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Filemaker 6 and ADO.Net
comp.databases.filemaker comp.databases.filemaker
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#11
 
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Re: Filemaker 6 and ADO.Net -
06-06-2005
, 02:16 PM
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42 wrote: What did you do? Sharing the solution to your problem, especially ODBC/ADO.NET stuff is always appreciated... becuase its usually silly little minutia, and its always nice not to trip over the same problem you just solved  Oh, sorry I wasn't clear on this. There were two things I did. Firstly, I set the command parameter for the Number field to be OdbcType.Real, which maps to SQL_REAL. I think something changed between 6 & 7 where 7 now uses the documented type, but 6 uses the Real type. The other thing I had to do was not try to work with the Container field. Appearently you just can't use those fields at all with FM ODBC. |
with FM ODBC/JDBC, but there are limititations to it.
This article talks about Filemaker 6 -> Blobs a bit.
http://www.sourcekeg.co.uk/www.mysql.com/tech-
resources/articles/filemaker_mysql_whitepaper/filemaker_to_mysql_whitepa
per01.htm
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That is by design for FM6, and you'll see similiar behaviour when dealing with custom web publishing, instant web publising, and odbc/jdbc connectivity. Additionally FM Server 5.5 does NOT deal with ODBC it -just- talks to FM clients. The FM client handles the publishing. Thats very disapointing. Its odd, because with MS I've never really felt lockedg in building applications (Office is another story..but I digress), but with Filemaker it certainly feels like they don't want you running anything else but Filemaker. |
designed to host Filemaker applications and data to filemaker clients.
It was never meant to compete in the same application space as SQL
Server.
Filemaker server is an application sever as much as a database server.
Filemaker's strength is in its RAD tools and ease of use, not its
ability to host data to disparate external systems.
That is changing, as demand for increased data exchange capabilities is
very high these days, but most databases were designed from ground zero
with that as their raison-d'etre, filemaker took a different road.
I wouldn't call it deliberate vendor lock-in though, although it does
feel like it sometimes.
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Naturally, if you are web hosting FM (via IWP, CWP, ODBC/JDBC, etc), the proper deployment model, per the FM white papers on the subject is: Data hosted on an FM5.5 Server. Data published to the web/odbc/xml via (possibly a pool) of dedicated FM6 Unlimited stations (or FM6 Pro if you only need a few simultaneous connections). You cannot effectively host ODBC/IWP/etc connections from a workstation that somebody actually uses. ODBC in FM5/6 is very much just clumsily "bolted on" to Filemaker Pro. It ain't pretty and it doesn't work great... but at least its there. Well, this is good to know, and may be the route we take for now. Fortunatly, as you mention below, 7 handles this more easily, but you're right, there still are alot of things missing. For what its worth, this has all been substantially addressed in 7, and the FM7 Server Advanced can do IWP/CWP/XML/ODBC/JDBC etc without dangling the connectivity through a client. FM7 ODBC is light years ahead of FM6 ODBC... but still light years behind MySQL or MS SQL Server. Fortunately for FM ODBC is -not- its "normal" mode of operation. Its still more "there if you need it", and though its steadily improving I doubt it will ever catch up to MySQL... Filemaker doesn't "think" in SQL, so its never going to be as good at it as one that does. Well I hope its at least Good Enough. More and more we'd like to get to FM data from outside of FM itself. FM has some nice features, but I'm kinda suprised how much even the lastest version is still lacking.. transactions for example. Of course maybe I missed that part too :-) |
of use... and transactions in FM ... i think it would have to wait until
it stopped using a scripting language and went to a more traditional
programming language... but then it wouldn't be easy to use and it
wouldn't be filemaker. :/
#12
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Interesting. And good to know. I've heard you -can- use blobs/containers with FM ODBC/JDBC, but there are limititations to it. This article talks about Filemaker 6 -> Blobs a bit. http://www.sourcekeg.co.uk/www.mysql.com/tech- resources/articles/filemaker_mysql_whitepaper/filemaker_to_mysql_whitepaper01.htm |
there.
I thought you couldn't update containers because somewhere on the FM
site I read that one of the bug fixes was an incorrect error message
trying to update a container field, and it implied that you couldn't do
so over ODBC.
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More a case that they didn't make it a priority. Filemaker server was designed to host Filemaker applications and data to filemaker clients. It was never meant to compete in the same application space as SQL Server. Filemaker server is an application sever as much as a database server. Filemaker's strength is in its RAD tools and ease of use, not its ability to host data to disparate external systems. That is changing, as demand for increased data exchange capabilities is very high these days, but most databases were designed from ground zero with that as their raison-d'etre, filemaker took a different road. I wouldn't call it deliberate vendor lock-in though, although it does feel like it sometimes. |
certain things a priority, I guess I was just suprised that today it
still seemed behind in its ability to talk to other systems. I'd
gotten used to be able to get to data whereever it is easily, and not
having to worry much about the data store it was coming from.
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Yeah, we'd all like that... although as always FM's focus has been ease of use... and transactions in FM ... i think it would have to wait until it stopped using a scripting language and went to a more traditional programming language... but then it wouldn't be easy to use and it wouldn't be filemaker. :/ |
I was definatly impressed with the new features in 7.
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