About FileMaker's ODBC/JDBC Functions
Using SQL, FileMaker can interact with an ODBC/JDBC data source. That doesn't make FileMaker an SQL database. In fact, although FileMaker version 7 is much more supportive of ODBC/JDBC standards than any version before it, it is still a step or two away from being able to interact transparently with other ODBC/JDBC-compliant programs. FileMaker doesn't support the full range of SQL queries, and it ships with a very small selection of ODBC drivers. It supports text and Oracle and SQL Server queries in both Windows and the Mac, but at press time, only on the Windows platform can information flow both ways.Most important, every database you plan to pull data from or send data to has probably been constructed a little differently than you're used to in FileMaker. For example, although FileMaker exports repetitions as separate records in delimited files, SQL databases don't support repeating fields,and may mangle the data when they receive it. Before you begin sharing information, it's a good idea to contact someone who knows about the other database's structure so you can prepare your FileMaker queries appropriately, or structure a new FileMaker database to work smoothly with the SQL database's format. For help in applying ODBC/JDBC connectivity to your FileMaker databases, visit About Security Settings" in Chapter 16, "Multiuser Files on a Network."