But since some field types have stringent data entry requirements, some of your data may change if you do. You can even change a field’s type after you’ve started entering data in your database. A hierarchical menu appears that lets you change the field’s type ( Figure 4-5). To change a field’s type, click the tiny triangle to the right of the field’s name. At the right side is a + sign, which you can use to create a new field. In Table view, all your fields are shown in the same order as they appeared in Form view. In Windows, choose Edit→Preferences, on a Mac, choose FileMaker Pro→Preferences, and then click the Layout tab. It’s a rare case, but if you have a compelling reason to split off a bit of data (say you have to do targeted mailings to people with street numbers ranging from 1000 to 1500), then it may make sense for you to split street addresses into two or even more fields.įigure 4-4. Once you feel comfortable editing layouts, you can tell FileMaker to stop asking you about layout changes by turning on “Save layout changes automatically (do not ask).” An option in FileMaker’s preferences lets you turn the Save dialog box back on if you decide you need it.

It’s usually not necessary to split off a suite number from a street address field, but it’s usually best to split off the city, state, and Zip code. So when you’re deciding which fields you need, ask yourself: “Which bits of my data are individually significant?” Your search results would include records with streets or cities called Washington. If you stored all that data in one field, you’d have a hard time searching for all the people in Washington state. address often contains several pieces of information: street name, optional suite number, city, state, and Zip code. In database lingo, those bits of information are individually significant, and each one should get its own field.įor example, a U.S. Instead, think about what elements-no matter how small-are important to how you’ll search, sort, analyze, and otherwise access your records later. It’s usually a bad move to have different kinds of information in the same field. What if you need to sort your data by last name? If you’ve entered names the way you might type them in a word processor (first name and then last name), you’d only be able to sort by the person’s first name. How do you decide which fields to create?įor example, you may create a single Name field to hold lease signers’ first and last names-but you’d be making a mistake.

Your database tracks lease documents, and its fields will include all the important attributes about those documents.

UP TO SPEED: A Field = Individually Significant Data

Filemaker pro 15 creating a layout