Converting old FileMaker databases to version 7

Posted on 12 Aug 2004 at 16:35

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It's time to bite the bullet and move your old FileMaker databases to version 7. Here's how to ensure the transition is as smooth and painless as possible.

There's no getting away from it - sooner or later every FileMaker database will need to be converted to the new format that was introduced with FileMaker Pro 7. If you've been putting off upgrading for fear of a difficult transition, there's no need to. There are some potential pitfalls, but most are quite esoteric and unlikely to arise in the average database. The key to a smooth transition is to prevent problems rather than solve them - make necessary changes before you convert, not after, and test the results thoroughly. That process is what this masterclass is about.

Simple single-user databases conversion should be a completely painless process, but large, complex, multi-user databases may need days or even weeks of modification, conversion and testing. We'll be looking at the middle ground, which covers most FileMaker databases used in small businesses.

The database we're using is a simple relational Personnel Database. We won't go into detail about this, as it was designed to illustrate conversion issues rather than to be a model solution.

The basic strategy we're using applies to any database created in FileMaker Pro versions 3 to 6. Server-based databases and those using plug-ins or external code will need additional work and are beyond the scope of this tutorial.

Even after you've gone through the process outlined here and checked for problems, it's important to continue to look out for anything unfamiliar - for example, changed sorting behaviour, unexpected values in calculations, indexing differences and so on. Serious difficulties are rare, but subtle changes can occur and, in some circumstances, they might affect something important.
Accounts and passwords
There are literally hundreds of changes in FileMaker Pro 7. The conversion process does an excellent job of coping with these changes, but it can't automate setting up user accounts and privileges in the new security scheme.

If the file was single-user and had no groups defined, you need do nothing, but it's worth creating a personalised account for yourself. Go to File>Define>Accounts & Privileges and you'll see that during conversion FileMaker created a Guest account, which is disabled, and an account called Admin with full access. Neither has any password. Select Admin and click Edit to change this to your name and to add a password.

If the original database was multi-user and had passwords and groups defined, FileMaker will create an account for each password and enough privilege sets to match the combination of passwords and groups in the original. While this provides a framework to work on, it doesn't provide much security, as every account uses the original password for both the account name and its password. Before the database is made available, all accounts should be changed to match the actual users. The admin user can either allocate initial passwords or you can force each user to provide one. Go to File>Define>Accounts & Privileges and then select each account in turn and click the 'User must change password on next login' box.

The conversion of groups to privilege sets is more complex and may result in more or fewer sets than there were groups. In the Define Accounts & Privileges dialog, click the Privilege Sets tab to view and edit these sets.
Conversion tools
If your databases are too complex for the procedure in this workthrough, there are various specialist utilities available that simplify the task. New Millennium Communications produces several tools. These include MetadataMagic, which will perform a pre-conversion scan for problems as well as fix file references, and FMRobot, which can consolidate multiple related files into version 7's new one-file-many-tables format. Another consolidation tool that does this is FMPro Migrator from .com Software. [› Click NEXT PAGE below for the step-by-step guide]

Author: Jack Weber