MightyNews - October 2012
Hello FileMaker user,
Welcome to our October newsletter! Check out the latest articles and events from the MightyData team.
Upcoming Events:
The November FMPugs will feature Rosemary Tietge from FileMaker, Inc.:
We invite you to connect with us online: Blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
If you have feedback, please call (972-390-8600) or email us info@mightydata.com.
Susan Fennema
Dean of Success
 
Going Paperless!
by Susan Fennema
MightyData is going paperless! Obviously, as a virtual company, most of our work is already on common servers. We do not have a room full of filing cabinets or stacks of paper lying around with entity-relationship diagrams and other developer notes on them. We do that "in the cloud."
But, there is one aspect of our business that has remained paper... or at least paper as an option. And that is signed proposals and payments. Today, we remove that last hurdle to being paperless. So, I guess you can now call us "greener" as well.
Read more
Using Barcodes and Magnetic Stripes with iOS
by Kirk Bowman
The other day, Anders Monsen and I were prototyping a custom iPad app to help a stage company manage work crews for large arena events. Each event has multiple shifts (7am, 7:45am, 8:30am, etc.). At the start of each shift, several employees need to clock-in quickly and receive their work assignments.
We researched two ways to identify an employee with an ID card: scanning a barcode and reading a magnetic stripe. We found three apps in the App Store that can integrate with FileMaker Go, two for scanning barcodes and one for reading a magnetic stripe using a third-party card reader.
Read more
Scanning Barcodes and More With FileMaker Go – Part 1
by Anders Monsen (This is Part 1 of a 3-part series.)
A smartphone today does far more than make calls. With a variety of apps available we have access to a world of information at our fingertips, or hours of distraction. Productivity is vital from the business side of mobile computing. Reading and storing data is one powerful aspect, but collecting data on the device makes our information interactive. Getting data on to the device quickly and error-free becomes imperative for any business.
FileMaker Go is a perfect tool for storing data on a iOS device like the iPhone and iPad. But, the lack of a physical keyboard makes data-entry a slow and tedious affair. Scanning bar codes or reading magnetic cards like credit cards, drivers licenses, and so forth, enables fast access to data. This three-part article first will discuss the requirements to pull data into FileMaker Go from an iOS device, and then demonstrate two different methods of adding data.
Read more
Creating Tears of Joy
by Susan Fennema
MightyData has recently discovered its true calling. We’ve always known we were great database developers and wonderful trainers. We’ve always known we were good at digging deep into processes. We’ve always used technology the best way for each individual customer. But, lately, we are looking for ways to improve people’s lives.
We can give a mom the chance to spend more time with her kids. We can give family run business owners the opportunity to spend more time enjoying fun time rather than work time. We can give a single person the opportunity to go to the gym on the way home from work. We can do these things and want to do more.
Read more
We Will Diagnose Before We Prescribe
by Kirk Bowman
Recently I was visiting with a prospective customer about how we could create a custom iOS app for her service business. Prior to the conversation she provided a spreadsheet that she uses for part of the process. During our first phone call, I learned she uses about a dozen documents for various parts of the process.
As you can anticipate, I asked for a copy of the other documents, and she agreed to provide them. A couple of days later, I followed up to see if she needed help sending the documents. It was then I learned she had changed her mind about providing the additional documents because she only wanted to focus on a part of the process. On the surface this seems like a reasonable request, However, in reality it could not be further from the truth.
Read more
Filemaker SQL / WAN Performance Troubles
by Darren Burgess
One of the new all-the-rage features in FileMaker 12 is the new ExecuteSQL function. When I heard about this new function and its potential to massively simplify the graph, I decided I did not want to wait to convert my customer’s School Management Solution to FMP12 and elected to use the free BaseElements plugin
to access the FileMaker internal SQL API in FileMaker 11.
Some months and many hours of learning curve time later, I was able to successfully implement SQL queries in many areas of my customer’s solution. Since I am using a plugin in a FMP11 solution, I took advantage of the opportunity to use SQL Insert, Update, and Delete queries to create, modify and delete records without having to create any schema to support the actions. As a result, I created very few additional relationships and was able to write significantly shorter scripts as I implemented several new features for the customer.
Read more
Poker Analogy Blog Re-hash
by David Weisiger
I will be the first to admit I struggled with my last blog post, using poker as an analogy with respect to the sales/prospecting process. There were some outside factors that were in play there–procrastination, tons of new leads filling up the pipe, procrastination again. But there was something else that was going on there as well. Poker analogies don’t work with respect to sales!
I could not put my finger on it at the time I was writing it, but something wasn’t quite gelling with the whole story I was trying to tell. I wanted to talk about how the ability to read other poker players at a table is similar to the technique you need when talking with new potential customers. You know, being able to get the “real story” that the potential customer isn’t giving you.
Read more
FileMaker Sync Guide
Syncing data between two systems may be as simple as importing records from one file to another, or as complex as incremental record-by-record updates based on business rules. This document discusses the two separate but interrelated components of syncing – record exchange and record processing. While the focus of this paper is on syncing between FileMaker Go files and hosted FileMaker Pro files, the concepts may also be applied to syncing between files used solely by FileMaker Pro users. FileMaker Technical Network members can download now.
About MightyData
At MightyData, we’re all in. That means, everything we do, we do with a never-ending commitment to create value for our customers. Our relentless pursuit of what’s possible with technology gives us the power to help transform your business from respectable to remarkable. When it comes to delivering value, we pack a mighty punch.
©2012 MightyData, LLC. All rights reserved.
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