Datasheet

Part I ✦ The Fundamentals

entry form. Features such as date-stamping and assigning serial numbers can

be automatically applied to each new voucher. And by creating appropriate

report layouts, you can break down disbursements by time periods, depart-

ments, or individuals.

✦ Improve shipping records. Rather than frantically searching for a shipping

receipt or bill of lading whenever a shipment goes astray, you can use FileMaker

Pro to help you keep track of incoming and outgoing shipments. The program’s

search capabilities make it easy to locate any shipping documentation that nor-

mally might be tucked away in a file drawer. FileMaker Pro can also help you

organize your receipts and create appropriate reports —grouping them and

showing total shipments to each customer, for example.

✦ Reuse existing customer data. For many businesses, the customer list is its most

valuable asset. Sadly, many businesses —both small and large — still attempt to

maintain their customer records on paper only. Entering customer information

into a database makes it possible to do mass mailings to announce sales, easily

update and correct information (a change of address, for example), examine

customer buying patterns, and determine when an additional sales call or purg-

ing from your list is appropriate.

✦ Track rental information. Small businesses that do rentals are excellent candi-

dates for FileMaker Pro. By creating necessary formulas, scripts, and reports,

you can instruct the database to find all rentals that are late, calculate late

charges, and determine who your best customers are.

✦ Examine employee performance. Although a database program is not the best

choice for project tracking (many programs are designed specifically for this

task), you can certainly create a simple assignment-oriented database that

records each assignment you hand out, including its due date, progress notes,

and completion date. By adding fields for “quality of work,” the database can

help you perform (and document) the dreaded salary review.

✦ Schedule company resources. Conference rooms, audiovisual equipment, and

other limited company resources are often in high demand. If you’re the office

manager, consider creating a database of resource requests. You can then sort

by resource, date, and time to quickly flag duplicate requests.

✦ Share information between branches. FileMaker Pro’s ability to host multi-user

databases on the Internet or a company intranet provides an ideal way for you

to share data between distant branches of your company or among the users

on your corporate local area network (LAN).

Home uses for FileMaker Pro

FileMaker Pro isn’t just for business. In fact, home users make up a substantial por-

tion of those who purchase and use FileMaker Pro for their data recording needs.

Here are some ways you can use FileMaker Pro for your own record keeping:

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