts in response to user generated events such as entering fields or modifying values, and system events such as the first or last window opening or closing, or the passage of time.

This session explores the events that can be used to trigger script execution, and whether the event will trigger a script before or after the FileMaker application performs its own actions in response to the same event. The session will demonstrate how Script Triggers can implement a workflow in response to user interaction and help create a more pleasant and natural user experience. Finally, the session will look at techniques for debugging and troubleshooting event-driven scripts.

What you will learn:

• Script triggers and the events that trigger them
• When to use script triggers, or not
• Using script triggers to build solid workflow and a better user experience
• Debugging and troubleshooting an event-driven workflow

Highlighting another great session from this year’s FileMaker Developer Conference (DevCon).

FileMaker Go Year in Review
Presenter:   Matt Navarre (MSN Media)
Time:          Tues. August 13, 2013 10:45 am
Track:         FileMaker Go
Skill Level:   Beginner

Showing top 10 examples from a wide range of solutions that happened this year with FileMaker Go.

What you will learn:

• FileMaker Go where you expect it: business, medical, and in the field
• FileMaker Go where you didn’t expect it
• Sync, Server or Single User? Some great examples of each
• Which is the best approach – Simple or Powerful?

Kyo Logic is proud to announce that we have opened a new office in Boston Massachusetts! The new office is located right in the heart of the Government Center neighborhood of Boston right at 60 State Street. We hope that this expansion will help us to better serve our clients in the Boston Metropolitan Area, as well as the rest of Massachusetts.
Kyo Logic LLC 60 State Street Suite 700 Boston Massachusetts 02109

In 2002, the Oakland Athletics turned the baseball world on its head by changing the player evaluation process. By implementing the "Moneyball" philosophy, the A's were able to find quality ballplayers for less money by viewing their statistics from a different perspective. This allowed the financially challenged ballclub to compete with high-spending teams like the New York Yankees, despite a massive discrepancy in payrolls. 

The Moneyball philosophy has made a monstrous impact on the game in the past decade, as teams, analysts, journalists and fans have used different data analytics strategies to evaluate the performance of certain teams and players. Awards have been given out to players who would have traditionally been an afterthought because voters were able to look past the surface of their statistics. Teams that can't afford big-money players are more competitive now because they field teams based on statistics, rather than flashy names. 

This strategy isn't exclusive to baseball, or to sports in general. Businesses that know how to look deep into the heart of their information can unearth key insights that can help their organization succeed without having to use a substantial amount of their resources. Implementing solutions such as a custom database software system can give businesses the ability to analyze their information and use it to the best of their ability.

An article in ComputerWorld recently addressed this, comparing sports data analytics with that of traditional business. For example, by judging personnel the way the Athletics do, companies may be able to ensure a high level of productivity while keeping payroll costs to a minimum.

"Firms therefore need to look at the role of analytics to identify attributes that indicate success and then use techniques seen in sports to search the reams of external data available to identify potential candidates," the article says. "Once employed, the companies that are leading on analytics are increasingly using analytics to ensure high productivity, engagement and retention."

FileMaker development can give companies the ability to take their data analytics to the next level. By creating a robust software system designed to identify key bits of information and report them in real time, organizations will be able to ensure that their data is working for them. In highly competitive industries, the ability to discover new insights with the help of information management software can mean the difference between a success and failure at any organization. 

Most people have figured out the way online advertisements work. You search for baking recipes on Google, and the next thing you know you are inundated with adds for bakeries or rolling pins. Data is processed quickly and turned around in a way that helps businesses target users who may be interested in their organization. 

While this concept is still relatively new, it has proven thus far to be successful. Now it is evolving.

Earlier this week, an article in the New York Times blog examined the ways marketers are increasing their efforts to obtain pertinent data and use it to enhance the way they run their campaigns and target various customer types. While information is always going to serve as the base of any digital marketing effort, the way in which it's managed has greatly improved in recent years.

"The amount of information available to advertisers has increased exponentially, from credit card and telecommunications companies and even from brands," wrote Tanzina Vega, the article's author. "Instead of using old retargeting methods, such as showing someone an ad for a car that person just viewed online, brands are using new technologies to help them decide, often in advance, whether a consumer should be shown an ad for, say, a luxury car or an inexpensive car, or any car at all."

Brands are focusing on processing power and coming up with new ways to use their data, according to Scott Hagedorn, an executive at a data marketing company, who spoke with Vega about this phenomenon. And while the focus shifts from obtaining information to finding better ways to use it, software is becoming even more important. 

To succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace, businesses need to ensure they are equipped with custom database software systems that can help marketers discover new uses for their information. 

The way we collect, manage, report on and analyze data has changed dramatically in concurrence with the emergence of new technology. In the past, information needed to live in lavish environments in order to be effective. However, modern tech has allowed users to simplify the data management process.

One of the key terms pertaining to this phenomenon is "hub-and-spoke," which describes the type of data infrastructure necessary for managing a successful operation in today's business climate. According to a new study from Forrester Research, this is the future of information management, as it helps organizations maximize the value of their data.

Forrester analyst Brian Hopkins spoke about this in a corresponding report, indicating that the old ways of managing information have become cumbersome and unnecessary.

"Yesterday's correct data architecture involved centralized warehouses, marts, operational data stores and a lot of ETL [extract, transfer and load.] Because data warehouses were expensive, building one and forcing all data into it was a logical approach," he said, suggesting that new-wave methods have become more conducive for today's needs. "Hub-and-spoke … features rapid analytics and extreme-scale operations on raw data in an affordable distributed data hub. Firms that get this concept realize all data does not need first-class seating."

To go along with simplified data infrastructure, organizations must have a system in place designed to effectively manage and report on their information. By initiating FileMaker development, companies can build custom database software systems that will allow users to control their information. This will complement all modern storage and infrastructure strategies and allow companies to truly get the most out of their data. 

Businesses that want to better understand customer habits, so they can create and develop more fine-tuned advertising campaigns, can benefit from custom database software systems. With tools such as FileMaker development solutions, organizations can sift through large amounts of information and draw conclusions on customer habits. From there, the right marketing approach can be taken to ensure that a company finds success while still meeting customer needs.

Giovanni DeMeo, VP of global marketing and analytics for Interactions Marketing, explained to InformationWeek that his company was able to use Big Data to gain insight on the connection between weather patterns and consumer shopping habits.

Specifically, Interactions studied which products had the most significant sales increases and decreases during specific weather events. The company also took into account how geographic location, time of day, day of the week and a retailer's proximity to competitors' locations had an effect on shoppers' habits. The results showed that one day prior to statistically similar weather events, sales in 28 product categories jumped from 20 percent to 261 percent over the same day one year earlier.

"Anything with more than 20 percent or greater increase in sales, over sale-day [the] previous year, gives us the opportunity to identify those categories, and have enough time to communicate with retailers and manufacturers," DeMeo said.

Having information like this allows businesses to create campaigns that educate customers. Depending on the type of product or services sold, they could be more useful depending on what type of weather patterns are occurring, DeMeo explained.

Weather is just one of many details that could affect consumers' purchasing habits, which is why custom database software could be so critical to an organization's advertising campaigns' success.

With more information readily available online, it is hard to find organizations that are not connected in some way. Even public schools have information online, which was the driving point behind Zynga co-founder Steve Schoettler starting Junyo.

According to a recent TechCrunch article, Junyo was created to solve many of the problems that K-12 schools face, such as being able to understand student performance. A new company product, EdLights, launched two weeks ago. The news source explained that it takes publicly available data points on schools and makes a simple user interface that schools and marketers can understand.

"All in all, this means EdTech companies and school suppliers have access to 650 district and school data points, which aim to help them identify market opportunities across 55 funding categories and 57 expenditure categories that break down where money is budgeted and spent," the article explained. "The new service also comes with mobile access in a web app customized for tablets and mobile devices."

Schoettler gave an example by saying that if a startup that created a math product and wanted to ensure it brought it to the right schools, the company could search for schools that have Title One funding and low math scores.

Furthermore, similar organizations that have had success with similar products could also be identified, helping the startup understand what needs to be done for both parties to benefit.

Companies that have the right custom database software can take mass amounts of information and organize it in a way that is easy to understand and is accessible for numerous users. With tools like FileMaker development, businesses can ensure that they are able to effectively use Big Data to their advantage.

When companies have the right custom database software they have the power to sift through a large amount of information and use it to their advantage. Big Data in marketing campaigns can be greatly beneficial, as businesses can find out exactly what their customers desire and create a unique way to bring it to them.

A contribution piece in Forbes explained that implementing Big Data successfully into marketing tactics is easier to say than to actually do. It is an intricate task, but when performed correctly it can reap extremely positive benefits for a company.

"And this starts with simple questions like: how did your last campaign perform?" the article suggests. "Which keywords drive conversions? What websites did my prospects visit before they came to my sites? Which social conversations are spurring the actions that lead to deeper engagement with your brand?"

Matt Ariker, COO of McKinsey, said in a blog post for his company that businesses should implement what he calls "destination thinking." According to Ariker, this involves companies finding an end goal and then creating the best path in which to reach it.

Jon Baron, co-founder and CEO of TagMan, wrote a contribution piece for The Guardian about marketing making sense of Big Data. Baron underlined the importance of companies turning their insights into the right actions. Having access to a lot of information can be helpful, but unless businesses can make sense of what it means, it will not do them any good.

Using a tool like FileMaker development programs can be helpful in this situation, as organizations will be able to make better sense of captured data and also apply it to their "destination."