The company says the new interface "delivers the most dramatic design changes in over a decade." Among other things, there's a newly redesigned and customizable status toolbar, which makes commonly used features more easily available to save time.

Search Saves, Script Triggers

Other new features in the latest FileMaker include the ability to automatically save the results of a search and script triggers, which allow scripts to be launched based on user actions or time limits.

The saved searches can be named as a set, so a user, for instance, can find all customers in a given region who meet a given set of criteria -- and save and name the results. The saved searches can also be specific to a user.

A script trigger, comparable to a spreadsheet macro, can help automate tasks and increase productivity. The trigger can be called by a specific action, such as clicking in a field; FileMaker Pro 10 comes with five predefined, object-based triggers, and seven layout-based triggers.

For reports, the new product allows a user to make changes in underlying data from within a report, and changes to data will immediately be reflected in the database.

Enhanced SQL Support

A new "See It, Use It, Learn It" interface is intended to get users up and running quickly. Ten new layout themes and 30 starter databases, including such applications as invoicing and asset management, are included in version 10.

Enhanced support includes the ability to display, access and use data from more SQL sources than before, such as SQL tables in Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Oracle 11g, and MySQL 5.1 community edition. Additionally, a new function for sending mail via SMTP enables users to send e-mail directly from FileMaker Pro without opening an e-mail client. This saves time for a user who wants to send invoices or reports from within FileMaker.

FileMaker Server 10 also offers the e-mail feature as well as simplified server management, an enhanced PHP Site Assistant for creating "visually stunning Web sites within minutes," and a new Database Log Viewer for pinpointing trouble spots in database logs.

Among other things, the advanced version of FileMaker Server 10 increases the number of live connections that can simultaneously connect to a FileMaker Pro database to 999 users.

A subsidiary of Apple, FileMaker originally released its database-with-a-graphical-user-interface exclusively for the Mac, but now it is also available for Microsoft Windows , or for a mixed client base. The company notes that, from 2003 through 2008, FileMaker Pro has won 49 awards, "more than its next eight competitors combined."