How FileMaker Can Reshape Compliance Management

Compliance management is a crucial component of many industries, including manufacturing, finance, healthcare, food, and government. Following procedures can mitigate risk and ensure both accuracy and efficiency. Oftentimes, these industries require a paper trail of records and complete data sets. 

 

While maintaining these industry and legal standards is vitally important, it’s also a massive undertaking. It requires the full attention of a number of individuals inputting data and triple-checking work. Larger organizations can have dozens (or even hundreds) of employees dedicated specifically to ensuring compliance is met.

 

Of course, even with all that redundancy, processes can still fail and data can still slip through the cracks. On top of that, compliance management demands a massive amount of time, energy, and resources– critical business capital that could be better spent elsewhere.

 

Claris FileMaker can provide a comprehensive, customizable system that automates, documents, and provides reporting down to the most granular detail. It provides invaluable structure no matter how specific the needs and requirements of the industry may be. Here are several ways Claris can completely reshape the way your business approaches compliance management. Let’s break down why clients like using Claris FileMaker for Compliance:

 

Customization

Claris FileMaker allows for completely customized, relational databases. Everything from tables, to fields, and relationships can be tweaked to your exact needs. The relational nature of the software means that every team and individual is working off the most accurate and up-to-date information.

 

Integration

Claris FileMaker ’s high degree of customizability makes it easy to integrate into virtually any existing ecosystem. Whether it’s mandated applications or software your company relies on, Claris FileMaker can easily communicate with these systems and even enhance their capabilities.

 

Flexibility

Similarly, Claris FileMaker makes integrating new tech straightforward and painless. As regulatory demands change, Claris FileMaker can serve as the foundational infrastructure. New software and applications can be leveraged without disrupting your existing ecosystem.

 

Automation

Workflows can be completely automated, streamlining processes and providing helpful support to compliance-focused teams. This can involve simple reminders or automatic scheduling of calendar events. It can get as complex as complete ownership of data entry and validation, leaving employees free to focus on more complex tasks.

 

Centralization

Store everything from reports to audits in a single database accessible from a variety of devices. Claris FileMaker’s highly customizable security measures allows for incredibly granular clearances and permissions.

 

Reporting

Just as with everything else, Claris FileMaker allows for detailed and customized reports. Data and insights can be collected, compiled and displayed to fit your exact needs. This makes it incredibly easy to provide information for audits and proof of compliance.

 

Compliance management is a necessary component of many businesses, but by its very nature, it’s incredibly taxing. Claris FileMaker can provide the means to streamline and modernize your compliance management systems, no matter how specific or esoteric the requirements.

 

If you’d like to find out more about how Claris Filemaker can impact your compliance management, you can reach out to Kyo Logic here. We’d love to provide you with a free consultation and demonstrate the benefits of a customized software solution.

How FileMaker Can Give Your Fantasy Football Team an Edge

Everyone at Kyo Logic is always talking about just how powerful FileMaker is– it can be used to create all kinds of helpful professional applications. We’ve shown off plenty of ways we leverage it to help businesses solve problems and fill specific needs. That includes everything from complex, unique applications to automating and streamlining basic data entry.

 

But it’s also fantastic for everyday use. Patrick, a seasoned Kyo Logic developer, uses FileMaker to give him an edge when it comes to NFL and NCAA football. Why does he take his work home with him? Is it because he loves analyzing stats? Is it because he’s super competitive and wants an edge? Does he just love FileMaker that much? The answer is all of the above.

 

College Ball

Patrick runs a successful and informative blog, 1 Nerd Sports, that delves into the numbers behind successful college teams. He loves college football. And he’s been able to weave his knowledge of FileMaker in with that passion.

 

His app takes the results of every game and builds a model based on key factors. It provides an objective list of team rankings based solely on performance. It also allows Patrick to dive into specific teams, players, and years. Patrick has built it to be completely automated; his app pulls from the NCAA API (application programming interface) that updates every game.

 

 

The app focuses on factors like a team’s win and loss percentages, average margin of victory and loss, and compares it to the opponents stats. His model accurately predicts spreads about 65% of the time. Patrick isn’t one to brag, but considering how many other factors are at play in the sport… those are pretty solid numbers.


More recently, Patrick has also built an app to give him an edge in fantasy football. Similar to his college app, it plugs players stats in and makes recommendations on who to play and bench in a given week. So far, it’s been more accurate than the NFL’s own recommendations.

Fantasy FileMaker

Patrick uses FileMaker for his hobbies not just because he’s an expert. It also gives him a level of flexibility and control other languages and tools don’t offer. It’s also easy enough to navigate that any of his friends can (and do) use these apps.

 


But most importantly, it’s the fact that it’s a relational database. FileMaker understands how to relate different tables and values. It makes it incredibly intuitive for a stat-heavy game like football– it understands how to scrape data from weekly games and apply it to individual players or specific teams, almost instantly. It can also make changes and adjustments easily. If Patrick needs to add or swap parameters, he can do so on the fly and see the changes reflected in real time. It also provides the backend and frontend for the application, so everything is in one spot. It makes for a nimble, flexible, and response application.

 

If you want to learn more about how Kyo Logic can enhance your business (or just need help with your fantasy team), you can reach out to us here.1

Major Claris Studio Updates

Through a series of announcements, Claris has revealed a host of new changes for FileMaker and everyone here at Kyo Logic is incredibly excited. For reference, Claris is changing the FileMaker name and bringing everything under the Claris umbrella. While the products remain the same, they now follow this new convention:

  • FileMaker Pro is now Claris Pro
  • FileMaker Server is now Claris Server
  • FileMaker Go is now Claris Go
  • Claris Connect is now Claris Studio

Claris wants to create a more cohesive, easier to understand identity. They also promise that this new structure will allow them to offer new and exciting products and tools. It’s also the perfect time for them to change the way customers can purchase these offerings.

Claris Studio (formerly Claris Connect) is Claris’s latest cloud-based platform (also, given the rebrand, get used to seeing the word “Claris” a lot). It provides most of the features of Claris/FileMaker Pro, all accessible from the web. Just as importantly, it makes accessing your platform via a mobile device or tablet much easier than it was in the past.

While FileMaker previously had more complex licensing, Claris Studio streamlines licensing models into a much more straightforward licensing model.  It also allows for the use of exciting, modern interface languages like Mongo (you may not know what it is, but trust us… your tech guys do).

Overall, this is a much more dynamic system that allows for more interactivity, more dynamic and customizable layouts (perfect for anything customer-facing), and offers new, even easier ways to connect to the other tools in your work environment. We’ve always recognized the power of FileMaker, but the new Claris Studio takes things to a whole other level.

If you have questions about what Claris Studio can do for you (or want to know more about how the changes from FileMaker to Claris will work for you), please reach out to us here. We’re happy to walk you through use cases and can even provide a free consultation!

Welcome to the Brand New KyoLogic.com!

This September, Claris had several new announcements and updates. Of course, we can expect to see developments and news ramp up as Claris continues to build towards their recently announced rebranding and overhauling suite of offerings.  In addition to the typical tweaks and fixes, there are some exciting changes that pave the way for the future of Claris

The Kyo Logic team is incredibly proud to announce the launch of our new website. We’ve worked tirelessly to create a new look and feel that accurately reflects our commitment to cutting-edge technology, intuitive UX/UI, and modern design.

This new, feature-rich redesign includes our recent highlights and case studies, additional information on all of our services and offerings, and exciting developments in the world of Claris and FileMaker. It’s a faster, snappier, and more responsive site… much like Claris is offering up newer, faster versions of FileMaker.

 

Speaking of Claris, they’ve got some very exciting updates in store this year that will positively impact the capabilities of our current and future clients– you can learn more here. We’ll continue to work closely with Claris to maximize the potential of their platforms and services, which translates to us maximizing the potential of the incredible brands we service.

 

We’re launching this site alongside a more modern suite of standalone offerings that give our clients more opportunities to better use FileMaker/Claris in a way that makes sense for them. We want to ensure that we’re taking advantage of everything Claris has to offer and giving our clients ways to maximize these new features and options.

 

Of course, this is all made possible because of our immensely talented team. These individuals have worked tirelessly to help shape the direction of not just the website, but our company as a whole. Both are a collaborative vision that are a testament to our success. And as exciting as all these new updates and developments are, we’re even more excited to show you what we have in store for the future!

 

Please browse our new site, and whether you’re a current or new client, learn more about what we can do to help you and your team. As always, please reach out to us here if you have questions or would like an in-depth consultation.

Introducing KyoSync II

Kyo Logic is excited to announce the launch of a new and exciting plugin for Claris and FileMaker: KyoSync II. This plugin allows for easy and efficient database synchronization, even when users are out of network. KyoSync II is available here for an annual fee of $500 USD.

Kyo Sync II doesn’t create a network– it creates a network community. It allows for disparate databases to sync independently of one another and without a consistent internet connection. Its essentially like passing notes back and forth over a fence. A user can make their own changes locally, and then another user can sign in and request to sync; at that point, they’re taking the note from over the fence so they can make their own changes and updates.


This has several advantages. While most database applications are storing their information in the cloud, Kyo Sync II is storing information locally. Each user’s device acts as a “source of truth” until it’s time to upload or download changes.


This means that data isn’t being changed or manipulated by other users. More importantly, it means that users with limited internet access can still do their work out in the field, even in remote areas where internet/cloud access is otherwise impossible. Critical data can be captured and stored on the spot and shared with other users once access is available.


While modern “living” databases are great for collaboration in instances where an internet connection is a guarantee and cloud-based storage is always available, this setup fails within certain use cases.


  • Remote Technical Work: Highly-technical work on devices and infrastructure like phone lines, antenna, or servers may occur in areas that have less-than ideal coverage.
  • Disaster Relief Support: lines of communication may be intermittent or down completely in certain areas, and syncing allows front-line responders to collect important data and keep records while in the impacted area.
  • Remote Service Delivery: Track deliveries and drop offs even in remote areas.
  • Machine Signal Interference: Laboratories and other research or manufacturing environments may be too “noisy” for a consistent internet connection. Alternatively, they may be highly sensitive areas where online access just isn’t feasible. 
  • Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Traveling in and out of coverage areas can make working from the cloud impossible. Remote syncing ensures that work can get done on or offline.

Simple and Easy 

This module can easily be integrated into any Claris or FileMaker-based platform to ensure databases are always properly synced. While syncing is possible through FileMaker, it’s currently difficult to develop these features. KyoSync II allows for easily integrated syncing features at a reduced development cost. In effect, this is a non-standard feature set that can now be standardized via Kyo Logic’s integration.

Creating a Singular Source of Truth

Ensuring databases are up-to-date and accurate is incredibly important for every team, no matter the application. Working from outdated information can cause wasted hours, upset clients, and incorrect deliverables or products. We created KyoSync II to ensure databases are accurate, and that employees across departments have access to the same information– no matter where they are in the world.

With KyoSync II, accurate databases mean faster, more accurate processes.

Always in Sync

KyoSync II was initially created to service the databases of OceanX– both their home offices and the servers running on a roving vessel. Because of this, it was incredibly important that even data entered when out of service or in “dead zones” could still update as soon as possible. Building off of this technology, KyoSync II ensures information input while out of network will sync once the device establishes an internet connection again. It’s a feature that’s perfect for employees who do field work or considerable traveling.

Kyo Logic continues to innovate within the Claris space with modules like KyoSync II. We’re incredibly excited to build on these innovations and deliver more feature-rich plugins in the future.

If you have questions on KyoSync II, or would like to gain a better understanding of how we can work together to streamline your business, you can reach out to us here.

September Updates: Claris Studio Release and 19.5.4 Update

This September, Claris had several new announcements and updates. Of course, we can expect to see developments and news ramp up as Claris continues to build towards their recently announced rebranding and overhauling suite of offerings.  In addition to the typical tweaks and fixes, there are some exciting changes that pave the way for the future of Claris FileMaker. Users can expect more updates in line with this one as Claris continues to roll out their previously announced plans.

Claris’s major announcement is the release of Claris Studio. Part of their new lineup of offerings and naming convention, Claris Studio replaces Claris Connect. It offers the same functionality: insights through charts, reports, and dashboards. 

Claris Studio allows users to run reports, create charts, and more. Data is updated and reflected in real-time across the Claris platform. Features include:

  • Dashboard: Claris Studio’s dashboard allows for quick and easy access to a holistic view of your data.
  • Forms: Collect and view data.
  • Spreadsheets: Aggregate data and sort or filter it by specific parameters.
  • List-detail: Organize information into a list, with the ability to view or edit.
  • Kanban: Track project progress.

Claris has also promised that users can expect other features and functionality to be added in the future.

Update 19.5.4 is here and it brings several helpful updates. The most notable of these is the in-software news updates.

Highlights include:

  • In-product Notifications: Claris can now share the latest news directly in the FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server software. Users can be alerted to new changes and updates as they roll in.
  • macOS: The quick start experience is no longer available.
  • New Files: FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server can now open files that could not be reopened after modifying the settings in the File Options dialog box with a limited access account.

Other recent updates include:

    • Use a Single Claris ID: A single email and password can be used to log into Claris Pro, Claris Studio, and all other Claris products. It’s a simple but appreciated quality of life change.
    • New File Extension: Apps created with Claris Pro now use the extension “.claris”. Claris server can now host these files.
  • Claris Go App: Claris Go will soon be available on the app store for iOS and iPadOS.

Kyo Logic will continue to bring you exciting Filemaker news and updates. If you have any questions about these changes, or you’d like to know how FileMaker can work for your business, you can reach out to us here.

Data Backup Best Practices

Data storage is a critical component of any modern business. Virtually every piece of information from customer invoices to employee resources is stored digitally. While this makes for incredibly convenient access, it also makes this information susceptible to loss. Corruption may render files inaccessible. Employees may accidentally delete or modify critical files. Malware can infect or steal data. Flooding or fires can even destroy the physical server that stores the data.

Backing up data consistently and following best practices can help mitigate the impact these losses can have on business operations. If you’re using Claris FileMaker, there are also a number of features you can utilize to put these practices into action.

Ensure your data is backed up often. For any number of reasons, from power outages, to floods or fires, to human error, data can be lost. It’s important to have this data backed up elsewhere, in the event that your data server is somehow rendered inaccessible.

Data should be backed up at least every 24 hours. This ensures that, even in the event of a catastrophe, teams will still have access to relatively up-to-date information. Depending on the nature of the industry and how often critical pieces of data are updated, some businesses opt to back their data up more often.

Claris FileMaker can automate this process to help protect data and guarantee timely backups.

Backup data off-site. It’s incredibly important that your primary server and backup server are not in the same location. If a catastrophic event impacts the viability of a server in one location, the other server will not be affected.

Encrypt sensitive data. While accidents can certainly happen, it’s also important to encrypt data. Encryption ensures data cannot be changed or stolen, either by malicious third-parties or employees making accidental changes. Encryption acts as a second layer of protection that ensures the safety of your backups.

FileMaker offers encryption features that make this process seamless.

Utilize security measures. Password protect important data or employ a system where only necessary users have relevant access. This helps prevent attacks from third-parties, but also ensures employees won’t accidentally access information they shouldn’t be able to access.

Claris FileMaker includes the ability to password protect information and grant or deny specific users (or groups of users) access.

Account for endpoints. While your database may act as a single source of truth, it’s also possible that employees out in the field are using their personal devices or company-assigned devices to access your platform. In some instances, namely when reception is poor, the data updated on these devices may not reflect in real time. Backing up individual devices can help to create a more robust and accurate backup.

If you’re looking for ways to back up data or want to know more about FileMaker, Kyo Logic is here to help. You can reach out to us here.

Third-Party Hosting Options

After building a custom platform, it needs to be hosted somewhere. That is, all that information needs a place to “live” so it can be accessed through the web. Claris offers its own hosting solution for FileMaker called Claris Server. It’s a fantastic option for FileMaker-based platforms specifically because it integrates so seamlessly into the rest of the FileMaker ecosystem. However, there are other options available that offer their own advantages and disadvantages.

Note that there is another option: businesses can choose to host the content themselves. This typically requires dedicated employees, purchasing servers, and having space to store them. Going with a third-party option is generally more cost-effective and streamlined. Businesses may opt to use one of these hosting solutions if they’re already paying to have these companies host their website or other data.

Amazon Web Services. Amazon offers hosting services that support a wide variety of platforms. AWS is scalable and offers very flexible pricing options. AWS offers a range of services, and their databases can host FileMaker. AWS also gives subscribers a considerable degree of control over their usage. Additional servers can be up and running within minutes, if needed. AWS works with both relational databases and NoSQL.

Microsoft Azure. Microsoft offers a similar cloud solution with features that closely parallel AWS. Their databases also support NoSQL and relational databases. However, they do tend to be more expensive than AWS. 

Google Cloud Databases. Google also offers hosting. However, it is only available as a cloud platform. Cloud hosting is easy-to-use, scalable, and nimble. However, because your information is only available in the cloud it is susceptible to data loss, data leakage, or even theft. Connection issues or outages could render your information inaccessible.

IBM Cloud. IBM provides database solutions that support PostgreSQL and MySQL. However, like Google, these offerings are cloud only.

FileMaker Server. For businesses utilizing FileMaker, FileMaker Server is truly the best option. It offers out of the box compatibility with FileMaker. It allows clients to open FileMaker files. Data can easily be shared with FileMaker databases and websites or other touchpoints.

Kyo Logic offers hosting solutions, and we’d be happy to walk you through these options and more. You can reach out to us here for a free consultation.

FileMaker Tips: 6 Techniques for a Better UX

As FileMaker developers we pride ourselves with our ability to perform amazing feats of behind-the-scenes scripting and calculation dexterity. But, sometimes we forget that functionality is only half of a good design. The other half is what the user sees and interacts with. This half is the UI/UX.

For this discussion, let’s define the user interface (UI) as the workspace that contains objects (as well as their themes and styles) for data viewing and manipulation. These objects encompass everything from edit boxes to drop-down lists to tab controls, button bars, portals, web viewers, and so on.

The user experience (UX) is defined as how a user interacts with the UI. Foremost of UX is workflow, which is how a user moves from one object to the next in a logical fashion. UX also includes the layout’s “intuitiveness”, which is how easy (or not-so-easy) it is for a user to understand what they can do, where they can click, and what they can edit.

A good UX makes a user’s job easier. It reduces the learning curve of your app which reduces training time. It also increases “buy-in” from users. If they like what they see (UI) and feel comfortable using your app (UX), it increases its value to your client.

Let’s take a look at a few tips to enhance that comfort level. Below are six tips to consider when designing a good UX:

Workflow:

Never leave your user stranded.

When a user opens an additional window such as a report window or navigates to another layout to perform a task, always make sure to build obvious navigation tools so that your user can get back to where they started.  Leaving a user stranded on a dead-end layout can be confusing and frustrating. A user needs to feel at ease to explore areas of the app while always feeling comfortable that they can go back to start over.

Good workflow includes circular navigation, not linear. Linear navigation brings a user down a singular narrow path from one layout to the next but often leaves them stranded at a dead-end.

Circular navigation incorporates buttons to circle back to a previous step or go all the way back to the beginning to a dashboard or main menu to start over. It also allows a user to go forward to the next logical step, or branch off to a different section of the app.

Design the workflow of layouts to “read” from top to bottom, left to right. 

Place data that the user needs to know first in the upper left area of a layout. 

For example, on a form/detail layout of a “people” record, knowing the name of the person is most often the first thing a user needs to know. So, place the name fields in the upper left area so that the user “reads” that data first.

The additional data fields should flow in a cohesive way so that the user doesn’t have to jump their eyes around the screen to gather the next logical piece of the puzzle.

In action areas, place action buttons in the lower right or centered across the bottom.

Keeping with the concept of “top-to-bottom, left-to-right”; in dialog windows, card windows, popovers, tab panels, and slide panels it is best practice to place the action buttons in the lower right or center bottom of the action area. 

Clicking an action button such as “Okay”, “Cancel”, or “Save” is usually the last step your user will take when in an action area. Your user’s eyes will flow from top-to-bottom. So, their eyes will be positioned to see the action buttons when they need them. Placing the action buttons elsewhere forces the user to hunt around for the buttons.

Intuitiveness:

Use tooltips. 

Always add a tooltip to a button that is an icon only, one without text. Icons can be interpreted different ways by different users – and developers. Many users are afraid of clicking blindly in fear of breaking something. To help users feel more comfortable clicking a button, add a tooltip to buttons, especially icon-only buttons, to make sure your user knows what a given button will do.

Add the Self tooltip to long text fields. Fields that can hold long strings of text sometimes get cutoff. A simple help is to use the Self function as the tooltip calculation. Then when a user hovers their mouse over the field the entire field contents is displayed for a few seconds. This allows a user to know there is more data to read.

In addition, using the calculation box for tooltips allows us to provide extra data that may be pertinent to a field but does not need to take up real estate on the layout. For example, hovering over a person’s name in a list view layout could display a tooltip that provides that person’s title, rank, phone number, or other additional info from other fields.

Disable Browse Mode access on calculation and summary fields

 Users new to your app can get confused and distracted from their task when they click into a calculation field and attempt to edit data. FileMaker will provide a dialog box with a message saying the field is not modifiable. This can cause them confusion as to what they are supposed to do next and derail their task at hand, slowing down their work.

Since a user cannot edit data in a calculation or summary field, why allow a user to click into the field to begin with? In the Inspector (on the Data tab, Behavior section) simply uncheck Browse Mode for field entry. When a user clicks on the field nothing will happen. They will immediately learn that field does not need to be edited without a scary distracting error message.

Add Close buttons to all Popovers and Card Windows.

Many users can get stuck after opening a popover because they do not know how to close it. They do not know that simply clicking outside the popover will close it, it is not intuitive.

Always add a simply close button – with a tooltip – in the header/title area of popovers. A single script step of Close Popover will do the trick (use the Close Window (current) script step for card windows). This makes the popover more user-friendly because it is easier to understand what the user needs to do. 

Building a close button only takes a minute or two and can then be copied and pasted into every popover to maintain a consistent look and function.

Consistency adds to intuitiveness since after learning it on one layout, users will more easily recognize the same functionality on other layouts.

Conclusion

These simply techniques help put a professional polish on your app. They can improve your user’s experience which in turn helps them do their job more comfortably and more efficiently.

Secure Your FileMaker Database with Encryption at Rest

Claris’ FileMaker platform offers a number of great avenues for keeping your data secured. One of these avenues is to secure the database itself using Encryption At Rest. To be as un-technical as possible, this keeps your data in an unreadable form that can only be opened with a secure key. So, if the database is stolen, the thief would have no way of opening and reading or extracting your data without also have your secure key.

We recommend encrypting ALL FileMaker databases with sensitive data.

How to encrypt a database?

The first step is to get the database onto a local computer. If the database is currently hosted using FileMaker Server, it must be closed and then removed from the server. You will then Open the Developer Utilities. (If you do not see Developer Utilities, it means that you do not have advanced tools turned on. There is a checkbox in FileMaker Preferences to turn this on)

You will select the file you want to encrypt, what folder you would like the encrypted file to be saved to and then select Solution Options.

Here, you will select Enable Database Encryption, enter a shared ID (or just leave the default one), specify one of the database’s Full Access FileMaker accounts and then enter your encryption key. (Make sure to keep the key on file. Once a database is encrypted, the ONLY way it can be opened is by entering that key). You can then choose whether or not to keep Open Storage, which relates to FileMaker’s container data. There are some situations where you may want to keep the container data open even though the database is closed. This should be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Alright! You now have an encrypted file. You will notice when you try to open it, it first asks for the encryption key before it asks for your username and password.

How does it work with FileMaker Server?

Now, you will upload the database back to your server. When you do so, you will see this alert:

When you open up your admin console, you will notice that the file is indeed closed.

You can open the file through the admin console, and when entering the encryption key select “Save Password” or through the command line as shown below.

By saving the password, when you close and open the database, it will open the database without asking for your encryption key.

How does the new FileMaker Server 19.1.2 Update Relate to this?

With the new FileMaker Server 19.1.2 release, you can now run two new system-wide scripts automatically through FileMaker Server’s script schedule.

The first script, SYS_Default_PurgeTempDB, clears the temporary cache of the server. If your server is not restarted often, this temporary cache can become quite large and affect the performance of the server. Now with this script, it can be cleared weekly, daily, or even hourly if needed.

The second script, SYS_Default_VefiryAllDB, will verify all databases on the server to confirm that none are corrupted. During the process, the server will close each file, run the verification, and then open the file back up. The server, however, can only open an encrypted file if its key is saved to the server using the command line script. Because we want this schedule to be run automatically, it is necessary for the encryption key to be saved to the server in order to run this script.