Hi Jonathan, happy new year to you too. A database I've been developing involves a FM10 installation within the client's office connecting to a MySQL/PHP web site. The client's IT managers won't allow us to directly open FileMaker Server to the public web, so this was the way we decided to go.
FileMaker is used to create, manage and output racing (horses, dogs) data for publication as form guides and the web interface is used to collect additional information (tips, ratings) from registered users to include in the publications. The MySQL database tables appear in the relationships graph alongside the FM tables via an ODBC connection (ESS) using the Actual ODBC driver, set up on the FM server machine. Race data is created in FileMaker by importing various text feeds and then this is pushed to the web-site MySQL database by simply importing the data from one (FM) table into another (ESS) table. As data is entered on the web site it is immediately available to FileMaker. So far it's very reliable (fwiw, the FileMaker server and web server are in different cities, Sydney and Melbourne). The main issues we've had to deal with involve the extra backup, database purging and fail-over strategies involved in setting up and maintaining two databases. And of course there was extra work in the PHP/MySQL scripting, but then PHP is probably how we would have worked directly with FM anyway. But there are also advantages in spreading the server load and spreading the risk of server downtime. Would I have done it the same way if it weren't dictated by the IT guys? Not certain, but quite likely yes. Regards, Tim. -- Tim Mansour <[email protected]> Neologica Print & Promotions ABN 63 904 335 408 PO Box K1163 : Haymarket NSW 1240 Mobile 0405 500 846 : Melbourne in-dial 03 9012 7441
