The recent release of FileMaker 16 is designed to enable citizen developers while at the same time support professional coders. It is a platform a new developer can easily dive into and then grow with. In an interview for TechCrunch, FileMaker’s director of platform evangelism, Andrew LeCates, said, “We have decades of experience and we always believed in the idea of revealed power. We want to allow somebody to build in a graphical and declarative way, but if you are a pro, you can go deeper.”
At aACE Software, we’ve focused on bringing increased benefits to the small and mid-sized businesses that get the most benefit from aACE’s robust, yet affordable suite of accounting, CRM, and ERP tools. From this practical vantage point, Brian Voll, the lead developer at aACE Software, gives kudos to FM 16 for three areas:
Reporting
Reports are a daily request from our clients and FM16 gives us many more tools for satisfying those needs. PDF support on FileMaker server allows us to automatically build and send reports to users, while the new Tableau web connector enables our clients to run analytics and build reports independently.
Integrating
Our ability to integrate with other software solutions is another feature our clients love about aACE. We currently integrate with AvaTax, WooCommerce, and MailChimp in a method so seamless that clients sometimes don’t know they love it. FM16 gives us more tools, such as JSON functions and enhanced cURL options, to build more integrations for our clients’ needs.
Deploying
FileMaker Cloud receives ongoing enhancements in version 16, allowing us to deploy more aACE implementations in the cloud as our clients’ user base becomes more and more distributed.
Other noteworthy features include the ease of coding in FM16 with type-ahead and debugging tools. Likewise the FileMaker Business Alliance LinkedIn group has highlighted additional enhancements:
– Passing Multiple Parameters Natively Using JSON
– FileMaker 16’s Data API – REST for PHP developers
To get up to speed fast on FM16, we recommend Learn FileMaker Pro 16, The Comprehensive Guide to Building Custom Databases. Written by experienced FM developer, Mark Munro, with technical editing by aACE Software’s very own Brian Sanchez, this text includes everything a beginner needs to start building FileMaker databases and also contains advanced material for seasoned professionals. Chapters include:
- Explore the FileMaker application from a user perspective
- Create database files, tables, fields and relationships
- Create SQL queries to build fast and efficient formulas
- Design user interfaces with an array of powerful objects
- Automate tasks with scripts
- Covers new features of version 16: JSON functions, Cards, Layout Object window, SortValues, UniqueValues, using variables in Data Sources
You can pre-order a copy on Amazon.
Of course, not all SMEs have the luxury of coding their own business software. aACE 5 covers most business management needs, while its FileMaker foundation enables easy customization. Learn more about how aACE 5 can accelerate your business velocity.
