Datasheet

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Chapter 1 ✦ What Is a Database?
Thus, when you want to enter a new record, you must switch to Browse mode. To
modify any portion of a layout (to add or resize a graphic; edit a field label; or move,
format, add, or delete a field, for example), you have to be in Layout mode. If you’re
not sure what mode you’re in, you can check the Mode button in the window’s status
area or the Mode indicator at the bottom of the database window. Alternatively, you
can open the View menu and see which mode has a check mark next to it.
Getting “The Big Picture”
Now that you understand what a database program is and does, and how to deter-
mine when it’s the right tool for the job, you might be facing a problem common
to anyone who buys a new type of program. You probably wonder what you can
do with FileMaker Pro. (Yes, many of us often purchase software solutions before
clearly defining the problems they were intended to solve.)
Although FileMaker Pro is a wonderful piece of technology, it’s only as useful as you
make it. And, like so many other things in life, understanding how something works
isn’t the same as knowing when to use it. If you’ve ever taken an advanced math or
statistics course, you understand what we mean. Memorizing formulas isn’t the same
as knowing when to apply them.
If you’ve already experimented with the sample files and templates included with
FileMaker Pro 8, you probably also already know that they aren’t meant to serve all
your database needs. Before long, you’ll be faced with the prospect of designing
and using your own databases. And if you’re new to databases, your biggest initial
problem won’t be learning how to use the program but rather what to use it for.
To get you into the proper mind-set, this chapter concludes with a list of some
uses to which FileMaker Pro can be put—some general and some very specific.
Hopefully, these examples will give you ideas for databases that you might want to
create, moving you from the thinking stage to the doing stage.
Business uses for FileMaker Pro
Because of the ease with which you can create functional, useful databases (regard-
less of your prior database experience), FileMaker Pro has long been a favorite
program among business users. Here are a few of the things you can do with
FileMaker Pro:
✦ Automate business forms. Most businesses rely on forms, and many of these
forms are perfect candidates for databases. A petty cash voucher system is
one example. Rather than just fill out a slip of paper that gets tossed into a
cash box or drawer, you can duplicate the voucher as a FileMaker Pro data
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