On my journey to create a relational database I realized the need for a teacher, a resource, and some inspiration. This book is awesome and provided all I needed. My Filemaker knowledge is growing every hour as a result of this book. In addition, my database is becoming more user-friendly, secure, and downright logical.

Thank you, Filemaker Pro 9 Missing Manual, for being there for me in the summer of 2008.

This book does a good job of explaining the features of the product. It's clear and easy to use. Well recommended.

FileMaker Pro 9 is one of the most intuitive and user-friendly database programs available. But, as with all database programs, it is capable of so much that it is practically impossible for the typical user to deduce all of its functionality simply by searching the program's multiple menus.

Enter FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual - another edition of the Missing Manual series designed to enlighten non-technical persons on highly technical subjects.

The main selling point of the series is that it is very simple to read. O'Reilly's writers are also extremely knowledgeable in the subject area. Geoff Coffey, has been a FileMaker Pro trainer and consultant for over 10 years. Susan Prosser is also a FileMaker consultant, as well as a database program creator. Along with the Missing Manual creative team, these authors impart their wealth of knowledge in a way that anyone could understand. And since they aren't part of FileMaker, Inc., they aren't afraid to point out any of the software's problems.

When comparing FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual to the user's guide supplied in the software's box, several differences are notable. The biggest is size: the Missing Manual is wider, taller, and much thicker. So if you just need a quick introduction to the program, this book might not be what you need. Learning a program as extensive as FileMaker Pro takes time, and delving through the Missing Manual is going to take a lot of it. But if you want to get the most out of FileMaker Pro, then the user's guide just isn't enough. The Missing Manual also notably uses less complicated language, has more example images, and presents a intuitive flow of information than the user's guide.

One of the biggest benefits of FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is the online support. Armed with just the software and user's guide, you have to learn from scratch. The Missing Manual, on the other hand, offers several pre-built databases that it guides you through. This not only gives you an example to work with while learning, but also shows you various ways that your final databases could be built and organized.

The indexing is also much more detailed in the Missing Manual. So if you ever forget how to work a specific function of the program, the answer is a quick look-up away, though there are several instances in which the index reference the wrong section of the book (but the right page number). This is probably due to a late chapter reorganization before publishing.

While the current Missing Manual is well supported with examples, it does not, as yet, support any new software updates being offered by FileMaker, Inc.. In other words, the book is written for the FileMaker Pro 9 program right out of the box. If the company puts out any updates that alter the software, then you need to do your own research to figure out the changes. Also, when FileMaker Pro 10 becomes available, there is no smaller Missing Manual explaining just those changes - you'll need to pick up a new edition. So if you're not new to the FileMaker Pro software, these manuals might be more than you need.

I found FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual to be perfect for someone just starting to work with database programs. It's step-by-step process will have you building your first personal or professional database in no time!

This is a thorough review of how to set up various database features of the Filemaker system. Like many such manuals I have had in the past, I found myself reading and re-reading instructions feeling there must be clearer, better ways to instruct someone on the various procedures of this fine database software. Nevertheless this reader got over some difficult spots in setting up his database and gives the book a positive review...

Pros:

- The writing style is accessible and easy to understand
- You can download the database examples used in the book.
- It's the best FileMaker Pro 9 book I've seen.

Cons:

- Like a lot of computer books out there, this one is unnecessarily wordy. The publisher said, "I need a 750-page book," and the author complied.

-And you gotta read ALL of it (especially beginners), because important information is distributed like buried treasure.

- The wordiness and lack of consistent structure makes it easy to get lost. Let me give you an example:

This is my first stab at FileMaker Pro. The first chapter shows you how to find records. It starts out nicely with bolded text showing the steps to perform a find. Then it gets wordy. And then it shows a few figures of what you will see. Huge paragraphs of smaller, italicized text accompany the figures.

I skipped the figures and went on. Suddenly, I couldn't access most of my database entries. I went back to Browse mode, like the book told me to do, and still couldn't see them.

Finally, after much digging, I found the crucial step I had missed, buried in the smaller, italicized text of the gargantuan paragraph accompanying Figure 1-17. Inconsistencies like this make the book a tough slog.

I just brushed up on my Access 2003 (I haven't used it in 7 years) with one of those procedure-based illustrated books. It took me 3 hours to get through the 250-page book. It took me about an hour to get through chapter 1 (27 pages) of this book.


I recommend downloading the examples from their website (I doubt you got a CD-ROM with your book). See the Missing CD-ROM link on this book's web page.

One of the first things that I noticed about "FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual" is it's size. It's a big, heavy book, clocking in at 778 pages. But there is a good reason for this: This book covers a lot -- and I mean a LOT -- of ground. As such, it has something for everyone. From newcomers to veteran developers, you're bound to find something new here. So don't let it's size scare you away!

Written by Geoff Coffey (of Six Fried Rice fame) and Susan Prosser (president of dbhq, a FileMaker certified consulting firm based in Gilbert, Arizona), FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is part of a series of books published by Pogue Press. Like other books in the series, it is very well written, and is presented in a way that allows a lot of information to be presented without overwhelming the reader.

The book is divided into seven parts. Part One provides a good introduction to FileMaker Pro and is a good start for FileMaker newcomers. Part Two covers layouts, including all of the tools that are available to us in layout mode. Part Three dives into relational databases, with information on modeling, relationships, table occurrences, data tunneling, and more.

Part Four deals with calculations, and does a good job of explaining topics that can be hard to grasp, including the Self function, the Let function, and variables. The "Power User Tip" in this section is one of the best examples that I've seen yet on how to put the Let and Self functions to good use. It shows how to use these functions, and a few others, to clean up and format a user-entered phone number.

FileMaker users who have yet to automate their databases with scripts will find Part Five of FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual especially useful. Everything from script basics and how to use ScriptMaker, to advanced scripting techniques, is covered. The information presented about script parameters is especially informative. Readers will learn how to pass multiple parameters to a script, as well as how to pass parameters to subscripts. Script variables, and error handling techniques, are also covered.

Part Six covers FileMaker security and integration. Readers will learn how to use FileMaker's built-in security model to protect their databases. In terms of integrating Filemaker, this section explains how to share data in FileMaker databases with other systems, and vice versa. The authors do a great job of introducing what many believe to be one of the most compelling new FileMaker features: External SQL Sources (or "ESS"), which was introduced in FileMaker Pro 9. Rounding out Part Six are terrific explanations of some of the developer utilities that are only available in FileMaker Pro Advanced. Copying and pasting database structures, the script debugger, the data viewer, the database design report, tooltips, custom menus, and more are covered.

And finally, Part Seven includes two helpful appendixes. Appendix A, "Getting Help," offers a good review of other places that developers and users can turn to when they run into trouble. Appendix B provides a list of FileMaker Error Codes.

At a list price of $34.99, FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual is a smart, affordable investment for any FileMaker user or developer. Reading the book is like taking a crash course in FileMaker Pro development. Read it, and your FileMaker skills are sure to benefit!

It's been years since I used Filemaker, and then only as a database user...not the creator of the application. So when I set out to create a new FM database solution for a small private school I needed help! The tutorial provided with Filemaker9 is VERY basic and the application's "Help" tool is very thin. (I finally stopped clicking on it when search after search yielded no real help at all.)

I picked up a copy of the Missing Manual hoping it would save my neck. I found that I already knew the material in the first half of the book, which was actually comforting. It was the second half where I found the help that I needed to make my FM solution do what I wanted it to do. The Missing Manual is well written by real humans...even with a bit of a sense of humor thrown in. And downloadable files on the Missingmanuals.com site make it easy to learn through hands-on exercises.

I'm now rockin' & rollin' on my new database application! FileMaker is a powerful tool and the Missing Manual has helped me to unlock its secrets! A few dollars very well spent!

This manual is thorough and complete. It is clearly written and easy to use.

The book is as massive and complete as Filemaker 9 software. I found that it was at first intimidating because of the 750 + pages but after you dive in and learn to use the index the book because a lifesaver and close companion. I highly recommend it to anyone trying to use this powerful program.

I've been using FileMaker Pro for over ten years now, pretty much creating simple databases and runtime solutions for myself and fellow workers.

Earlier this year, however, I was commissioned to create a safety-related database (runtime solution) for none other than FedEx and its nine feeder-carriers. Talk about instant panic-attack! When I found out that I'd be the authoring it I immediately perused Amazon.com and bookstores for books that would help me get up to speed very quickly so I could start coding away; I ordered an armful of them, some were "bible" and "idiot"-titled tomes and others were so "up there" technically that my eyes glazed over just reading their Table of Contents. More often than not they made me feel dense because there weren't enough explanations or examples in them for me to fully understand what was trying to be explained.

The book I ended up using the most--and really appreciating its real-world use and easy-to-understand explanations--was "FileMaker Pro 8, The Missing Manual" by Geoff Coffey and Susan Prosser. I can honestly say without any hyperbole that their book, and downloadable practice files, gave me a solid foundation to work from so I could build the database. After some finishing touches supplied by FileMaker developer Matt Lygo of kantala.com, I submitted the database to FedEx...and they LOVED it--so much so I earned their prestigious BZ Award for Excellence.

Since then, I've been working on another project that requires much greater power and flexibility than what FileMaker 8 or 8.5 had to offer, so after upgrading to FileMaker 9.0 _the_ first book I bought was Coffey and Prosser's Missing Manual book for FileMaker 9.0. Still a winner, I'm reading it as both a refresher and to learn the new powers that come with 9.0. It's both time and money well-spent.

So, if you're looking for a book to get you going in FileMaker, make this one your first choice; you'll be glad you did.

I am very much a beginner using Filemaker Pro. I have heard great things about this product. So far this book has been of great benefit in pointing me in the right direction. The book is well laid out and tremendously easy to follow. Just starting to build my templates and the book is right by my side. Highly recommended.

I am generally an exponent of the "Missing Manuals" series, but this is a notable exception. The book is poorly structured and the writing is largely uninstructive.

The authors rely excessively, if not entirely, on enormous, sparsely annotated examples to explain how FileMaker works. Excessive reliance on giant, lengthy examples has important drawbacks for the reader:

1) You cannot "jump" to a particular topic that interests you, because a) the authors assume you have been following their example scenario throughout the entire book; and b) there is very little clear explanation of concepts and processes, only more working with their example.

2) Because of the book's reliance on an endless example, you must read the book--essentially--from cover to cover, to derive value.

3) There is very little explicit explanation of FileMaker concepts and processes. In most cases, the authors leave the reader to INFER how to use FileMaker by witnessing their examples.

4) The writing quality is very poor compared to other books in Missing Manuals series. The ordering of thoughts and instruction; use of introductions and conclusions; and plain sentence structure make it hard if not impossible to discern anything about Filemaker Pro 9.

Conclusion: The book neither conveys concepts, nor permits the reader to jump to a topic of interest. The delivery of information is minimal and highly inefficient.

Addendum: Several (approximately 5%) of key hyperlinks on the book's website, which are essential to following the book's example were "broken" (nonfunctional) as of 23 Oct 2007. I am certain this will eventually be repaired by the publisher.

This book is now in it's third writing. The first one (for Filekaker 7) never got printed as the release of Filemaker 8 made so many improvements to the software that a revision was mandatory. Nevertheless that early writing served its purpose as the precursor for the previous edition of this book on FileMaker 8. That edition was a real eye opener for me as it taught me so much more about the program than I had ever appreciated after many years of use. Now we have, what is in effect a third writing, for the latest version of FileMaker Pro and the benefit of those previous versions is certainly evident.

These authors have an excellent style of writing for a technical product like FileMaker Pro -- the style is both readable and accurate with plenty of light hearted quips to provide a delightful human touch to what could otherwise become fairly dreary tome. The book is thus not only a very readable tutorial on the methodology for setting up a relational database, but it also has a multitude of advice on ways to ensure that your development will follow guidelines for best practice. Explanations of "The FileMaker Way" are thus easy to follow and also display the authors' comprehensive knowledge of the program. This undoubtedly stems from their own credible work as practising FMP developers in their own right.

Some professional database gurus seem to take pleasure in deriding FileMaker for its simplicity of use and seeming inability to scale for enterprise tasks. What they overlook is that FileMaker is evolving into a data hub with its ability to exchange data so readily with an increasing number of other file formats. I can see how some of these folk will not find this book so useful as a reference work. It has not been written to be used in that way. If you come from a computer science training in DBMS, then you are only going to use Filemaker effectively if you take sufficient time to understand how and why FileMaker is different. The Missing Manual can certainly help you to achieve that but its style may not be as appropriate for your needs as it is for the database user who now wants to develop databases for their own projects.

In summary then, this book is certainly a manual "that should have been in the box" but it makes no claims to being the only source of FileMaker knowledge that you will ever need. There are plenty of other resources to meet that need but I firmly believe you will be hard pressed to find any other text or resource that can match this "Missing Manual" for its comprehensive introduction to FileMaker Pro..

FileMaker Pro 9 : The Missing Manual/ Geoff Coffey and Susan Prosser
Pogue Press/O'Reilly Sebastapol, California 2007. US $34.99

"FileMaker Pro 9 : The Missing Manual" Review -- Thomas Cremer

Filemaker Pro is a database application (a program for storing any systematic collection of information) compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows and other platforms. It is known for being easy to use and powerful as well.

FMP can handle relational databases, which are collections of related files that share data like invoice numbers which link important transaction information together, such as customer, inventory, or shipping and handling data.

Geoff Coffey and Susan Prosser are the authors of this "Missing Manual" and their book helps novices to create their own databases, covering the changes in versions 8.5 and 9. FMP comes with printed and online documentation, but it is not as user-friendly or as detailed as the Missing Manual.

Coffey and Prosser have been developers and users of FMP for over ten years, and their language is simple, helpful and non-technical, just the ticket for "newbies" eager to learn.Users can begin with ready to go templates or so-called starter solutions, which are available for many common database needs. The book, published in August this year, (2007), covers old and new features of FMP thoroughly, with many examples and sample databases. For readers who prefer the PDF format, that version of the book is available on the oreilly.com website, advertised on the last page.

FMP can be a very sophisticated tool, useful for much more than routine business inventories. Data can be output in the form of PDF or Excel files. Luckily for the novice database user, FMP can be used with about 40 different templates without requiring advanced scripting skills. This Missing Manual book illustrates what a powerful tool FileMaker Pro can be in its latest incarnation, depending on the skills of the developers and the users.

External sources of data like SQL and ODBC are discussed, data sharing over networks and the internet, and setting up a FileMaker server are all advanced topics covered in chapters sixteen to eighteen. FileMaker Pro 9 can now be integrated with external data sources such as Microsoft SQL servers, so FMP can talk to the rest of the information world.

The beauty of this book is that it gives readers an overall view of issues involved in working with FileMaker Pro from the basics right through to advanced problems.

The appendices on Getting Help and FileMaker Error Codes are very useful, while the table of contents and the index are excellent for finding help as users work with FileMaker Pro 9.

This "Missing Manual" book well and truly lives up to the formidable reputation that this series of software books deserves, and authors Geoff Coffey and Susan Prosser are to be congratulated for tackling a complex topic so well. FileMaker Pro 9 users are thus given the confidence they need to work with this popular database software.

A well written book with good insight into features of Filemaker 9. Great tips along the way for designing structure and layout. Authors do a good job in detail explanations. Good translation of technical concepts into real life usage.

Geoff Coffey and Susan Prosser's FILEMAKER PRO 9: THE MISSING MANUAL is yet another 'missing manual' guide which offers up an easy, engaging introduction to the software. From getting your first database up and running to simple tasks, from sorting to streamlining data entry, FILEMAKER PRO 9 covers both the basics and the more advanced specifics of generating reports and using formulas and macros to streamline operations. It's more than the book that 'should have been in the box' - it's a key to more efficiently using Filemaker Pro 9.

FileMaker Pro 9 The Missing Manual is a great start and answers all the questions regarding things you would never find in the manufacturer's manual. It is a third party's review and will guide your development in the proper direction.