POLYTROPE Support: Opening Database Files |
How to open FileMaker database filesFileMaker Pro has two different commands for opening database files: File > Open, and File > Open Remote. They are confusingly similar but dramatically different and it's important to use the right one. Which you should use depends on the answers to two important questions: (1) are the files configured for multiuser access?, and (2) is your computer opening them as a guest or as the host? We are assuming here that the answer to the first question above is yes, the files are configured for multiuser access (that is, they are set up to be shared). That is typically the case with our database solutions. We are also going to skip over a number of shortcuts, exceptions, and potential problems, in order to keep these instructions as clear as possible. If you encounter a problem, or if you don't know the answer to one or both of the questions above, contact us or the person in your IT department responsible for the databases. You may also simply wish to try following the instructions for opening database files as a guest user. That is by far the most common scenario. WARNING: If the procedures below are not followed precisely, there is a real risk of serious damage to the files. These instructions were written with FileMaker Pro 8.5 in mind, but with very minor adjustments, they are good for all versions of FileMaker Pro released in the last 10 years. Scenario 1: Opening database files on a guest computerTo open files correctly as a guest:
That's it. The database file should now open inside FileMaker Pro. You may or may not be asked for an account and password, depending on how the files have been designed. These instructions are address not to you as a person but to the computer that you are using to open the files. If your computer is acting as a guest, then you should always open the files this way, at least when you are at your computer. Make it a habit and you won't go wrong. What if you don't see the host computer you're looking for, or you click on the host but the database you are looking for isn't listed? Time to contact your IT expert. It's possible that the files are not available right now because the server is down or they have been closed on the server or there's a networking problem. Scenario 2: Opening database files as a host computer (peer to peer sharing)Without question, the best way to share your database files is to put them on a dedicated computer (server) and host them using the FileMaker Server software. Then all users get into the files as guests and follow the directions above. However, if you are sharing the files "peer to peer," without using FileMaker Server, then one computer must be designated the host, and the files are opened differently on the host computer than on the guest computers. If your computer is designated as the host, the files must be physically stored on your local hard drive (typically the C: drive in Microsoft Windows) - not on an external or network drive. If that is the case, then here's how to open the files:
That's it. In order for the file to be accessible to guest users, it will need to be configured for multiuser access. Most of our database solutions have a command or button on the splash screen or in the menus that makes this easy to do, and when it's done once, it does not need to be done again. It is critically important that the host computer - the one with the files stored on its local hard drive - open the files before anybody else does. Make sure that the computer that has been assigned the role of host opens the files first each day and closes them only after all the guests have closed the files on their computers. Copyright © 2007, Polytrope LLC, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. |