New FileMaker downloads

FileMaker today announced a downloadable kit to help small businesses and corporate workgroups increase their productivity by integrating FileMaker Pro 8.5 with Microsoft Office applications as well as a new download that demonstrates how FileMaker Pro 8.5 users can view information from their databases as dynamic Flash-based HTML charts. The new Optimizer Kit for Microsoft Office includes a 30-day trial of FileMaker Pro 8.5 for Windows or Mac OS and the FileMaker Business Productivity Kit, a set of ready-to-use FileMaker applications to help businesses manage contacts, organize products and inventory, process sales orders, track projects, and more.

The Optimizer kit for Microsoft Office also includes "How To Integrate FileMaker Pro with Microsoft Office," a 46-page do-it-yourself guide with step-by-step instructions that show how to maximize the integration of FileMaker Pro 8.5 with applications from Microsoft Office, such as Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint. In addition, a new Email Marketing Guide, a 46-page guide that demonstrates how to build an email marketing campaign solution, integrating FileMaker Pro and Entourage and Outlook.

The new FileMaker Web Viewer Charting Example Database gives extra “visual punch” to better understanding such business reports as product sales by geographical and year-to-year comparisons; it takes advantage of the new FileMaker Pro 8.5 Web Viewer with a number of ready-to-use examples including 3D pie and bar charts, line charts, scatter charts and Gantt charts. The introductory example in the Web Viewer Charting Example Database displays data from four database fields as a 3D pie chart in the Web Viewer, while the intermediate-level charting sample displays up to 12 fields either as a 3D pie chart or bar chart.

During this week's Expo, FileMaker (booth no. 1225) will also spotlight the web and application integration benefits of the FileMaker 8.5 product line, including the new FileMaker Web Viewer, which adds live web pages to database solutions. Another first-time appearance at Macworld will be booth theater demos of the FileMaker API for the popular PHP programming language, which allows developers to create web-based front-ends with a FileMaker back- end database.

FileMaker is sponsoring the now sold-out "Digital Photography Day," January 12, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., which will include live demos of how FileMaker Pro lets photographers manage, archive and share their images and EXIF data and also use FileMaker Pro to manage their total creative business.

by MacNN Staff