User manual

Chapter 1
FileMaker Pro basics
This chapter presents basic information about databases and using
FileMaker Pro. You’ll learn about:
1 working with fields and records
1 using FileMaker Pro modes
1 performing menu commands
1 managing files
If you’re new to FileMaker Pro, start by reviewing the tutorial,
included in the FileMaker Pro Getting Started Guide.
About databases
A database is a collection of information, or data, that you can
organize, update, sort, search through, and print as needed. Your own
address book or filing cabinet might be an example of a database.
With the address book and filing cabinet, you store similar pieces of
information organized for easy retrieval.
With a filing cabinet, you must choose a way to sort your data, for
example, alphabetically by last name or by region. By storing contacts
and addresses in FileMaker Pro, you can organize your information in
many ways. You can sort your information by country, city, last name,
or even sort by all three of these fields!
You can also view a subset of your data, for example only contacts in a
particular city. A database doesn’t just hold information—you use a
database to organize and analyze information so that you understand its
significance.
A database can be one file, which might hold the names, addresses,
and telephone and fax numbers of all your clients.
A database can also be many files that, together, contain all the
information about a particular topic, or related topics (sometimes
called a database system). Using the relational capabilities of
FileMaker Pro, you can join information between files to create a
relational database. For example, one file can show you which
clients went on a particular tour and a related file can show how
much they paid. (For more information about relational databases,
see chapter 8, “Working with related files.”)
M N
Michelle Cannon
123 4th St. SW
Edmonton
[phone]
CA
N4V 1LN
Records
Fields
Your address book is like a database