FileMaker Pro 6 Adds XML Support

FileMaker Inc. on Tuesday will announce FileMaker Pro 6, a new version of its database software featuring XML import and export, new templates and tools, and enhanced capabilities to gather, manage and share information, the companys president said.

Dominique Groupil, president of the Santa Clara, Calif., company, called the XML enhancements among the most notable for the new release. With integrated XML import and export capabilities, FileMaker Pro 6 can integrate and exchange data with many applications without worrying about converting data between proprietary formats, Groupil said.

"By adding XML support, FileMaker is proving it can continue to deliver great benefits to corporate workgroups," said Ron Schmelzer, senior analyst with ZapThink LLC, a Cambridge, Mass.-based XML industry analyst firm, in a statement. "FileMaker ease of use combined with its rich XML support makes it an ideal platform for workgroups, who need to boost productivity while fitting in with corporate IT environments."

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Indeed, Groupil said FileMaker 6 is targeted at workgroups and departmental users for mission-critical applications.

"With XML import and export we are now opening up a new way to communicate," for FileMaker users, Groupil said. "Leveraging XML weve expanded the universe of data sources."

With its new capabilities, FileMaker Pro 6 lets users retrieve data from XML applications, import accounting data from off-the-shelf proprietary software programs, or query corporate databases without using Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) drivers. And with XML export FileMaker Pro 6, users can share information with users of other applications.

Additionally, FileMaker will announce its enhanced FileMaker XML Central, a Web site for developers to learn about the benefits of data exchange and application integration. On the site, www.filemaker.com/xml, FileMaker encourages developers to download and contribute Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) stylesheets in the new FileMaker XSLT Library.

Eight XSLT stylesheets are included with FileMaker Pro 6, and more than 40 more are available in the Library.

Also new in FileMaker Pro 6 is the ability to easily import a large numbers of images from a folder into a database, and, on Mac OS X only, capture digital images and image data directly from cameras, said Chris Trytten, FileMakers director of product management.

Trytten said the New England Medical Centers Department of Emergency Medicine tracks patient and lab services with six FileMaker Pro databases. Dr. Dan Ballin, a physician at the Boston Hospital, said the new image capture feature in FileMaker Pro 6 would help streamline cataloging of images.

FileMaker Pro 6 will be available Tuesday for a suggested list price of $299 and $149 for upgrades. FileMaker Pro 6 Unlimited, which enables publishing FileMaker databases to an unlimited number of users over a corporate intranet or the Internet, will be available for $999 or $499 for upgrades to licensed customers of FileMaker Pro 5 or 5.5 Unlimited. And licensed customers of FileMaker Pro 5.5 Unlimited may be eligible for a $350 rebate when upgrading through Dec. 31, 2002.

FileMaker plans to release FileMaker Pro 6 Developer, a developer version of the product, in September for $499.

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