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This article was updated in August 2023 following updates from Claris.
The Claris FileMaker family of products offer all the tools required to build the perfect software system for your business. But the FileMaker toolkit can be confusing. Here’s our guide to the different products and solutions, how they can be used and what their benefits are.
The FileMaker platform is a fantastic set of tools we use to solve our clients’ problems. But it’s not always easy understanding what the different Claris FileMaker products and solutions do and why you’d use them. That’s why we’ve created an essential user guide, drawing on our expertise as Claris platinum partners and Claris certified developers.
You use Claris FileMaker Pro on your desktop or laptop (Windows or Mac) whenever you need to access and interact with your FileMaker system. Pro also runs on touchscreens, of the kind that can be installed in a warehouse or factory in a fixed location.
FileMaker Go frees you to use FileMaker on mobile iOS devices. This is what you rely on if you have an application which is used remotely on an iPad or iPhone – for example walking around a site while conducting an inspection, carrying out a stock count in your warehouse, or doing quality inspections as your goods go out for delivery.
WebDirect is a tool for connecting to your FileMaker system online via a web browser rather than via Pro or Go. It uses a compatible web browser such as Chrome, Internet Explorer or Safari and offers only limited access, but it’s a handy way to give known external parties such as suppliers the ability to input or access information. However it’s not suitable for interacting with large audiences.
Easy to use, custom web portals can be created for Claris FileMaker, allowing large numbers of users to enter data or submit requests via any web browser on desktop, laptop or mobile devices. At Decent Group we frequently create these kinds of bespoke web portals for our clients.
A custom API integration connects a Claris FileMaker system with external software applications. This goes beyond simple apps such as Google calendar – for example, it can enable your system to share data with delivery services such as DHL and TNT or accounting systems such as Sage, Xero and NetSuite. This is just the start: API integrations are possible with a huge range of software products, both commonplace and niche. We often customise our clients’ systems to talk to a wide range of other software – it’s the key to a complete business system that spans your entire workflow.
Claris FileMaker Server is the foundation that keeps everything else running. For any system larger than one used by a single user, files are stored on a server running the FileMaker Server software. Once it’s been set up appropriately – in the cloud, or in your own infrastructure – you can leave it alone. Find out more here about setting up your server reliably.
Claris Connect allows a Claris FileMaker system to connect with popular third-party apps to sync data or automate tasks. This is a limited version of what a custom API integration (above) can achieve.
Claris Studio is an easy way to create online web-based forms that solve simple requirements quickly – offering something a little more sophisticated than WebDirect’s capabilities. This is a limited version of what web portal development (above) can provide.
Claris was planning a rebrand of FileMaker as the Claris platform but as of August 2023 this isn’t now going ahead. Instead the Claris team will be focusing their energies on improving and enhancing Claris FileMaker for the future.
The Claris FileMaker platform offer a range of important tools for developing business systems, but the true power of the platform is realised when these tools are used to build bespoke systems with custom integrations and portals. This is what we specialise in – using Claris FileMaker to create the perfect fit that your business needs.
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