FileMaker conversion

[Steve]

I have a FileMaker database that I would like to use, but
my new employer does not support FileMaker. Is it
possible to convert a FileMaker database to an Access
database?

 

[John Vinson]

I have a FileMaker database that I would like to use, but
my new employer does not support FileMaker. Is it
possible to convert a FileMaker database to an Access
database?

Just barely. I've done so a couple of times, and it's a real chore.

For one thing, all your screens will have to be rebuilt from scratch
in Access (as Forms for onscreen use and as Reports for printing). The
whole data-presentation paradigm is completely different.

The data in your FileMaker programs can (usually!) be imported into
Access tables. Typically FileMaker databases are less fully relational
than Access databases - you will certainly need to remove FileMaker
calculated fields from your tables (and recreate them in Queries), and
replace FileMaker lookup fields with queries joining tables.

In one instance (a fairly complex FileMaker app) I burned a lot of
hours and decided just to rebuild the application from scratch,
properly normalized; exported the data to text files, and imported
into the normalized tables.

 

[John Nurick]

Hi Steve,

Normally it's possible to export the data from FM into a format that
Access can import (e.g. csv text), but you'll need to re-create all the
functionality of the database using Access's own capabilities and tools.
These are so different from FM's that you may be in for a lot of
learning; post back here when you need to<g>.

 

[PC Datasheet]

Steve,

Contact me at the email address below if you would want me to build an Access
database for you from your FM data.

 

[Steve]

Thanks for all of your help...it appears I will be
starting from scratch.

s