Rating: 
Summary: Great for a beginning "FileMaker guru"
Review: A chap named Ed who is a friend of mine asked me to post my review of this book on amazon even though I don't order from here myself. So here goes. I am new to computers and to databases. This isn't even my computer. I am writing on my son's computer. But I had to set up a database for my work which is a no-kill cat shelter to track cats, expenses, shots, inventory, etc. A tall order for me.So Ed, my friend, gave me this book and told me to read section one. I did, and after piddling around for a few hours I was able to make up my first database and first relationship (before I thought you meant moms and dads for relationships...not how databases link to each other!!). Anyway, the book is very tutorial style at first, or aat least as much as is needed for a starter-upper like moi. So I guess some people expect great amounts of hand-holding from books. There is some of that here, but only so much and then you get into building bigger and better things, based on the stuff you learned in earlier chapters. AND THE CD CONTAINS ROCK SOLID EXAMPLES YOU CAN START USING NOW. Good afternoon, readers!
Rating:
Summary: The top how-to guide out there.
Review: Again, I've read all these reviews and suchwise. And I read that last reviewers review, and I think it is totally unfair for that person to give this book 1 star. Honestly, they must have it in for this author or something. How can you call this book NOT a step-by-step guide? The whole first section walks the user through building a database system. Later, there are even more step by step sections on building relational databases. Even later, there are more step by step sections. Honestly, this book is the best combination of encyclopedic reference, step-by-step, beginner to advanced guide out there. One star? Bla! Let the other REAL reviews speak for themselves. Read the review on filemakerreview.com also for a huge long in depth positive review. I think it is also posted here on amazon. That one was written by a FMP guru. As well, there are other big names in FileMaker that have vouched for this book publicly. So don't believe that last review as it is a bunch of hooey. Last, you'd have to be a total moron to expect the convert files written for FileMaker 6 ERROR FREE to FileMaker 7. Who does that? Someone who is a total amateur obviously. Gosh. Buy this book. It is the best one out there. Check out the contributor list. It is a Who's Who of the FileMaker World. How could it be trash? It isn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Tried to be everything to everyone
Review: FileMaker 6 is a good book, however it tries to encompass all aspects of FileMaker development. A great concept, but not enough actual "useful" material dedicated to each topic to be applicable. It seems as if the author is trying to rest on the Laurels of others as there are numerous developers that actually penned many of the chapters. The book is a little too self promotional for me. Just about every chapter listed has been thoroughly discussed in other books, and I find this book is no exception.
Rating:
Summary: Works for FileMaker Pro 7 Also!!!
Review: FileMaker Pro 7 product line just came out last week. And I can tell you, there aren't an y books out yet. But I thought...what in the heck. I'll buy the most popular v6 book and see. While some of the new features are not covered, this book is still a treasure trove of concepts and reference/encyclopedia type book on database development and the world of FileMaker in general that it is surely worth having until FileMaker 8 comes out. So buy it with out delay is my advise to you, fellow reader.
Rating:
Summary: Filemaker I can understand
Review: Finally, a Filemaker reference with real world perspective! Kubica's casual writing style and keen sense of humor make the reader want to curl up in front of a fire and read from cover to cover. I'd like this author to develop MY next filemaker project!
Rating:
Summary: A Treasure Trove of FileMaker Insights and Best Practices
Review: Get this book in your FileMaker library. What a fantastic treasure trove of FileMaker knowledge resides in 'The Book of FileMaker 6'! Plenty of examples, a CD included and the only book to cover the gamut of the FileMaker product line. Chris has taken on a monumental task and done a very credible job. Not only is there information on each of the products: FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Unlimited, FileMaker Developer, but this is the only book to also cover FileMaker Server and FileMaker Mobile as well. Chris doesn't stop there. This is an all you can eat buffet of main dishes and morsels to satisfy every FileMaker appetite. You'll be definitely coming back for seconds. Chris' material shows a sensitivity to the novice as well as moving the experienced user through a more and more sophisticated understanding of the power of FileMaker Pro's many features and functions. What stood out for me was that he also showed a sensitivity to the processes of needs analysis, software requirements, documentation and project management. While the 'The Book of FileMaker 6' is thick and these topics were not developed completely, he nevertheless covers their importance and the available software tools that can help create truly professional FileMaker solutions. Later on, I suggest that a full review of this section alone is worth merit since it introduces the topic so well. Kudos to him for doing that. Chris starts the book at Day One, opening FileMaker Pro. He then takes us through a whirlwind tour of the product, its basic functions and features. In case you need to refer to a hard copy version of the FileMaker on-line help, Chris has included virtually all of it in printed form with matching screen shots. Insert a few post-it notes and you start to have a well-referenced tome for all of your development staff. I have looked hard for a product to complement the training that we provide to our clients and require our developers to take. Chris Kubica's Book of FileMaker Pro 6 is it. While Chris' book has a lot of breadth, I was delighted to find it also has significant depth. His review of relationships and portals for example, not only provides a good solid insight into how relationships work and how portals are used, he also peels off another layer of the onion, revealing more sophisticated uses of both. His example (files are included on the CD) of how to add quantities in a portal without using the keyboard are inspired and the hidden portal trick is lucidly explained. Both techniques are valuable to any developer . His chapter on security and the availability of his 'Darn Good Security' model (again on the CD and downloadable from his site) can become a login technique for any system that has sensitive information. The author took the time to collaborate with a lot of other developers to bring all the pieces together. As such, the material presented is cogently covered by experts in that particular area. The reader is the beneficiary of the real world wisdom gained by those who have traveled down the road perhaps further than most. The chapters on AppleScript and ActiveX, again surprised me with the depth of their coverage at introducing a novice or even intermediate FileMaker user to technologies which extend FileMaker Pro's functionality. Chris took the time to thoughtfully explain some of the naming conventions and best practices that he's adopted to make his solutions easy to work with, easy to maintain and easier to bring other developers on board to provide support. This is a favourite topic of mine and what I liked about Chris' approach was his perpsective that FileMaker at any time can be called upon to work with other environments, such as the Web, ODBC - JDBC, XML and of course with plug-ins. His naming conventions conform to this perspective and therefore make his applications more amenable to use with these environments with little or no change. Of course, when discussing scripts, it is an excellent time to introduce the reader to FileMaker Developer, a powerful development tool which allows the user to 'step through' scripts step-by-step by using the Script Debugger. Chris covers this off beautifully. And FileMaker Inc. feels so strongly about the benefit of this tool in improving developer performance that they now include it in the membership fee to the FileMaker Solutions Alliance. If you are serious about developing FileMaker solutions, you need to use FileMaker Developer. On top of that, Chris notes the several tools that have been developed to analyze your solutions and particularly the scripts you've created. The first is the Database Design Report built into FileMaker Developer and then some third party products that round out any developers toolkit including The Analyzer from Waves in Motion, MetaDataMagic from New Millenium Communications, Brushfire from Chaparral Software and Autoscript.fm Pro. The entire section on Designing, Estimating, Developing and Managing FileMaker Projects would act as a great study book for individuals who want to upgrade their skills and broaden their capabilities as an all round FileMaker developer. Conclusion I really want to revisit the many topics after I've had more time to play with the example files, looked up the resources, and read some of the reference material. FileMaker Server, FileMaker Mobile, ODBC and SQL, Web publishing and then the plethora of solutions that Chris refers to (some of which I'm actively pursuing for a solution I'm working on right now!) are all reasons why this book deserves not only to be purchased and read, but to have a more complete reference site that allows you to access more and more of the material he recommends. About the Reviewer James Hea is the President of DataWorksPro Inc, the founder of the FileMaker User and Developer Group of Eastern Ontario (FUDGEO), an authorized trainer for CoreSolutions, a software developer, consultant and project manager. For more reviews on FileMaker publications, visit www.filemakerreview.com
Rating:
Summary: A must for all
Review: Great book and well thought out. Will appeal to novice thru expert. Touches on all major points relating to Filemaker and will be a great reference tool. Lots of example databases which back up the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Life Saver
Review: I am a member of a software designing team in Cambridge, MA which puts together databases for various departments at Harvard, MIT, and to some extent, Boston College. We have a limited budget and cannot afford expensive workshops or training every time we bring a new programmer on board. For this reason, this book has been a lifesaver for my team. We are both able to train new people using it and able to increase our productivity (I've been using Filemaker for almost eight years)with new ideas and strategies we'd never before considered. It has helped us to problem solve, it's clearly written, easy for even a novice Filemaker user to understand, and gets heavy use in the office. I'd recommend this book to anyone who must learn to unlock Filemaker's potential or for any pro who wants to increase his or her productivity.
Rating: 
Summary: ... not a step-by-step guide
Review: I bought this book as a companion to FileMaker program, I am new to FileMaker and was expecting this to be as a tutorial, in my opinion it is not.
To give this book some credit, it does give some good examples of what FileMaker can do, however unless I'm missing something it does not show how to make FileMaker do it.
So if you looking for step-by-step guide, this is not it....
Rating:
Summary: A Real Disappointment
Review: I bought this book because at the time of my order it was the only one still available for version 6.0. I should have taken the clue. The other books were out of stock for a reason. They were good. I'm very suspicious of the other 5 star reviews here, because this book is a real disappointment for me, and I rarely am w/technical books. Difficult to read w/marginal examples. I'm sure this book has use as a backup technical resource, but if you're learning the software and need one book, this AIN'T it. Nolan Hester's Quick Start is just ok, a beginner book by comparison. I would wait for Que's upcoming book on Version 7.0. Que's books are typically excellent, but the Version 5 book is dated at this point, so I didn't buy it (I should have, in hindsight)
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