AboutJamey Key Expertise NEW and INTERMEDIATE USERS. WHAT CAN FILEMAKER PRO DO FOR ME? I have been using FileMaker products for over 10 years and have basic knowledge in all areas of FileMaker database set up and use. I`m not prepared to answer questions about complex situations or calculations but can help beginners and intermediate users set up and use FileMaker databases.
Experience Have been using FileMaker since 1989 in our business. We have 10 users on the network who use these databases every day. Our largest databases have had over 30,000 records at one time. In 1995 one of my files was chosen as "Most Unique Database" in a contest sponsored by Claris, maker of FileMaker. Recently I have developed a set of files for new computer system installed at our church.
Question Hi Jamey,
I have just recently started using Filemaker, but I've got the basics. I am trying to make a searchable catalog of resources that our organization has on several of our bookshelves. There are two categories of resources which have some overlapping fields (for example, title, date, and category), but mostly different fields (ex. exhibit, museum, and method for one category, journal, volume, and publisher for another category). I assumed that the easiest way to do this was just to have all possible fields in one table, and then only fill in the ones that are applicable to a resource type. Is there a way to have filemaker only show fields that I use/are applicable to a given response to an initial categorizer? I tried separating out info into 3 different tables: one for overlapping fields, and two for the fields of each of the two categories, with a relationship by resource title. But it still had the same problem- I needed to have fields that were sometimes not used in the overlapping table. Do you have any suggestions for how solve this? Thank you.
Answer Avery;
I feel your pain, I really do. I dont think the three table method is the way to go. In the long run, the two table method (resource A and resource B) would probably be the most accurate for producing reports.
I have a similar situation here. We have employees and customers (companies). I used to keep them in two files. In some instances, a company can also be an employee (in a sense). What I did was put them into one file. I dont use all of the fields for employees and I dont use them all for customers. I have a checkbox that designates them as an employee, driver, customer, contractor, dealer.......whatever. Some records have more than one box checked.
I suggest you use ONE file and mark each record as appropriate. This will be the easiest way to do it and you have all of your resources right there in one table.
