Press Release

August 6, 2007

FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual--New from O'Reilly: Learning How to Manage Data the Easy Way

Sebastopol, CA--"Small businesses know they need a way to manage their data, and FileMaker is so easy to use that it's a perfect fit for them. But even though it's simple to use, FileMaker has a lot of powerful features. All that control can be confusing to people whose main job isn't being a database manager. We wrote FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual to help users get comfortable with all that power quickly," explains co-author Susan Prosser.

Indeed, with just a few commands and mouse clicks, FileMaker Pro can help print corporate reports, manage a company, or run a small country. So why do so many people never unleash its power? Because they don’t have the Missing Manual. It’s the clear, thorough, and friendly guide to everything readers will ever want to do with this program.

In this new book, authors Prosser and Geoff Coffey give novices and experienced users the scoop on versions 8.5 and 9. It offers complete coverage of timesaving new features such as the Quick Start screen that opens or a creates a database in a snap, the handy "save to" buttons for making Excel documents or PDFs, the multiple level Undo and Redo, and much more. With FileMaker Pro 9: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly, $34.99 ) readers learn how to:

• Get their first database running in minutes.
• Catalog contacts, tasks, and things with easy-to-use data entry and sorting tools.
• Generate reports using simple layout tools.
• Use dozens of built-in formulas to crunch numbers and manipulate dates and times.
• Automate repetitive steps with FileMaker Pro 9’s easy-to-learn scripting language.
• Outfit their databases for the Web and import and export data to other formats.

Each chapter in the book contains "living examples" -- tutorials that help you learn how to build a database by actually doing it. Readers also get plenty of sound, objective advice that lets them know which features are really useful and which ones they'll barely touch. To make the most of FileMaker Pro 9, every user needs the book that should have been in the box.

Advance Praise "We're thrilled to see an update to the Missing Manual series for FileMaker Pro 9. The authors' unique ability to explain deep FileMaker Pro topics with clarity and simplicity make it a perfect fit for our customers."
-- Ryan Rosenberg, vice-president, Marketing and Services, FileMaker

"A rarity these days: technical writing that is both authoritative AND friendly. For anyone new to FileMaker, this book is that helpful, patient voice at your shoulder that shows you FileMaker isn't really that difficult after all. I recommend it to my own clients all the time."
-- Albert Harum-Alvarez, Designer, SmallCo.net, a design consultancy

Coffey has 9 years experience using and teaching FileMaker Pro. He also has a degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in business, giving him a unique perspective on where FileMaker fits in to the software engineering landscape. As the IT Director at Allegro Enterprises, a fast-growing internet retailer in Phoenix, Geoff works with a team of developers to build and manage FileMaker and non-FIleMaker systems.

Susan Prosser is a reformed journalist who's stopped trying to bring information to the people and now helps them manage the data they already have. Susan has developed FileMaker databases for 12 years, but returns to her roots by training and writing curriculum for other developers.

About O'Reilly

O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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