Rating: 
Summary: Great idea, poor execution
Review: The idea of covering the whole Filemaker product family is great. The author has a nice writing style and presents the information in a reasonably logical format. However, the book is chockful of errors that I find unacceptable for a book that is trying to teach the new users. Examples:
- page 50 generic RecordID mentioned should really be specific CompanyID.
- page 52 PhoneNumber mentioned should really be specific Phone.
- page 63 sort toggle sort on the Mac is discussed but he never says where it appears on the screen.
- page 68 paragraph discussing how to create your first script says "Click the Done button or press ENTER/RETURN." However pressing enter/return is the equivalent of clicking Create button.
- page 69 paragraph describing how to save your first script simply does not work as described. Skip ahead. - page 146 @ one character and * zero or more characters paragraphs are reversed, which is potentially confusing to new users. Plus the proper @ paragraph example discussing the word John is wrong, which is even more confusing. Put the book away for good.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes a beginner to the pro level
Review: The real value of this book is not in the list of topics covered, but in the way how the contents was put together. Nobody can be an expert in all the relevant topis. Knowing this, Chris turned to a couple of experts focused on individual topics to help him cover the whole FileMaker thing. Every single chapter of this book is a result of a team-work, where at least one member of the team is expert in the specific topic.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE FOR THE FILEMAKER DEVELOPER
Review: THIS BOOK IS A GREAT GUIDE FOR ALL FILEMAKER DEVELOPERS. IT IS WELL-WRITTEN, VERY ORGANIZED AND FILLED WITH LOTS OF USEFUL INFORMATION. IT IS WELL RESEARCHED, IN DEPTH, AND IS WRITTEN WITH MUCH CLARITY. I USE THIS BOOK OFTEN AS A QUICK REFERENCE AND USEFUL GUIDE. A "MUST HAVE".
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic resource
Review: This book is packed with so much useful information I don't know where to begin! It belongs on the shelf of anyone who wants to improve their FileMaker skills. It is written in an easy-going style that makes it enjoyable to read. But don't let that fool you... it is informative and authoritative. I highly recommend it. You can check out the table of contents and read a chapter .....
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, a few missing topics
Review: This is a very good book on FileMaker Pro 6. However, with the release of FileMaker 7, I would consider this book obsolete. Too many things change in FileMaker 7, that many of the techniques and tricks explained here are either unnecessary, or actually bad.
But if you're stuck using FileMaker 6 (and many projects will remain on FileMaker 6 for years to come), this is a very good way to learn how to best use the product. The examples that come on the CD are also very good, with nice designs that you can easily reuse.
One thing missing from the book, which would have taken it to a "5" rating, is discussion of how to connect your FileMaker application to the web. Just one chapter covering the built-in Web Companion (and the CDML language it uses) seems obligatory, and yet missing.
But web-enabling FileMaker is a large topic, large enough for its own book (Advanced FileMaker Pro 6 Web Development, by Bob Bowers and Steve Lane, a great companion to The Book of FileMaker), so I can't dock it more than a point for skipping past this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Kubica becomes the Tech writer to watch!
Review: This is definitely one of the best-organized and best-written computer books that I have encountered in the last 22 years of reading technical books and manuals. Kubica has written a book that is approachable for any novice to FileMaker and databases in general. The real genius is that he does so without making the more advanced user bored and irritated. Even in the early chapters I learned a trick or two. The best way to learn is through examples. You'd think that technical writers would get that through their head after all of these years. I don't need syntax. I can get syntax from the manuals that come with the program. What I need is someone to show me how to accomplish more advanced and polished functions. Kubica has learned the lesson of providing examples. They are abundant, but don't usually take up unnecessary space in the pages of the book. They are referred to in the book at appropriate junctures and the accompanying CD/Rom has them all. I have only one complaint: (1) the publisher screwed around with the book (even canceling it once!) for so long that this book is making a far too-long delayed appearance. I don't know how radical a change we are in for when FileMaker 7 makes its appearance this fall. I do hope that Kubica's guide to that version will arrive much faster.
Rating:
Summary: That last reviewer was one something
Review: To only give this book a one star reviews translates into the fact that you must be on some kind of mind numbing drug on an hourly basis. All this book is is a walk through tutorial, with facts, tables, references and definitions mixed in along the way. In fact, I've heard one of the few criticisms of the book is that it is not like a dictionary in that you can't just quickly flip to a section to get a quick answer (I think this is wrong, too, but beside my point here). Anyway, there are tutorials on setting up your first database, on building relational databases, setting up layouts, entering data, setting up an ODBC link, hooking up AppleScript, creating all kinds of portal magic and so on. So that last reviewer was either high or really, really grumpy.
Rating:
Summary: This Best FMP Book Available - The last reviewer is wrong
Review: What does your difficulty with converting FMP files from 5.x and 6.x to 7.x have to do with this book??? Honestly, a one star review of this book is not only totally off base, it is cruel. The author put quite a lot of work into the book, it is the most complete, most encyclopedic reference out there, it covers topics that NO OTHER FileMaker book touches and, impressively, it is still helpful and relevant what with FileMaker 7 around. Why don't you rethink your TWO (I can't believe it...you posted TWO one star reviews. That is totally childish and unprofessional) one-star reviews and maybe give the book a little more credit. The first whole section is for beginners. I'm not sure what you expect in a "step by step" guide. Maybe you should take a class or hire an expert developer to do your development for you...but this book will certainly guide any reasonably computer-competent person from the absolute basics of databases in general through the FileMaker user environment, the basic controls, how to build databases, enter records, find stuff, print stuff, etc. If you are confused, there are ready-made examples on the CD. Seriously, grow up. And please PLEASE do not post another one-star review just to send your reply. Post your complaint to one of the many FileMaker-related forums. Not on here, please. Gosh, the nerve!
Rating: 
Summary: The Zen and Art of FileMaker II
Review: Yes, it is true that I am new at FileMaker and yes I expect files to convert without errors from FileMaker 6 to FileMaker 7. I purchased the book based on the positive reviews and unfortunately ignored the negatives. If you scroll through all of the reviews you will find that other "amateurs" do not rate this book with 5 stars and criticize its ability to teach FileMaker fundamentals to the new user. Maybe, for the FileMaker guru this is the perfect book, but keep in mind that it is sold under the promise to teach to the beginner. Unfortunately, at this time there are no FileMaker 7 step-by-step guides available. As an alternative I recommend purchasing the "Professional Training Foundations Series" offered by FileMaker at a cost of $99. Although this training series has been written for FileMaker 6 and is a little pricey its instructional value is 1000 times beyond Kubica's work. It has also been authored to teach by a competency project based approach. It reminds me of the work authored by David Planchard to teach SolidWorks 3-D Modeling to new users. Ultimately, the choice is yours....
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