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Sharing databases on a network
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ILEMAKER PRO HELP 486
Sharing databases on a network
If your computer is connected to a network, you and other Windows and OS X FileMaker Pro and
FileMaker
Go users can use the same database file simultaneously.
FileMaker Pro Network Sharing supports the sharing of files with up to 5 concurrent users (not
including the host). FileMaker Go clients are included in the limit of 5 users. To support more users
and web publishing technologies such as XML and
FileMaker WebDirect, use FileMaker Server.
• The information in this topic pertains to sharing files on a local area network. To host
databases over a network, see Opening files as the host. For information about publishing
files on the web or an intranet, see Publishing databases on the web. For information about
sharing files via ODBC or JDBC, see Using ODBC and JDBC with FileMaker Pro.
• OS X: If you are unable to share files on a local network, verify on the host computer that
either the OS
X Sharing firewall has been turned off, or that you have added an open
network port configuration for port 5003 to the system sharing preferences. For more
information about the OS
X Sharing firewall and adding a network port configuration, see
OS
X Help Center.
Important Sharing (or hosting) a FileMaker Pro database is independent of any operating system
file sharing. Access control you set up in Windows or OS
X is not associated with access privileges
you set up in FileMaker Pro, and vice versa.
If you are the first person to open a shared file, you are the host. Users who open a shared file after
you are clients.
Notes
Once a shared file is open, the host and clients have access to the same information, and all
changes to the file appear in each user's window.
• Modifications to the data made by any user are saved in the shared file. Any changes to
layouts and scripts are also saved in the shared file.
• Specified sort orders, find requests, import and export field orders, and print setups are
specific to each user.
Although it's possible for multiple users to make changes in the same shared file at the same time,
there are limits to the types of simultaneous changes that are permitted. The following table
describes the types of changes you can and cannot make to shared files.
Database change Limitation
Changing data in fields and records Two people can’t edit the same record at the same
time.
Changing layouts and layout elements Two people can’t modify the same layout at the same
time.
Changing value lists Two people can’t modify or define value lists at the
same time.
Note One person can edit a value list while another
person is using it in Browse or Find mode.