ISO FileMaker Magazine

If you don't pay close attention to the fields you add to your record load in Claris/FileMaker, you might end up facing a transfer penalty, especially when dealing with container data. In many cases, your end users may not require the data from heavy multi-megabyte container fields. Nevertheless, every time the record data is loaded, that large container data gets included as part of the transfer.

Unlike SQL or a document database, where you can request only the necessary data, FileMaker provides the entire record, including all field data. Therefore, it is essential to create a structure which optimizes the utilization of containers. While I have previously covered this topic, this video offers a walk-through experience as I demonstrate how to implement support for a singular Files table, which can be used in multiple locations across a solution. I also discuss various options, such as one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relationships, when it comes to loading associated file data.

If you have ever wondered how to further enhance the speed and performance of your FileMaker solution, this video provides valuable insights into how you should likely structure your use of container fields. Understanding the concepts covered in this video will likely improve the performance of your solutions.