User manual

Table Of Contents
Using ODBC with FileMaker Pro
15-5
Importing data from other data sources
Using ODBC, you can import records into an existing database or a
new FileMaker Pro file by opening an ODBC data source (like
Oracle or Microsoft Access databases) directly. The FileMaker Pro
SQL query builder makes it easy to construct queries that can search
a data source or DBMS, fetch specific records, and import the
resulting records into a FileMaker Pro database.
Use one of the included ODBC drivers to import data from its
corresponding data source:
1 Text (Windows and Mac OS)
1 Oracle 8 (Windows)
1 Oracle 7 (Mac OS)
1 SQL Server 7 (Windows only)
You can also import ODBC data using a number of third-party
ODBC drivers from vendors.
Importing data from an ODBC data source: an overview
Here are general steps to construct SQL queries with FileMaker Pro:
1. Configure the data source in the ODBC control panel (by specifying
what kind of data you’re accessing and how to locate the data).
2. In FileMaker Pro, connect to the ODBC data source.
3. Use the FileMaker Pro query builder to generate a SQL query.
Then, the data resulting from the query is imported into the
FileMaker Pro database.
The procedures are described in more detail below.
Configuring the ODBC control panel
This section provides instructions for importing data from ODBC
data sources into FileMaker Pro.
Note Configuring the ODBC control panel varies for each driver
type. For example, to configure the remote Oracle ODBC driver, you
must first configure SQL Net Easy Configuration, where you specify
a variety of options (like the driver, data source name, server
location, the database instance name, and the user ID). When
accessing a local Microsoft Access data source, however, you simply
provide the path to the data source. Additionally, the steps may vary
from one ODBC driver manufacturer to another. Refer to the
documentation that accompanies the data source for the exact
procedure.
1. Open the ODBC control panel (named ODBC Data
Sources (32bit) in Windows and ODBC Setup PPC in the
Mac OS).
2. To configure a new data source, click Add. Select the ODBC driver
that corresponds to your data source and click Finish.
3. To configure an existing data source, select the data source name
and click Configure.
4. In the General tab of the ODBC Driver Setup dialog box, begin
configuring the ODBC driver by specifying a Data Source Name and
Description.
The name identifies the data source to ODBC clients.
5. For some file-based data sources, specify the path in Database
Directory. In Windows, include the filename and extension.