It’s pretty easy to access a FileMaker Pro database on an iPad (or iPhone) but you do need a little bit of preparation. This article tells you what you need to get Go-ing. (Sorry.)
This article is addressed to anybody who has a FileMaker Pro database that they want to access on an iOS device (iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad). Although everything I say applies equally to the smaller devices, I’m going to speak only about the iPad. (None of my databases have at present been optimized for viewing on the iPhone’s much smaller screen.) I am mainly writing this for my own clients: my private consulting clients and also prospective users of CMAExpress 7. I’ve been sending clients personal letters with this info and it finally occurred to me I should write it up and make it more generally available.
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Hardware
To access your FileMaker database on an iPad, you will first need to buy an iPad. This isn’t as obvious as it sounds, because you have at several options. Should you buy the basic wifi iPad? Or should you pay extra to get the iPad with 3G capability, so you can access a remote database while you’re out driving around the city? And iPads come with different storage capability. What size internal storage should you get: 16GB? 32GB? 64GB?
If you wish to access the database both from your desktop computer while you’re in the office and from your iPad while you’re out and driving around, then you probably need to get an iPad with 3G capability. This allows you to use the iPad almost like a mobile phone, at least for data access. If you get the 3G iPad and you configure the database for external access properly, then you’ll be able to host the database at your office, access it from your desktop or laptop computer over the office wifi network (or ethernet, if you’re old school), and when you leave the office and get out into the city, you’ll be able to turn 3G access on in the iPad’s Settings panel and then get to the database on the iPad. Very cool.
If you do not need to access the database while you’re away from a wifi connection, then you can get any iPad, because they all come with wifi capability. For example, say you want to be able to move around the office but keep using the database on your iPad; or say you want to be able to do a little work on your iPad from home and you have a wifi network at home. In these scenarios you could do without 3G capability.
Finally, if you wish simply to put the database on the iPad and carry it around with you everywhere, then just about any iPad will do, because you won’t be using either wifi or 3G.
Even if you decide you don’t need a 3G iPad for your database use, you should still consider getting a 3G iPad, because you might discover that there are other things you want to do that require it. For example, I gave up my cell phone last year and have switched to (a) an old fashioned “dumb” cell phone for making phone calls and (b) a 3G capable iPad 2 for all of the “smart” stuff, like having my daughter get directions from Google Maps while we’re driving, checking email if I’m at the park, etc.
The other choice you have when you buy an iPad is how much internal storage you need. I can’t really help you there. 16GB is way more than you’ll need to handle any of my databases. If the database is stored remotely, then the iPad’s internal storage doesn’t really get involved much at all. But even if you put the database on the iPad, 16GB is more than enough storage. The problem isn’t with the databases: it’s with all the other stuff you might want to do with your iPad. If you plan to buy tons of apps, or storage all 90,000 songs you have in your iTunes collection, or your a photographer and you expect to load 10,000 raw image files on to the iPad every month, well, you will want to factor those needs into your purchase decision. General advice: More is always better. But cheaper is also better, and you can’t have both. You’re on your own here.
Anyway, be sure to check out the hardware specs for the latest version of FileMaker Go, on FileMaker Inc’s web site. As of December 2011, any iPad 2 would do great.
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FileMaker Go
After you buy the iPad and get it set up, you’ll need to go to the App Store and purchase FileMaker Go. It costs about one-tenth what FileMaker Pro costs, so it’s a great bargain.
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Your 3G data plan
If you decide to get a 3G-capable iPad, you’ll have to activate a data plan with AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. Remember, although there is no long-term contract, you do have to pay by the month if you use the data plan.
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Configuring database server for remote access
Finally, you’ll need to configure your database server to allow remote connections. This involves opening up a port (creating a special “hole” in your firewall). You can read about that in an earlier post, here. This is easier and also safer than you might think.
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Costs?
As of December 2011, expect to spend about $600-$700 for a 3G-ready iPad 2, less for an iPad 2 with wifi capability only. You’ll also have to spend $20 for a copy of FileMaker Go to run on that iPad 2. Those are the basic costs. If you get a 3G iPad, the data plans from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint vary in price but you should budget about $20 a month for a data plan.
For the very best results with remote access, I strongly recommend that you use FileMaker Server 11 running on a dedicated computer, but that’s expensive ($1000 for FileMaker Server 11 alone, plus the cost of the computer). It is possible to host the database on a computer running FileMaker Pro instead of FileMaker Server and save about $700. If you have only one or two database files to share, it may also be possible to host your database at a hosting service like Point in Space for around $35 a month.
One final consideration which may or may not apply to you. You’ll want your database server/host to have as fast a connection to the Internet as possible, upstream as well as downstream. (Upstream from the server’s point of view = downstream from the view of your iPad when you’re out of the office.) An old-fashioned DSL line will probably make you cry while a fast cable or T1 or FIOS connection will make you smile.
