How to create better solution designs with FileMaker Pro

One of the best aspects of FileMaker Pro is that it offers design tools for users to create powerful and easy-to-use solutions and databases. These programs work seamless across a variety of digital platforms and tools, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows or even the web. There are all kinds of options to help even FileMaker novices put together a beautiful solution.

Here are a few of the major tools at your disposal when creating a FileMaker solution:

  • Button bar: If you want to be able to easily navigate through your solution or even create a custom toolbar, that is possible through groups of buttons. Each button automatically maintains equal proportions as the window is resized, whether you only have a couple of buttons or a few dozen. Make the button bar vertical or horizontal and easily display the active state of each button.
  • Button icons: FileMaker Pro has 140 different professionally-designed button icons that cover a wide variety of tasks to use within your solutions. Users can change the icon color, apply conditional formatting and even important custom icons. These icons can be combined with button text and integrated with the button object itself.
  • Color selection: The color palette in FileMaker Pro makes it easy to create attractive layouts, even if you have trouble selecting just the right hue. Once you do click on a color, additional options automatically pop up in the window, so you can choose what best flows together in the layout.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

How to create your first database in FileMaker Pro

FileMaker Pro allows users to create databases that range in how complex they are — they can be as simple as a collection of information or as intricate as an invoicing or inventory system. Regardless of the level of sophistication, all of these databases start off the same way in FileMaker. If you are new to this system, this article will give you some tips on how to get up and running as quickly as possible.

Using themes to create your database will give it a professional look, as it is a collection of coordinated styles that will determine the color, object, part, background attributes and font of a particular layout. Themes also enhance the look of your database by giving everything a consistent look, and can be edited at any time. This program will offer you enough support when it is needed, taking you through every aspect step by step.

When you go to create a new database with FileMaker Pro, the program automatically opens the file in Layout mode and displays a blank layout as well as the Field Picker dialog box. Using the Field Picker box will allow you to define the fields for that particular database, as well as adding or changing those in an existing layout. However, the Field Picker dialog box can only be used to define the fields for the current layout of the most recent FileMaker Pro table.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

How can you break into the tech startup industry?

Here are a few tips that will help you successfully enter the tech startup world:

  • Create a distribution strategy: Even if you have an idea that could genuinely change the technology industry, it will mean nothing if you do not have a way to get the product or service directly to people. If you are trying to grow your company quickly, think about how you can reach the largest amount of people with the least amount of money invested. Establish partnerships with companies that can sell or distribute your product to their existing client base and will create value for both businesses.
  • Hire slowly at the beginning: While you will want to expand as fast as you can, you certainly do not want to stretch your limited resources too thin. When you are first getting your company off of the ground, you will only want to hire people who can handle a bigger workload, so you do not have to bring on so many different bodies at once. Should your product really take off, then you can look toward expanding the number of employees, but only when the business has the capital to do so.
  • Make it easy for customer contact: The last thing you want is for your business to be difficult to get in touch with, especially if you are providing a product or service. Customer feedback is essential at the beginning stages of any business, so an open phone line or email address that is checked daily will be essential.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

How can you stay connected to your data using FileMaker?

Here are a few major ways FileMaker allows users to stay connected to their data:

  • Enhanced security: FileMaker gives users enhanced password and encryption capabilities, meaning their data will stay safe even when transferred among a number of different people on the server. The Admin Console will help users create a strong password, as well as setting up a four digit PIN that can be used to reset the password whenever necessary. These security protections will help to keep hackers from accessing the information.
  • Server reconnection: If a user loses their network connection, or the server goes down for a brief period, FileMaker automatically reconnects the person when everything has become available once again. It will also bring the user right back to where they were in their solution, with none of the work lost or damaged. People can then continue as if the interruption had never happened in the first place.
  • Standby server: For those experienced administrators, there is an option in FileMaker that allows for the creation of a standby server that can be accessed at any time. If the primary server goes down, for example, a set of commands can be typed in, bringing the standby server into use. Data on this server is included in any and all scheduled backups, so none of the information will be lost over time. This will ensure the higher availability of this crucial data.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

3 tips for getting your tech company up and running

Here are a few tips that will help you establish a successful tech startup:

  • Build a working prototype: Instead of working out all of the kinks right away, you will need to create a trial version of your product that can be tested by those in your desired market. While your product should be filling a need that is out there, you cannot work based on assumptions alone. By getting feedback from a potential user group, you can better direct your time and resources to what is actually necessary for the market.
  • Research the competition: Breaking into the tech world is notoriously difficult, so you should have a good idea of the companies, both large and small, that you will be competing against in the near future. This will also provide you with the necessary knowledge to operate successfully within this sector, as you will have a very solid idea of what people do and do not want from tech companies. Being pointed in the right direction will only help in the long run.
  • Work in an area you know: Of course, it will be easiest for you to work in a part of the tech world where you have some working knowledge. You do not want to stretch yourself too thin in an area where you will struggle, as this will slow down your progress. Something familiar you can build on fast will be beneficial as you get started.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

What are the advantages of the FileMaker platform?

Only the FileMaker 14 platform gives users what they need to manage contacts, invoices and other sensitive information in no time. Whether you are a salesperson who is on the road frequently or a manager who needs a more efficient way to keep track of inventory, FileMaker can do it all. Just be sure to have all of the necessary and relevant information before you get started.

Here are a few major advantages of the FileMaker 14 platform:

  • Built-in reporting tools: Users can create professional reports on the fly, all in a familiar format that resembles a spreadsheet. Eye-catching charts and custom reports are all possible in a short amount of time, as FileMaker comes with its own step-by-step assistant. Even if you are unsure of how to put a report together, the platform will be able to help out.
  • Easy and intuitive for users: FileMaker 14 comes with flexible design tools, a simple graphic interface and ready to use themes, all for making the experience as simple as possible. Data that you already have can be added, like an Excel spreadsheet. The custom solution of your dreams are possible with the FileMaker 14 platform.
  • Secure data and information: All of the data your business uses can be centralized on a single server and safely accessed only by those with the encryption information. Individual user privileges can be managed right down to the field level, giving you complete control over everything.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

How can you use FileMaker Go in everyday life?

If you have never used any of the FileMaker platforms in the past, it might seem a little daunting to incorporate the technology into your personal or professional life. However, what you will quickly discover is that FileMaker will make your life more efficient and less stressful, particularly if you use FileMaker Go on one of your mobile or smart devices.

For example, say you manage and run your own restaurant. FileMaker Go makes it possible for you to track every item in your inventory. No longer will you have to wonder where something has gone missing to or if you have enough of a certain item, as all of that information will be readily available in front of you. You can also schedule all of the servers and cooks who work there with total ease.

Being in sales can be a stressful career, especially if you are on the road on a frequent basis. FileMaker Go allows users to simplify their inventory management and point of sales information, no matter where they are at that moment in time. This is good for managers in this industry as well, as they will be able to better track every sale being made on a secure server that protects all sensitive data.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life. FileMaker Go makes it easy for you to better manage your professional goals and information.

3 ways to increase the productivity of your tech startup

Here are a few ways you can improve the overall productivity of your tech startup:

  • Create a flexible office: People work outside of 9-to-5 these days, which means companies have to be more open to flexible schedules. We have technology that enables us to talk and work no matter where we happen to be. Encourage employees to break away from their desks and find inspiration and productivity to work, wherever that might be.
  • Encourage communication: Many companies falter because there is not open communication between departments, with one set of employees focused on one task without consulting anybody outside of their bubble. In order to finish projects and jobs faster, everybody needs to be working in tandem. If not, there could be a situation where a project is done incorrectly because necessary information was not passed along.
  • Give everyone a voice: For people to be invested and want to accomplish a goal on time, they have to feel as if their voice is actually being heard by those in management. Fostering a culture where people feel as if their ideas are valued and actually used in the company is essential for a startup to build an edge over the competition. Nobody wants to feel alienated or as if the work they are doing does not matter, and effective communication can erase those thoughts entirely.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

3 early-stage product management tips for every tech startup

If you are about to launch a tech startup, there are many different things you will want to keep in mind. Here are a few tips that will help you successfully create a product:

  • Build for every customer: One of the most important things you will need to keep in mind is your potential customer base. While you certainly want to be invested in your product, you are not constructing it just for you, but for those who will be paying for it. The product should satisfy a need the customer was not even aware they had.
  • Make data-driven decisions: While you might assume something is going to work, you need to have the numbers to back you up. Be metrics-obsessed from day one, and launch your product with at least Google Analytics put into place. Test every possible angle of the product before it is released for mass consumption, or you could face problems.
  • Work should be divided: Breaking up all of the work that needs to be done into smaller chunks will make the process feel a lot less overwhelming than it would otherwise. For a young startup with a small team, it is easy for the work to pile up, but dividing up the work equally will make it possible to estimate how much each person can handle in a timely manner.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.

What to know about FileMaker WebDirect

FileMaker WebDirect is the perfect alternative if you do not wish to install or maintain software locally. It makes it easy, for example, for teams that work in remote office locations to share and edit information on the same server. FileMaker WebDirect can be used to securely collect data, such as status updates, event registrations and feedback forms, from colleagues and associates that are all across the globe.

Users can access FileMaker WebDirect in a web browser that is shared through concurrent connections in FileMaker 14. With the latest version of this software available from FileMaker, there can be up to 100 concurrent connections at a single time, with each browser session counting as one connection. This will allow a number of colleagues to be sharing information and data at the same time, cutting down on any inefficiencies.

It is easy for users to get up and running with FileMaker WebDirect. First, a solution tuned for web browsing can be created through FileMaker Pro. Under the FileMaker Pro 14 file menu, enable FileMaker WebDirect access to a solution. Then, upload the created solution to FileMaker Server 14. After all of this has been completed, users can access the created solution by using a concurrent connection in any FileMaker Server.

There are all kinds of new features in FileMaker WebDirect, from increased mobile browser support to a redesigned toolbar to menu items that automatically collapse and expand.

Check out the rest of our website to learn more about FileMaker 14 and how you can incorporate the entire solution seamlessly into your tech business or everyday life.