If you want to make a great-looking, practical database fast but don't want to get bogged down with the details, then you need a Visual QuickProject Guide! If you've never created a database before, the task can be daunting. Recognizing that you don't necessarily want or need to know about every FileMaker Pro 8 feature, this low-priced, compact guide is the quickest route to creating a functional, organized database. Whether you're a small business owner looking for a better way to track inventory and invoices, someone just looking for a streamlined way to keep track of your contacts, or your boss simply needs a a project database, this book covers the FileMaker Pro 8 basics with full-color illustrations and step-by-step instructions to help you get your project done quickly. The guide also includes a companion Web site with downloadable graphic buttons, custom forms and templates, and more.
The Visual QuickProject Guide that you hold in your hands offers a unique way to learn about new technologies. Instead of drowning you in theoretical possibilities and lengthy explanations, this Visual QuickProject Guide uses big, color illustrations coupled with clear, concise step-by-step instructions to show you how to complete one specific project in a matter of hours.
The project in this book is to create a FileMaker Pro 8 relational database for recording and tracking four types of personal investments: savings and money market accounts, stocks and mutual funds, certificates of deposit (CDs), and savings bonds. The database will contain four related data tables, ten layouts, and five reports.
Even if investment tracking isn't one of your needs, the other purpose of this book is to teach you about FileMaker Pro 8; that is, you'll learn by doing. By creating the database, you will see how to use FileMaker to create databases that are of interest to you. You'll define fields and related data tables; set field validation, auto-enter, and auto-complete options; create data entry and report layouts; define value lists that will pop-up when you tab or click into certain fields; and automate database functions with scripts and clickable buttons.
