User manual

Chapter 6
Converting FileMaker databases from previous versions
Because FileMaker Pro 7 uses a new file format, you must convert
FileMaker
Pro files created in earlier versions to the new file format.
The conversion process makes it possible for you to use your
previous files with FileMaker Pro 7, but it’s important to note that:
1 Manual corrections may be necessary. You might need to
correct items in the converted file that did not convert properly. In
some cases, you may need to correct items in the original file and
then convert the file again. After you convert any file, you should
review the Conversion.log file for items that may need to be
corrected.
1 You should test the converted file. The Conversion.log file may
not indicate every item in the file that needs to be corrected. Before
you begin using a converted database solution, you should test it
thoroughly to make sure every aspect has converted successfully.
For example, make sure every script works as you expect, and that
accounts and privilege sets provide the required file security.
1 You may want to migrate files to FileMaker Pro 7. When you
convert a multi-file relational database, the converted files aren’t
optimized for use with FileMaker Pro
7. The files are still related, but
they are not combined into a single file with multiple, related tables,
which may be desirable if you want to make better use of the new
features in FileMaker Pro 7. You may want to go a step beyond
conversion and
migrate your files to FileMaker Pro 7, which you can
do by either manually combining your files after conversion, or re-
creating your database in FileMaker Pro
7 and then importing the
data from the original files.
This chapter describes the basics of file conversion. It includes:
1 an overview of the conversion process
1 instructions on how to convert single files or multiple files at once
1 information on how to view the Conversion.log file after
converting one or more files
1 a summary of the top conversion issues you may encounter
If you’re converting complex or business-critical databases, refer to
the more detailed manual,
Converting FileMaker Databases from
Previous Versions
, which is included with FileMaker Pro in PDF
format. See
“Using FileMaker Pro documentation” on page 7 for
more information.
Conversion overview
If your database solution is fairly simple, you should be able to
convert the files, review the Conversion.log file, test your converted
files, and use them. For example, simple files that were built from the
templates provided with your previous version of FileMaker Pro
should convert accurately without a lot of manual corrections
afterwards.
If you’re converting a multi-file relational database created with
custom features such as custom scripts, or a database that’s business-
critical, you should plan your conversion more carefully. The first
chapter in
Converting FileMaker Databases from Previous Versions
contains a conversion checklist for complex databases that you can
follow.
FileMaker Pro 7 can convert files created with versions 3.x, 4.x, 5.x,
and 6.x. If you have files created using FileMaker
Pro version 2.x or
earlier, you must first convert them to one of the supported formats
listed above. Then you can convert the files to FileMaker
Pro 7. For
more information, see
“Converting FileMaker Pro 1.x
and 2.x databases” on page 96.