The Support Group Blog

A couple of weeks ago, Claris released a new version of their FileMaker platform, FileMaker 19.3. Claris has been working hard over the last year, since the release of FileMaker 19, to modernize and simplify the FileMaker user experience. The Quick Start experience is a big step toward easing users into the FileMaker platform. In addition, the features in this release help expand user capabilities in terms of deployment, security, and emerging technologies.

There are a few specific changes that we would like to highlight:

1. Ubuntu server version
2. Microsoft Edge web viewer
3. Apple M1 native compatibility

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the FileMaker developer conference, the annual event where users learn and connect. The Support Group has been around for every one of them. However, this particular event was different from the rest, not only because it was hosted virtually, but also because Claris has shifted its focus from technology tools to business solutions. Claris even changed the conference name from DevCon, as in Developer Conference, to Engage to adequately reflect their attention on problem-solving. To that end, this year's conference was centered around how the different components of the Claris platform work together to provide people with solutions to their workflow challenges. These connections extend beyond the FileMaker platform, throughout the entire work universe, whether on planet Salesforce, nebula QuickBooks or galaxy MailChimp.

We're pretty visual people. It's usually easy to consume data when it's represented graphically as opposed to tabular format. When we're looking at our schedule of activities and events, we typically like to see that information laid out in a standard calendar form. 

It's probably fair to say that we all rely on calendars to maintain organization and punctuality. Calendars are ubiquitous; they're on our walls, phones, watches, tablets, computers and even on some fancy new refrigerators. The use of calendars dates as far back as the Bronze Age. Many of the artifacts left by ancient cultures, from rock carvings to monumental structures, were built originally to serve as public calendars. And, since they're an effective timekeeping mechanism, we learned how to read and understand them at an early age.