The CRM-invoicing and Merchandise management system gFM-Business is based on the FileMaker platform, for which many other database systems are available and with which users are able to create their own databases that run on Mac OS X, Windows and iOS.
gFM-Business Light and Professional allow access to all data tables used from external databases, so that data from gFM-Business can be easily reused in real time in other systems or in self-developed databases. The databases can either be located on a drive or imported from a FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro in the Network be released. In this article, we explain how you can transfer your address data from the CRM module of gFM-Business to an external Database and process them from there. At the end, we provide a corresponding sample database for download. These instructions can also be used universally for all other data tables from the Enterprise software gFM-Business can be used.
Data access from external databases
The standard user with full access set up in gFM-Business has the possibility to access all data tables contained in gFM-Business from external databases of the modules Customers, correspondence, invoicing, articles and The company access. To enable your own FileMaker database to access the data tables in gFM-Business, a corresponding data source must be created in your database for each desired file. If, as in our example database, you only want to access data from the CRM module [Customers] you set up an external data source for the file gFMw_Contacts.fmp12 or .gfm (Light).
The following databases allow access to data tables from external databases:
- gFMw_Contacts.fmp12 - All data from the CRM module [Customers]. We also use this database in the sample solution that you can download at the end of this article.
- gFMw_Correspondence.fmp12 - All data from the module [Correspondence] and document archive
- gFMw_Invoicing.fmp12 - All receipts, Cash bookAccount statements, cash book, SEPA mandates, direct debits
- gFMw_Article.fmp12 - All data from the Article management, article stock, suppliers, attributes, Parts lists
- gFMw_Master_data.fmp12 - All master data of your own company, company inventory
gFM Business in the FileMaker Relationship Graph
As soon as you have set up a database from gFM-Business in your external database as an external data source, all data tables in the database are available for selection for use in the FileMaker relationship graph. All key fields in gFM-Business are identified by an underscore as a prefix. Global relationships can be created using the _sGlobal field. Create a global relationship in FileMaker under [Database > Manage > Relationships] your relationships to all data tables from gFM-Business as usual.
Sample file for download
For this article, we provide a free sample file for download that can be opened and executed with FileMaker 13 or 14. The sample database shows all available addresses from gFM-Business, which can be transferred to the external database at the touch of a button.
After starting the database for the first time, the dialog for setting up external data sources appears. Enter the following for the existing external data source [gFMw_Contacts.fmp12] the corresponding file of your gFM Business installation.
By clicking on the button [Add file...] you can open the file gFMw_Contacts.fmp12 in a corresponding selection dialog and select it. After specifying the file and confirming the dialog, another dialog appears for logging in to gFM-Business.
Now log in with a user who has the rights [Full access] or use the standard user gfmbusiness. Once you have successfully logged in, the screen in our example file is called up.
All addresses contained in gFM-Business are displayed on the right-hand side of this screen. By clicking on the button [New] the Script [sf.new] which creates a new data record in the sample database and transfers the content of all address fields from gFM-Business.
The structure of the sample database is very simple. It only has one data table [gFM_External_Database]which contains all address fields, the Primary key [_pk_address_ID] and the secondary key [_fk_Customer_ID] from gFM-Business. These Table is linked to the table [Addresses] from gFM-Business, which is available in the FileMaker relationship graph based on the previously created data source.
Only the relationship [glo.addresses] is used in the example solution. Using the relationship [Addresses] further data from the gFM Business table "Addresses" can be displayed in a complete data record. Via the primary key [_fk_Customer_ID] relationships can be created to other gFM Business tables such as customers, correspondence or documents in invoicing.
Download sample file for FileMaker Pro
How to transfer scripts from the sample file to your solution
Scripts can be easily transferred from one FileMaker solution to another via the clipboard. Simply open the dialog Manage scripts, select the desired script with the mouse and copy the script to the clipboard via the menu [Edit - Copy] or key combination [Ctrl/Cmd-C]. Then open the same dialog in the target solution and simply paste the previously copied script using the menu command [Edit - Paste] again.
To transfer tables from the example file to your solution
Tables can be inserted into an existing solution in several ways. The easiest way is to import the table using the [Import...] in dialog Manage database. All tables to be imported from the source solution can then be selected in a subsequent dialog. This method is therefore particularly suitable if several tables are to be imported at the same time. If only one table is to be imported, this can also be done via the clipboard like a script. If a table including all data is to be imported, this can be done with the command [File > Import data records > File] to be carried out. In the import dialog, the target table must then be New table must be specified.
Markus Schall has been developing individual databases, interfaces and business applications based on Claris FileMaker since 1994. He is a Claris partner, FMM Award winner 2011 and developer of the ERP software gFM-Business. He is also a book author and founder of the M. Schall Publishers.
