Hi Peter, I just did something similar.
The actual execution of the conversion went very well, and FileMaker (8.5for me) did a really nice job of figuring out where everthing was. (Short of mind-reading my application.) Recommendations: Get Developer 6. I am sure they will throw it in if you buy 8.5 Developer [now called Advanced] if you have the setup you say you should (and might already) have Developer. Run a Database Design Report in 6.x before the conversion. And then in 8.5 Advanced run the same report immediately after migration (along with all the backups along the way). I chose to convert "as is" and then after getting things going start taking advantage of the new stuff. I am sure that if you have the luxury that using the more prolonged approach would serve you well. I don't know the specifics, but I had to back out and start over when the process choked on "Single User" Sharing settings -- in Server 5.5 you can specify that the server is okay with Single User files, so I set that preference and didn't think much about the Sharing setting (since everythign went on the server). I don't know what would happen with the "Multi-User Hidden" setting, but after the fiasco with "SingleUser" I didn't bother trying it. All went well (pretty much) when every file was set to full-on "Multi-User" for sharing. As the instructions say, select all the files that you are converting en masse before opening in 8.5. Also remember that the both the Username and the Password are set to the Password upon conversion -- reasonable, but you start out of the box with a security issue (but it is also good that it forces you to address it right away). The Log File is amazing! How nice to *know* where the glitches occurred before stumbling over them (or having the client stumble over them). Immediately change the FileReferences to the most unique and unmistakable paths. This solves the speed issue almost instantly. You always knew that FileMaker had some "elegant" yet frustratingly "automagical" way of resolving how it found the right file to open externally for relationships and external script calls and so on. Now that you can directly view and edit these alternative paths what an amazing history lesson. I saw path references in a fully functioning application from my initial proof-of-concept from a computer I haven't used since 1994! I am lucky to have the luxury to allow the existing 6.0 to keep running the business and of having a second server I can take the conversion to to work out the imperfections of the conversion -- mostly things where your old work-around has been replaced by a more robust paradigm and now your old work-around manifests as a "bug" now. The overall conversion seemed to give me hope that it would all just work... but it is in the scripts where the issues lay (those that I have figured out so far.) I can only speak for the actual conversion steps and the specific mechanism I encountered. I hope and trust that others will offer additional advice that will help me beyond my limited experience. (As an aside, I don't know how many scripts I'd written checking PatternCount of CurrentVersion for the string "dev" that will no longer work for only me using Developer -- arrrrgh!) Thanks, Brad On 1/24/07, Peter Buchanan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi forum, I am running a networked filemaker solution (about 100 files, 50 users) , on server 5.5 and fm 6.0 for users (all on windows XP) I have purchased server 8 and fm pro 8, and would like to now convert all the files. Before I proceed, I would appreciate any advice, ideas, or input from the forum, and perhaps some pointers to must-read documents. I have a general idea of first doing a trial conversion, and picking up the types of problems, before doing a live conversion. Thanks Peter
-- Sincerely, Brad
