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Overview

A release effort is now underway for FileMaker 9, a product that has been available commercially since July 2007.

MIT Support for FileMaker Pro 9 and FileMaker Server 9 will include:

• Updated online documentation regarding installation, upgrade considerations, licensing and system requirements
• Help Desk support of all currently supported features
• Updated Stock Answers pages

Training at MIT will be done on version 8.5 for the remainder of the 2007 calendar year. Effective January 2008, training on v9.0 will commence, replacing v8.5. The FileMaker Release Team does not plan support for FileMaker Server 8.0v4.

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Timeline

Distribution of all FileMaker v9 products begins effective late September. Release project is expected to complete by late fall 2007.

News

Early Distribution Period

The release project for FileMaker 9.0 is scheduled to commence in early Fall 2007. Release efforts encompass a product's software distribution and support services such as training and Help Desk response. It takes time to put all of those services into place, and IS&T understands that community demand for the product can not always wait for the full release effort to conclude. Therefore, distribution of the FileMaker 9 product line will commence in advance of the completion of the full release project.

Distribution of FileMaker 9.0 products will commence late September, 2007. The installers will be tested on all IS&T-supported operating systems. However, full support for FileMaker 9.0 will not be available until late Fall 2007. MIT community members who request and deploy copies of any FileMaker 9 product during this early distribution period, may not receive training or help desk support services until the full release effort is complete. While the Help Desk can provide assistance on currently supported versions of FileMaker, please do not contact the Help Desk with questions regarding any features specific to FileMaker 9. Similarly, training is available for FileMaker 8.0/8.5; training for FileMaker Pro 9.0 and FileMaker Server 9.0 is anticipated to become available in January 2008.

Exciting New Feature – External SQL Sources (ESS)

One of the most exciting new features of FileMaker 9 is the External SQL Sources (ESS) functionality. While it has been possible for many years to import data from other database systems via odbc, with version 9 it is now possible to interact with that data real-time without importing it into your local FileMaker database. IS&T sees this as a potentially valuable tool for the community to interact with the Data Warehouse. Therefore, this feature will be tested, and support services will be developed to assist the community with this new functionality specifically as it relates to the Data Warehouse. Until those services and relevant policies are in place, however, IS&T strongly recommends that users not implement ESS functionality during the early distribution period. Full support for FileMaker 9’s features, including ESS with the Data Warehouse, is anticipated by late Fall 2007.

Announcements

FileMaker Pro 9 Release Project Underway - September 18, 2007

FileMaker 9 Released - December 6, 2007

Key Decisions

Products and features to be tested:

• FileMaker Pro 9.0 and FileMaker Server 9.0 will be tested. The other v9 product family members -- FileMaker Pro Advanced and FileMaker Server Advanced -- will not be tested. There is no version 9 of FileMaker Mobile, and the previous version release of Mobile will not be tested.


• Current users of all earlier versions of Pro are strongly encouraged to move directly to version 9, as it is fully compatible with both Microsoft Vista and Intel Macs. FileMaker Server, however, is not compatible with Vista or Leopard; it is best installed on a server OS. A patch for Leopard is expected in early 2008.


• The team will test FileMaker Server 9 so that the community may have access to the security features now available in the FileMaker product line. The team will not test FileMaker Server Advanced. It should be noted that Custom Web Publishing, which was previously part of Server Advanced is now part of FileMaker Server. There will be no testing or support of Custom Web Publishing or Instant Web Publishing.


• Due to the server administration skills required to install and manage FileMaker Server, we recommend that requests for licenses for FileMaker Server come from DLC local IT experts and IT Partners. Help Desk support for server OSes will not be available. DLC's without a system administrator to manage FileMaker Server may wish to consider hosting services available through either DCAD or the Windows Server Hosting team.


• ESS will be supported only as it applies to acquiring or reading data from the Data Warehouse. While other rdbms are included in ESS functionalities, MIT is invested in better, more efficient use of enterprise data through the Data Warehouse, and will therefore focus on supporting that use of ESS only. Special attention will be paid to Warehouse policy, security, and service implications.

Notable Features

• FileMaker Pro v9
  • External SQL Source (ESS)
  • Conditional Formatting and Auto Re-size for layout objects
  • Enhanced Web Viewer (Progress bar, Info, SSL lock, Data URL)
  • Quicker access to Help materials
  • Enhanced Toolbar (Save as PDF, Save as Excel, Align Toolbar)
  • Updated Avery Labels
• FileMaker Server v9
  • The Unified Admin Console (UAC) java webstart
  • Remote administration of the UAC
  • Upload Database Wizard
  • The Deployment Assistant (and single disk installation) and Edit Deployment launch of wizard
  • Verify Backup

System Requirements

• System requirements for FileMaker Pro 9 and FileMaker Server 9

• For the latest IS&T hardware recommendations, see Recommended Macintosh Computers and Recommended Personal Computers for staff and students.

Testing

• FileMaker Pro 9.0 installation test on Windows and Mac

Compatibility Issues

The FileMaker 9 file format is compatible with the 7.0 and 8.x family, allowing some users in an area to upgrade while other do not. However, mixing client versions in a shared environment is not advised, as there are feature differences that could cause problems for users of older versions. Developers who wish to take advantage of features new to 9, such as the External SQL Source functionality, should be aware that these features will not work when files are accessed with earlier versions.

The FileMaker 5.x/6.0 file format is *not* compatible with any later version. You may run 6.0 and later clients on the same machine if you need to access different versions of databases, but they are essentially completely separate applications. FileMaker 8.5 can not open 5.5/6.0 files (it will prompt an attempt to convert), and v5.x/6 can not "see" later version databases at all.

IS&T urges that users of version 5.x/6.0 migrate to version 9. The Departmental Consulting and Application Development (DCAD) team can facilitate your migration from 6.0 to 9.0; for more information, please contact db-consult@mit.edu. IS&T recommends that users of v7-8.5 upgrade to v9 to get full compatibility with Windows Vista (excluding FileMaker Server) and Intel Macs.

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Documentation

Existing or Planned Documentation:

Documentation Name	Previous Version	Draft Ready	Ready
FileMaker Pro Product Front Door	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro 9: Product Page for Windows	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro 9: Product Page for Macintosh	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro 9: Installation Instructions	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro 9: Upgrading from Earlier Versions	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro 9: New Features	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro 9: Known Issues	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Server 9: Product Page for Windows	No	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Server 9: Product Page for Macintosh	No	Yes	Yes
Setting up your ODBC connection	No	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Server 9: Installation Instructions	No	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Server 9: Step-by-step Configuration	No	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Server 9: Supported Features	No	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Server 9: Known Issues	No	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro: Security Guidelines	Yes	Yes	Yes
FileMaker Pro: Versions, Migrations, and Database Conversion	Yes	Yes	Yes

 

Release Team

	Deb Bowser - SWRT
	Quality Assurance Coordinator
	Bronwen Heuer - Training
	Training Representative
	Alex Koslov - SWRT
	Platform Coordinator - Windows
	Cecilia Marra - DCAD
	Product Release Coordinator
	Jessica Donnelly Reed - Help Desk
	Help Desk Representative
	Lee Ridgway - Publications
	Documentation Writer
	John Scanlon - Data Warehouse
	Data Warehouse Representative
	Matthias Thorn - Help Desk
	Help Desk Representative

If you would like to contact the team, please send email to filemaker-release@mit.edu.

Training

FileMaker training through the end of December 2007 will focus on FileMaker 8.0/8.5.

Beginning in January, all FileMaker training will feature FileMaker 9, beginning with "FileMaker Basics" (3 hours), "FileMaker Reports, Layouts, and User-Interface Design" (6 hours). "Database Concepts and Design" (6 hours), the third in the suite of classes, will appear on a later schedule which has not yet been drawn up.

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