In this one-day class, you will learn how to think like a relational database developer, analyzing real-world scenarios and learning to identify the entities, attributes and relationships that will become the tables, fields and relationships in a sound FileMaker database. You will learn how to correctly detect relationship types, how to use primary and foreign keys and how to resolve many-to-many relationships. You will learn in detail how to create fields and apply field auto-entry and validation options, and gain an understanding of field storage and indexing. You will create relationships between table occurrences using key fields and then use them to display related data on layouts. You will also begin to learn the Anchor-Buoy method, an effective strategy for managing FileMaker's relationship graph. This class is taught using the official FileMaker Training Series course manual, is taught by a FileMaker Business Alliance Trainer and is an excellent step in preparing for the FileMaker Certified Developer exam.
Course Outline
Identifying Entities and Attributes
- what are entities and attributes?
- differentiating between entities and attributes
- creating an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD)
Identifying Relationships
- understanding the three types of relationships
- examining relationships
- the key to correctly detecting relationship type
Modeling Relationships with Keys
- what are key fields?
- primary keys vs. foreign keys
- understanding the problem with many-to-many
- resolving many-to-many relationships with join tables
- determining appropriate attributes in join tables
Creating Fields
- data types
- defining fields
- auto-entry options
- field validation options
Field Storage and Indexing
- global storage
- indexing
Creating Relationships
- establishing a relationship
- placing related fields on a layout
- using a portal to view related data
Managing the Relationship Graph
- understanding the Anchor-Buoy method
- using multiple table occurrences on the graph
- benefits of Anchor-Buoy when designing layouts