User manual

1-2 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
FileMaker Pro includes template files that you can use to get started
right away. To open one of the template files, choose File menu >
New Database, and choose a file that best suits your needs.
About FileMaker Pro files
Before you begin to work with FileMaker Pro, you should be
familiar with the basics of a FileMaker Pro file and some simple
database concepts.
About fields and records
Fields are the basis of a database file. Fields are used to store,
calculate, and display the data you enter into a record. Each piece of
information in a record—like name, ID number, and telephone
number—is stored in a field.
In the Clients example above, the fields track name and address
information. For example, you type a client’s first name into the First
Name field, their last name into the Last Name field, and so on. Use
a field for each unique piece of information you are storing.
A database file contains one or more records. Each record contains
fields that hold similar information about one subject or activity. For
example, the fields on a record in the Clients file contain address
information for one client.
To enter data in a database file, you make a new record and enter data
into the fields that belong to that record. After you create records in
a file, you can work with them in various ways: you can edit them,
sort them, find a group of records that contains particular data, or
share the data across a network.
The information you enter into a field is its value. Field values can
be typed into a field, imported from another application or entered in
a number of other ways. They must be in one of the following
formats:
1 text
1 number
Invoice file
002Client ID
Andre CommonClient Name
818-555-1234Phone
Prod
ID Product
ET3
Price
Travel bag $29
ET4 Travel book $32
12345Invoice ID
ET3Prod ID
Travel bagProduct
$29.00Price
002Client ID
Andre Common Name
818-555-1234Phone
Products file
Clients file
34Stock
A record in the Clients database