Making FileMaker Even Better
Manage More Users
If you are a power user of FileMaker and you’d like to know how to manage more users on your database at any one time, you are in the right place.
Too Much Success?
Is your FileMaker solution struggling to keep up with demand? FileMaker Server, whilst being really great at what it does, does not do large numbers of concurrent users well. Whether its limit is 250 users on a server or the 100 user limit for WebDirect, FileMaker Server has limits. While obviously not a problem if you are only ever going to have 5 or 10 users, it becomes a real problem if you start to scale up.
At this point you might be facing redeveloping your FileMaker solution in another platform to support larger user numbers – a daunting and expensive prospect. Or perhaps you are considering complicated multi server setups that hand off the load with scripting to keep everything in sync. Sounds painful. Before you do that…
Scale Up 10x With Us
Just run your solution through the LiveCode for FM compiler, and let us solve the problem.
Using the Data API to do your connections is faster and more efficient. If you consider FileMaker server or WebDirect to be like leaving the tap running all the time on a bath, and LiveCode for FM as turning it on and off when needed, then when using WebDirect, your bath fills up quickly, overflows and your users end up all over the floor. Messy.
Using our online/offline syncing, you will eventually fill the bath but much more slowly. Chances are the overflow outlet can cope. As the current users leave and let go of the resources they were using, the next set can connect without causing a problem. More users for you, painlessly.
How Many Users?
With LiveCode for FM your users are only touching the server as and when they need to and not demanding resources from the server continuously. A single sync request might only take a second or two after which the connection is closed. On top of that you can have quite a few simultaneous requests using the Data API. In practice this means that you may be able to achieve thousands of users on a single FileMaker server (depending on how your app is used in practice). Yes, we did say 1000’s.
About Using the Data API
You may have looked into using the Data API yourself at some point, given it is faster, more efficient and more stable than the traditional XML server connection that FileMaker Server uses. If you have, you may well have given up after reading the first few pages of documentation.
It’s not easy nor automatic – unless, of course, you are using it via LiveCode for FM. We just do all that for you, seamlessly. All you ever need to do with the Data API is turn it on (and we provide a lesson with screenshots showing you exactly where the on button is). A faster, better, more scalable connection.
We’re experts at creating scalable solutions. If you have a scaling challenge that isn’t covered here or want more information on what we can support please drop us a line.