The Support Group Blog

Genentech is a leading biotechnology company headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Since 1976, they have been dedicated to discovering and developing treatments for severe and life-threatening illnesses and diseases. In 2009, Roche Group acquired Genentech and currently operates as an independent subsidiary. 

With more than 13,000 employees, The Support Group has worked with various departments within Genentech since 2011. We've built various custom applications to help teams streamline workflows and maximize productivity. We recently developed a records management system for the Quality Systems department.

The FileMaker Send Mail script step is a valuable function for developers, but in recent years has become unreliable. Many conventional email service providers have gradually made using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) relays more complicated, primarily due to security concerns. Here at The Support Group, we've been transitioning clients to Gmail or Azure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), depending on their email provider. Another option is SendGrid from Twilio, but that's a different blog post. Now, FileMaker 2023 offers an enhancement to our Send Mail options, a game changer, in our opinion.

Open Authorization (OAuth) is a widely used framework that allows different applications to interact with one another. It's most appreciated for its ability to facilitate those interactions without having to share access credentials. Instead, a private key verifies the user's identity. It's relatively easy to implement and maintain.

FileMaker 2023 includes several useful new features, like Perform Script On Server with Callback. Another noteworthy feature we want to explore is a new script trigger, OnWindowTransaction. We can find this script trigger within the list of script triggers that appear within the File Options selection of the active FileMaker file.

Claris has departed from the tradition of sequentially numbering its product releases. They decided to use the year of the release in the name of their latest release – FileMaker 2023. Yet, a word to the wise, while the name of the software is FileMaker 2023, the version number internally to the software is FileMaker 20.x.x.  

Claris FileMaker 2023 includes many new features. The Perform Script On Server with Callback (PSOSWC) function is arguably the most exciting new script function we've seen in years.

Welcome back to the third and final part of our FileMaker project management blog series. We reviewed the various types of project management solutions and established a basic set of requirements and the beginnings of an ERD for the system in part one. Then we brainstormed the workflow for our system and used a few whiteboards to make preliminary sketches of how the solution will work. Finally, we will build the application and flesh out a FileMaker project management template.

As a reminder, we're working on project tracking software that we can build using the FileMaker platform. Our FileMaker Project Management Solution blog post discussed some fundamental functionality many off-the-shelf project management applications offer and their shortcomings for users with unique workflows.

Over the years, we've worked on various project management solutions of different shapes and sizes. Yet, building a project management application seems strange, considering how many off-the-shelf project management applications are currently available – Basecamp, Jira, Trello, and monday.com, to name a few. Of course, each of these programs has its strengths, but the issue that many of our clients have is that the model those solutions address doesn't quite fit how they specifically do business.  

Executive Summary

As a low-code development tool, FileMaker is as effective a solution for unconventional business workflows as it is for standard processes, like a project management system or a QuickBooks integration. We can even leverage FileMaker machine learning capabilities to automate talent recruitment.

Reading and categorizing job descriptions is challenging work. It's very monotonous, and it takes a long time for a person to become an expert. But this is an ideal use case for custom software. See how we can simulate algorithms and teach FileMaker to tag content automatically.

The ChatGPT wave of innovation continues to roll along. OpenAI has released a new version of ChatGPT, version 4.0. The latest version features a host of back-end improvements and several key front-line upgrades, including real-time multi-lingual support, improved intuitive contextual understanding, and an adjustable personality slider that allows users to adjust the tone and communication style of the artificial intelligence (AI).

It is also multi-modal, which is a fancy way of saying that we can submit images to it as part of a chat or request. So, for example, we can draw a picture of a website diagram and ask it to make the website. It will then give us instructions and sample code for creating that website – all based on a drawing.  

Premier Financial Services (PFS) is one of the nation's leading finance firms for vintage and exotic cars. They've been offering finance options for auto enthusiasts for over 25 years. 1st Financial Bank, an FDIC-backed institution, acquired Premier in 2021. 

Premier has relied on the FileMaker Platform to help them manage their operations for almost as long as they have serviced customers. We usually find FileMaker in educational institutions and non-profit organizations. So, that a financial service provider like Premier trusts this low-code platform speaks volumes about its efficacy, reliability, and usability.

Issuing lease agreements is a rather involved process. First, applicants must complete the necessary paperwork that delves into their personal and sensitive areas. Then, the lessor has to evaluate all the information provided to determine eligibility and how much money to offer. The work includes a lot of number crunching and critical thinking, basically technical and human tasks. That is an ideal combination for custom software.