User manual

Chapter 3
Working with related tables and files
This chapter explains the basics of how to:
1 plan a relational database
1 create and edit relationships
1 create and edit lookups
FileMaker Pro uses related tables as the basis for relational
databases
and lookups. Relational databases allow you to work with
data from other tables dynamically, so that you can change data in
one place and your changes are reflected in all places where the
related data appears. Lookups let you copy and paste data from one
table to another; once looked-up data has been inserted, it does not
change unless you edit it or tell FileMaker Pro to look it up again.
Use relational databases to:
1 See and work with data from another (or the current) table in its
most up-to-date state. For example, display data in related fields
when you need current data from a related table, such as the current
price of an item. As data changes in the related records, you see those
changes in the current table.
1 Set up and manage data efficiently and with flexibility. Instead of
creating many database tables or files with duplicate values, you
store single occurrences of values and use relationships to make
those values available. You can then make changes to data in only
one place, which eliminates data duplication and promotes data
accuracy.
1 Save disk space, because data is stored in only one place.
Use lookups to:
1 Copy data from a related table and keep it as copied, even when
the related data changes. For example, use a lookup to copy the price
of an item at the time of purchase into an Invoices table. Even if the
price in the related table changes, the price in the Invoices table stays
the same.
All FileMaker Pro tables used in your database must be from
FileMaker
Pro 7 files. Files created with earlier versions of
FileMaker
Pro may be used, but the files must be converted to the
current version first. See
Converting FileMaker Databases from
Previous Versions.
Note See Help for detailed, comprehensive information and step-by-
step procedures about using FileMaker Pro. To learn how to work
with related records, see Lesson 10 in the
FileMaker Pro Tutorial.
About relationships
A relationship is a powerful method for organizing your data. Using
a relationship, you can join data in one or more tables based on
common field values, different field values, or a comparison of
values in two or more fields.
After you create a relationship, you can do either of the following to
display the data from the related table:
1 Design a relational database, which is one or more tables that,
when used together, contain all the data you need for your work.
Each occurrence of data is stored in only one table at a time, but can
be accessed and displayed from any related table. You can change
any occurrence of your related data, and the changes appear in all
places where that related data is used.