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Editor's picks

• 

  FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual (Missing Manuals)

  Book (Pogue Press)
  

  Rating (25 reviews):

  (4.2/5)

  

  review: Filemaker Pro 11: the missing manual

  Conflict of interest disclosure: O'Reilly Media provided me a free copy of FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual for the purposes of the review.Last month I tried out Filemaker Pro 11 (the program) and had a two-word summary: way cool. This month's review of Filemaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual has an even more succinct one-word summary: oh, as in "oh, that's how that works" or "oh, that's what that means".Stuart and Gripman know how to write. And they understand Filemaker and they understand that not every user was born speaking database-ese. Databases think and operate in ways that normal people don't; much as I like Filemaker Pro and much as I like to think I know what I'm doing, it can be a tricky program - and apparently I've learned to do many tasks the hard way. The manual is well-written, in clear, plain English. It's great at explaining what Filemaker is doing under the hood and is even humorous, without being silly. And the authors also commiserate... 5/5 lwakus "lwakus" (anchorage, ak) - See all my reviews This review is from: FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual (Missing Manuals) (Paperback) Conflict of interest disclosure: O'Reilly Media provided me a free copy of FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual for the purposes of the review.Last month I tried out Filemaker Pro 11 (the program) and had a two-word summary: way cool. This month's review of Filemaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual has an even more succinct one-word summary: oh, as in "oh, that's how that works" or "oh, that's what that means".Stuart and Gripman know how to write. And they understand Filemaker and they understand that not every user was born speaking database-ese. Databases think and operate in ways that normal people don't; much as I like Filemaker Pro and much as I like to think I know what I'm doing, it can be a tricky program - and apparently I've learned to do many tasks the hard way. The manual is well-written, in clear, plain English. It's great at explaining what Filemaker is doing under the hood and is even humorous, without being silly. And the authors also commiserate... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 19, 2010

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  Maybe It's Just Me

  I'm sorry. Maybe it's just me. But I find the book mysterious and hard to follow. Perhaps the book would be easier to understand if I already understood FileMaker. The book starts off telling me how to find things apparently not realizing that I have no idea what I am supposed to be looking for. Some of the exercises simply don't work (The Format Painter on page 125). It seems that some apparently basic database subjects are covered after more esoteric concepts are introduced. The book would be more helpful to me if simple ideas were introduced first, and then developed. Very frustrating. 3/5 S. Burman "canyonlight" (Page, Arizona) - See all my reviews, August 14, 2010

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  Essential resource for using FileMaker Pro

  FileMaker Pro is considered to be the easiest to use of relational databases - and it is. It is also one of the most capable and powerful databases - and if you want to access that power, it is one of the most complex. That's why this book has 869 pages of text, including 7 pages of error codes. You'll never see most of these error codes, but the sheer number of them should give you an idea of just how complex FileMaker Pro can be. This book truly lives up to the premise of the missing manuals series: "the book that should have been in the box". FileMaker Pro provide s extensive online help facility, but it is often terse and lacking in examples. The FileMaker Pro missing manual, on the other hand, is pleasantly verbose and has many examples. Moreover, it provides a necessary education in database theory and design as well. There's a wonderful introduction, for example, on using Boolean values. FileMaker Pro has many unique... 5/5 Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews, June 13, 2010

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  List Price: $39.99
  

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  Filemaker Pro 11

  Software (FileMaker)
  

  Rating (17 reviews):

  (4.1/5)

  

  A VERY Worthwhile Upgrade...

  I am the Senior FileMaker Pro Developer at a major American university/medical school, where we have integrated FileMaker Pro and Oracle-based products to manage the vast amounts of clinical data collected for our cancer research center. We've recently started testing FileMaker Pro 11 in our environment, and have so far been very impressed with the new features and enhancements I've encountered.Here are a few notable things I've encountered:CHARTINGThis long-overdue feature alone justifies the upgrade price! In the past, creating a simple chart in FileMaker Pro has been a complex process involving byzantine workarounds and/or expensive plug-ins or services. Now you can create dynamic charts which key off table data, found-set data, or related data. The new feature supports bar, line, area, and pie charts. I looking forward to seeing more chart types in future releases.SUMMARIZED DATA ON TABLE LAYOUTSThis feature greatly increases the... 5/5 Adam Parker (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews, May 3, 2010

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  FileMaker Pro v11; the Flamethrower!

  I have been using the Mac since 1984, and the original FileMaker was the first software I ever purchased. The evolution of FileMaker to FileMaker Pro has been smooth and seamless. My move into FMP v11 was prompted by my purchase of an iMac with the Snow Leopard OS.I use FMP for everything, including checking accounts, bookkeeping, client records, sales, any kinds of lists that may require sorting (by name, by phone number, by ZIP code, etc.) I also use FMP extensively for my preparation to announce the Reno Championship Air Races each September:Reno sends me an EXCEL spreadsheet with all the competitors' information, such as aircraft and type, class, pilot's name and home town, alternate pilot's name, color, race number and sponsor information. There is much more info I don't really need. I can import the file into FMP, sort it by aircraft race class, then I can output each record in race-number order as a list in a particular format, in this case, into 2" by... 5/5 Frank K. Smith "One FIne Announcer" (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews, July 6, 2010

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  FileMaker 11 ... Good value and upgrade to a solid product

  FileMaker 11 is a solid release that builds on the foundation laid by FileMaker 10. Many of the features specifically allow developers to create better databases more easily. Some of the biggest new features include:* Built-in charting tools.* Quick reports using table view.* Miscellaneous development interface enhancementsHere's a run down of each feature in some detail...* New Quick Start Screen - Along the right side are tutorials and resources for beginners. Favorites and recently opened databases are easier to get to.* Inspector "Gadget" - One major change to the interface for developers is the use of "the inspector" palette. Similar to many other "modern" applications such as Adobe CS and Microsoft Office, FileMaker now has opened up many of the features previously hidden in dialog boxes into a palette they call the inspector. This takes a little getting used to, but once you've become accustom to the change, it's difficult to go... 5/5 Tim Cimbura "Technology Guru and Child at Heart" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews, April 23, 2010

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  List Price: $299.00
  

  Securely publish your databases to the web in a few clicks

  FileMaker Pro 11 is the leading, easy-to-use database software to help you quickly manage & securely share information through a network or over web

  Safely share with both Windows and Mac users, plus over a network with up to 9 other users;

  Build a database tailored for your unique needs--get started by just dragging and dropping Microsoft Excel data into FileMaker Pro

  Get step-by-step reporting tools to help manage and automate tasks--even easily create and email reports in Excel or PDF

  Get over 30 professionally designed templates to help manage your tasks in minutes

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• 

  FileMaker Pro Design & Scripting For Dummies

  Book (For Dummies)
  

  Rating (10 reviews):

  (2.9/5)

  

  A good book for FileMaker "users" wanting to become "developers"

  When choosing a book of this type, it's important to realize who the target audience is.The overwhelming majority of FileMaker Pro users are beginners in database design and development. Most of these people have either read the manual or figured out the basics on their own, and can wield FMP as an office productivity tool just fine. (If you are purchasing this book, and have not read the FMP manuals, I suggest that you do so, they are well written, not painfully long, and quite useful to get started.)This book is aimed at helping people get to the next step; from office productivity user to fledgling developer, and it serves that purpose very well.If you want to learn more about design and scripting in FMP, then buy this book. After you've mastered this material, go for some of the more advanced texts out there. 4/5 Roger Jacques (Sausalito, CA United States) - See all my reviews, January 5, 2007

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  Filemaker Pro

  Brace yourself. To find this manual helpful rather than frustrating, you must already know all about it and be familiar with the undefined jargon. Furthermore it is not totally applicable to the most recent version of Filemaker (Version 11). Some very important stuff is totally missing. Until you can grasp the privately defined meaning of words like record, script, database, etc. you will be constantly wondering what is being referred to, spending an inordinate amount of time trying to find out.This is an exceptionally complex program and apparently can be beaten into working well, with time and a great deal of patience. It is unfortunate that this Dummies does not live up to the usual Dummies format of talking to everyone who reads it rather than omitting the novice from the audience.There is no Glossary and the Table of Contents is where the trouble starts. 2/5 Robert F. Ritchie (Freeport, Maine) - See all my reviews, September 27, 2011

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  Outdated!!!

  We purchased the FileMaker v.11 from Amazon, and MISTAKENLY accepted their recommendation to purchase a "package" consisting of two books, in addition to the software. Well, the software is v.11, and the "Dummies" book talks exclusively about v.8! Somewhere between v.8 and v.11, there must have been a sea change in the software, because the "Dummies" book is of ABSOLUTELY no use!As we know, there's practically no (usable) documentation coming with software packages these days, and the Dummies books are usually of great help. Here, though, somebody at Amazon was apparently not watching the store. 1/5 CEPUAmity - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: FileMaker Pro Design & Scripting For Dummies (Paperback) We purchased the FileMaker v.11 from Amazon, and MISTAKENLY accepted their recommendation to purchase a "package" consisting of two books, in addition to the software. Well, the software is v.11, and the "Dummies" book talks exclusively about v.8! Somewhere between v.8 and v.11, there must have been a sea change in the software, because the "Dummies" book is of ABSOLUTELY no use!As we know, there's practically no (usable) documentation coming with software packages these days, and the Dummies books are usually of great help. Here, though, somebody at Amazon was apparently not watching the store. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , October 19, 2011

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  List Price: $24.99
  

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• 

  FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual

  eBooks (Pogue Press)
  

  Rating (25 reviews):

  (4.2/5)

  

  review: Filemaker Pro 11: the missing manual

  Conflict of interest disclosure: O'Reilly Media provided me a free copy of FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual for the purposes of the review.Last month I tried out Filemaker Pro 11 (the program) and had a two-word summary: way cool. This month's review of Filemaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual has an even more succinct one-word summary: oh, as in "oh, that's how that works" or "oh, that's what that means".Stuart and Gripman know how to write. And they understand Filemaker and they understand that not every user was born speaking database-ese. Databases think and operate in ways that normal people don't; much as I like Filemaker Pro and much as I like to think I know what I'm doing, it can be a tricky program - and apparently I've learned to do many tasks the hard way. The manual is well-written, in clear, plain English. It's great at explaining what Filemaker is doing under the hood and is even humorous, without being silly. And the authors also commiserate... 5/5 lwakus "lwakus" (anchorage, ak) - See all my reviews This review is from: FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual (Missing Manuals) (Paperback) Conflict of interest disclosure: O'Reilly Media provided me a free copy of FileMaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual for the purposes of the review.Last month I tried out Filemaker Pro 11 (the program) and had a two-word summary: way cool. This month's review of Filemaker Pro 11: The Missing Manual has an even more succinct one-word summary: oh, as in "oh, that's how that works" or "oh, that's what that means".Stuart and Gripman know how to write. And they understand Filemaker and they understand that not every user was born speaking database-ese. Databases think and operate in ways that normal people don't; much as I like Filemaker Pro and much as I like to think I know what I'm doing, it can be a tricky program - and apparently I've learned to do many tasks the hard way. The manual is well-written, in clear, plain English. It's great at explaining what Filemaker is doing under the hood and is even humorous, without being silly. And the authors also commiserate... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , July 19, 2010

  ---

  Maybe It's Just Me

  I'm sorry. Maybe it's just me. But I find the book mysterious and hard to follow. Perhaps the book would be easier to understand if I already understood FileMaker. The book starts off telling me how to find things apparently not realizing that I have no idea what I am supposed to be looking for. Some of the exercises simply don't work (The Format Painter on page 125). It seems that some apparently basic database subjects are covered after more esoteric concepts are introduced. The book would be more helpful to me if simple ideas were introduced first, and then developed. Very frustrating. 3/5 S. Burman "canyonlight" (Page, Arizona) - See all my reviews, August 14, 2010

  ---

  Essential resource for using FileMaker Pro

  FileMaker Pro is considered to be the easiest to use of relational databases - and it is. It is also one of the most capable and powerful databases - and if you want to access that power, it is one of the most complex. That's why this book has 869 pages of text, including 7 pages of error codes. You'll never see most of these error codes, but the sheer number of them should give you an idea of just how complex FileMaker Pro can be. This book truly lives up to the premise of the missing manuals series: "the book that should have been in the box". FileMaker Pro provide s extensive online help facility, but it is often terse and lacking in examples. The FileMaker Pro missing manual, on the other hand, is pleasantly verbose and has many examples. Moreover, it provides a necessary education in database theory and design as well. There's a wonderful introduction, for example, on using Boolean values. FileMaker Pro has many unique... 5/5 Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews, June 13, 2010

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  List Price: $31.99
  

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  Data-driven iOS Apps for iPad and iPhone with FileMaker Pro, Bento by FileMaker, and FileMaker Go

  Book (Que)
  List Price: $39.99
  

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  Filemaker Pro 12

  Software (Filemaker Inc.)
  List Price: $299.00
  Price: $289.99
  You Save: $9.01 (3%)

  Securely publish your databases to the web in a few clicks. Create surveys, registration sites, customer feedback forms, and more.

  Build a database tailored for your unique needs. To get started, just drag and drop Microsoft Excel data into FileMaker Pro.

  Tackle any task - Get built-in professionally designed Starter solutions and themes to help manage your tasks in minutes.

  Safely share with iPad, iPhone, Windows, and Mac users

  Get step-by-step reporting tools, including eye-catching charts, to help manage and automate tasks. Easily create and email reports in Excel or PDF.

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• 

  FileMaker Pro 10 Bible

  Book (Wiley)
  

  Rating (14 reviews):

  (4.0/5)

  

  Written very well.

  This is a great read if you are beginning or pro. The language is smooth to read. It is teachable and impressionable. Not like your regular programming jargon. Loved to read it. Also, the FileMaker 10 In Depth book is fun to read. 5/5 Real Dad "Daddio" (ATL) - See all my reviews This review is from: FileMaker Pro 10 Bible (Paperback) This is a great read if you are beginning or pro. The language is smooth to read. It is teachable and impressionable. Not like your regular programming jargon. Loved to read it. Also, the FileMaker 10 In Depth book is fun to read. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 15, 2009

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  Excellent Resource; great author

  I've been working professionally with FileMaker for a very long time, and Ray Cologon's books are some of the best resources I've ever read for FileMaker development. They cover all the territory that FileMaker now covers, and in a very orderly, approachable way. I'd highly recommend this for anyone who uses FileMaker, from enthusiasts to professional developers.I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cologon on several occasions, and he's got to be one of the smartest people I've ever met (and I've met some smart people!). To have his knowledge and thoroughness at arm's reach at any time distilled down to a book is simply the best reference you could ask for, short of Ray sitting there himself.Steve AbrahamsonFileMaker Certified Developer 5/5 Steve Abrahamson (Chicago, Il) - See all my reviews This review is from: FileMaker Pro 10 Bible (Paperback) I've been working professionally with FileMaker for a very long time, and Ray Cologon's books are some of the best resources I've ever read for FileMaker development. They cover all the territory that FileMaker now covers, and in a very orderly, approachable way. I'd highly recommend this for anyone who uses FileMaker, from enthusiasts to professional developers.I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cologon on several occasions, and he's got to be one of the smartest people I've ever met (and I've met some smart people!). To have his knowledge and thoroughness at arm's reach at any time distilled down to a book is simply the best reference you could ask for, short of Ray sitting there himself.Steve AbrahamsonFileMaker Certified Developer Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 26, 2009

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  Thoroughly Worthwhile!!!

  As an owner of the previous book by this author (the FileMaker 9 Bible), I bought this book with high expectations - and I have not been disappointed. If anything, this book is even better value than the previous one, with extra content, new illustrations and added depth.One thing I really appreciate is the way this book is organised, with the early chapters laying the foundations and introducing ideas, explaining terms and so on. Then as you get towards the middle of the book it really opens up into giving the deeper insights that sets it apart from other books on FileMaker. This is a book to keep by your side as you deal with the really challenging stuff.Another aspect of the book that is excellent, is the wealth of examples, tips and insider explanations about how the program works. Like the previous book in this series, I found a gem or a useful technique on just about every page. The explanations are very clear, the language is straightforward and the... 5/5 Tom Silverwater (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews This review is from: FileMaker Pro 10 Bible (Paperback) As an owner of the previous book by this author (the FileMaker 9 Bible), I bought this book with high expectations - and I have not been disappointed. If anything, this book is even better value than the previous one, with extra content, new illustrations and added depth.One thing I really appreciate is the way this book is organised, with the early chapters laying the foundations and introducing ideas, explaining terms and so on. Then as you get towards the middle of the book it really opens up into giving the deeper insights that sets it apart from other books on FileMaker. This is a book to keep by your side as you deal with the really challenging stuff.Another aspect of the book that is excellent, is the wealth of examples, tips and insider explanations about how the program works. Like the previous book in this series, I found a gem or a useful technique on just about every page. The explanations are very clear, the language is straightforward and the... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , May 28, 2009

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  List Price: $49.99
  

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  FileMaker 12 In Depth (2nd Edition)

  Book (Que)
  List Price: $39.99
  Price: $23.17
  You Save: $16.82 (42%)

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• 

  FileMaker Pro Design & Scripting For Dummies

  eBooks (For Dummies)
  

  Rating (10 reviews):

  (2.9/5)

  

  A good book for FileMaker "users" wanting to become "developers"

  When choosing a book of this type, it's important to realize who the target audience is.The overwhelming majority of FileMaker Pro users are beginners in database design and development. Most of these people have either read the manual or figured out the basics on their own, and can wield FMP as an office productivity tool just fine. (If you are purchasing this book, and have not read the FMP manuals, I suggest that you do so, they are well written, not painfully long, and quite useful to get started.)This book is aimed at helping people get to the next step; from office productivity user to fledgling developer, and it serves that purpose very well.If you want to learn more about design and scripting in FMP, then buy this book. After you've mastered this material, go for some of the more advanced texts out there. 4/5 Roger Jacques (Sausalito, CA United States) - See all my reviews, January 5, 2007

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  Filemaker Pro

  Brace yourself. To find this manual helpful rather than frustrating, you must already know all about it and be familiar with the undefined jargon. Furthermore it is not totally applicable to the most recent version of Filemaker (Version 11). Some very important stuff is totally missing. Until you can grasp the privately defined meaning of words like record, script, database, etc. you will be constantly wondering what is being referred to, spending an inordinate amount of time trying to find out.This is an exceptionally complex program and apparently can be beaten into working well, with time and a great deal of patience. It is unfortunate that this Dummies does not live up to the usual Dummies format of talking to everyone who reads it rather than omitting the novice from the audience.There is no Glossary and the Table of Contents is where the trouble starts. 2/5 Robert F. Ritchie (Freeport, Maine) - See all my reviews, September 27, 2011

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  Outdated!!!

  We purchased the FileMaker v.11 from Amazon, and MISTAKENLY accepted their recommendation to purchase a "package" consisting of two books, in addition to the software. Well, the software is v.11, and the "Dummies" book talks exclusively about v.8! Somewhere between v.8 and v.11, there must have been a sea change in the software, because the "Dummies" book is of ABSOLUTELY no use!As we know, there's practically no (usable) documentation coming with software packages these days, and the Dummies books are usually of great help. Here, though, somebody at Amazon was apparently not watching the store. 1/5 CEPUAmity - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: FileMaker Pro Design & Scripting For Dummies (Paperback) We purchased the FileMaker v.11 from Amazon, and MISTAKENLY accepted their recommendation to purchase a "package" consisting of two books, in addition to the software. Well, the software is v.11, and the "Dummies" book talks exclusively about v.8! Somewhere between v.8 and v.11, there must have been a sea change in the software, because the "Dummies" book is of ABSOLUTELY no use!As we know, there's practically no (usable) documentation coming with software packages these days, and the Dummies books are usually of great help. Here, though, somebody at Amazon was apparently not watching the store. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you? , October 19, 2011

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  List Price: $24.99
  

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• 

  FileMaker Pro 10: The Missing Manual

  Book (Pogue Press)
  

  Rating (35 reviews):

  (4.3/5)

  

  This book won't end up as a doorstop or a climbing platform for your cat(s)

  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... 5/5 R. Stuart "A 21st Century Man" (Post Falls, ID United States) - See all my reviews, November 3, 2007

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  So much more than a "Missing Manual."

  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... 5/5 John E. Wolff (Hamilton, NZ) - See all my reviews, October 21, 2007

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  Excellent intro to FileMaker for beginner through high intermediate

  The Missing Manual series is, overall, quite good with few misses. "FileMaker Pro 10 - The Missing Manual" is no exception to the generally high quality of the series. I've used FileMaker since its very first version when it was produced by a company called Nashoba Systems. FileMaker has always been an excellent product, but with each new version, new features add another level of complexity. The early Nashoba and Apple documentation was excellent, but bit by bit the standards slipped. Printed manuals gave way to online help. A mini-industry developed as publishers introduced new titles. It was never a tsunami, but there were a number of books on various aspects of FileMaker, some very well developed references. The Missing Manual neatly fills the gap. Starting with the basics, you are guided through the basics in the first three chapters. In reality, many people will not need to go beyond this point. There's enough here to get you... 5/5 Jerry Saperstein (Evanston, IL USA) - See all my reviews, August 11, 2009

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  List Price: $39.99
  

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