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Create Business Apps Quickly with Claris FileMaker

We're living in a time when people need solutions to their workplace challenges and they need them immediately. Due to COVID-19, many of us are working under different circumstances and in different environments. We may have spent the first week or so setting up our new workspaces and adapting to new workflows and communication tools. But now it's time to focus on the work. Customers need to be serviced, reports need to be generated and projects need to be managed. You're lucky if your operations were 100% portable and you were able to maintain 100% efficiency when things upended. That's probably the exception, not the rule. For the most part, we're adjusting to new workflows and timelines. We guess that productivity has mostly been redefined. Your spreadsheets and appliance apps may have worked a few months ago but may not cut it now.

Teams need tools that they can deploy quickly and refine continuously. If there was ever a time for a workplace innovation platform, it's now and Claris FileMaker is one of the best. FileMaker empowers users to create solutions to their work challenges quickly. FileMaker provides a comprehensive set of tools that are needed to build a custom app without having to spend precious time iterating through endless beta cycles, time-consuming documentation processes and frustrating trips to the IT purchasing department to get a server installed. Of course, you still need to make sure what you're building is sitting on a solid foundation and that you're following tried and tested methods to ensure quality. But chances are you are the process expert and you know what you want and don't need red tape and bureaucracy getting in your way.

The Fast and the Productive

Let's discuss how Claris FileMaker provides quick turnaround and refine-as-you-go advantages to custom app development. A FileMaker application is simply a file, like any other on your computer. It's not some nebulous collection of C++, JavaScript, CSS and HTML files that are somehow magically connected to some database server somewhere. It's just like the spreadsheet of your monthly budget, photos of your wedding or even that painful but hilarious video of your neighbor on his kid's skateboard meeting the fence.

FileMaker essentially embodies the components of an app, such as the workflow, database and user interface in one place. This combination is great because it accelerates the creation of an app that you can share with the world or just a few coworkers depending on your needs. You do need to store the file on a FileMaker server. But, even that has become easy and fast nowadays thanks to FileMaker Cloud service. Since hardware and software are not required, you can deploy an app in just minutes. You can find FileMaker Cloud at the Claris Store. After a few clicks and a couple of emails, you'll have a place in the cloud to store your file.

Another important part of what makes Claris FileMaker a perfect platform for the never perfect app is its "develop on the fly" capabilities. Unlike many other coding platforms and most low-code ones as well, FileMaker doesn't require you to compile and redeploy every time you need to make changes and improvements to the solution. In most instances, you can make minor and major changes while users are actively working in your FileMaker application. You can modify interfaces, workflows and database structures, all while still using the live system. One of the benefits of this function is that you can get instant feedback from users. So if you need to tweak something a little more, you can do that right in front of the people who requested it. This also means you don't have to wait for the next release of a build before reaping the rewards of your new innovation. It's the perfect tool for those who enjoy instant gratification. Nonetheless, we've found that many of our customers ultimately gravitate to a regular and predictable development cycle after the system has matured. But there are still some who prefer to change the oil while driving down the road.

The Right Custom App Right Now

In this time of uncertainty, challenge, and tight budgets and timelines, Claris FileMaker provides both short term and long term benefits. It's the tool to reach for because it can get things done now without all the fuss and bother of traditional development platforms. And it will continue to get things done well into the future. FileMaker's ability to quickly deploy your problem-solving solution and then to continuously improve it makes it an invaluable tool.

FileMaker is designed for the process experts to develop apps themselves according to their specific needs. There are many examples of technical and non-technical people who have created apps to accomplish different tasks. But when time and resources are limited, there's a network of support, a Support Group, available to help. We offer various levels of FileMaker services, including developmenttraining and maintenance. Feel free to contact us to discuss your needs. The initial consultation is free.

 

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