Share Data Seamlessly Between Your PC and Your Palm
FileMaker extends its cross-platform data-sharing reputation with FileMaker Mobile for the Palm OS.Keith Kirkpatrick, special to PCWorld.com
For nearly a decade, the FileMaker Pro moniker has been associated with the simple-to-use database program that worked with both Macintosh and Windows machines. With the release of the $49 FileMaker Mobile, though, the simplicity that made FileMaker Pro so popular extends to the truly portable Palm platform.
FileMaker Mobile is designed to work with the latest version of the $249 FileMaker Pro 5.0v3, which supports sharing databases with both FileMaker Mobile and the Web.
Once the FileMaker Mobile software is installed on the desktop, all you need to do is complete a HotSync to set up the software on the handheld. From there, you're ready to prepare databases to be used on any device running Palm OS 3.1 or later, including the Handspring Visor series and Sony's CLIE.
A caveat: FileMaker Mobile works with systems running FileMaker Pro on Microsoft Windows 95 and 98, Windows NT (Service Pack 3 and up), Windows 2000, or Mac OS 8.1 to 9. FileMaker Pro 5 doesn't run on Windows Millennium Edition, so FileMaker Mobile is out for Windows Me users.
'Port-able' Data
Porting an existing FileMaker Pro database for use on the handheld is simple and intuitive. A configuration dialog box allows you to set parameters for synchronization. A button lets you choose up to 20 fields to move to the handheld; however, you can't include relational fields that appear in the selected database but aren't actually stored with that particular database.
You can also select whether you want all records in a database to be transferred during a synchronization, or just a found set. FileMaker Mobile and FileMaker Pro can synchronize changes between one another; you can select from a host of conflict-resolution rules to determine which records are kept if a record is changed on both the handheld and on the desktop.
Once we set the parameters, we simply completed a HotSync with the handheld, and, voilą: We had our database available on our Palm Vx. FileMaker Mobile gives you the choice to view data either as a standard list or by single records; in either view, you can sort, delete, or create new records. Furthermore, when a record is open you can make edits as needed. FileMaker Mobile limits the maximum number of records to 5000 per database. You're also limited to the amount of free memory you have on your handheld, since the application and its associated data must be stored in the handheld's memory, not on removable memory such as a Handspring Springboard module or a Sony Memory Stick.
Synchronicity
Still, it's not as if you'll need copious amounts of space to maintain a typical database. Even with 2500 records in five databases, the entire size of the FileMaker Mobile application and records took up just 280KB on our handheld. We were able to bidirectionally synchronize without encountering any difficulties such as data loss. By setting the conflict-resolution rule to "create duplicate records," we ensured that no data would be lost if a record changed on both the handheld and desktop.
As streamlined and effective as FileMaker Mobile is, this first release has a few limitations. FileMaker Pro doesn't transfer records containing fields exceeding 2000 characters, and won't let you transfer more than 50 databases to the handheld. You'll need to make sure that the fields you want to transfer don't exceed the character limit before initiating a batch transfer, since FileMaker Pro unfortunately doesn't alert you when it fails to transfer a record. In addition, despite the fact that the Palm OS supports drop-down menus (a real plus for Graffiti-impaired users), FileMaker Mobile transfers each field as straight text, without formatting. Supporting drop-down menus or radio buttons makes a lot of sense on a handheld, and seeing these features included would've been nice.
While FileMaker Mobile could use a few more tweaks on the handheld side, it's the first database solution for the Palm OS to provide full integration with a desktop-based counterpart. For that reason alone, we feel that FileMaker Mobile for the Palm OS is quickly going to join its Windows- and Mac-based siblings as an enticing FileMaker database platform.