Filemaker Pro 11 Guide

FileMaker

®

11

ODBC and JDBC Guide

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For more information, visit our website at www.filemaker.com.

Edition: 01

Contents

Chapter 1

Introduction

About this guide

About ODBC and JDBC

Using FileMaker software as an ODBC client application

Importing ODBC data

Adding ODBC tables to the relationships graph

Using a FileMaker database as a data source

Accessing a hosted FileMaker Pro database

Limitations with third-party tools

Networking requirements

Updating files from previous versions

Installing current drivers

Chapter 2

Accessing external SQL data sources

Importing ODBC data

Executing SQL to interact with data sources via ODBC

Working with ODBC tables in the relationships graph

Data sources supported in FileMaker 11

Adding ODBC tables to the relationships graph

Chapter 3

Installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers

Hardware and software requirements

ODBC client driver requirements (Windows)

ODBC client driver requirements (Mac OS)


ODBC client driver installation (Windows)

Configuring client drivers (Windows)

ODBC client driver installation (Mac OS)

Configuring client drivers (Mac OS)

Where to go from here

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7

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10

10

10

4 FileMaker ODBC and JDBC Guide

Chapter 4

Using ODBC to share FileMaker data

About ODBC

Using the ODBC client driver

Overview of accessing a FileMaker database file

Accessing a FileMaker database file from a Windows application

Specifying ODBC client driver properties for a FileMaker DSN (Windows)

Verifying access via ODBC (Windows)

Accessing a FileMaker database file from a Mac OS application

Specifying ODBC client driver properties for a FileMaker DSN (Mac OS)

Verifying access via ODBC (Mac OS)

Chapter 5

Installing FileMaker JDBC client drivers

Software requirements


JDBC client driver installation

Using the JDBC client driver

Chapter 6

Using JDBC to share FileMaker data

About JDBC

Using the JDBC client driver

About the JDBC client driver

Using a JDBC URL to connect to your database

Specifying driver properties in the URL subname

Solutions with multiple FileMaker database files

Verifying access via JDBC

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Chapter 7

Supported standards

Support for Unicode characters

SQL statements

SELECT statement

SQL clauses

FROM clause

WHERE clause

GROUP BY clause

HAVING clause

UNION operator

ORDER BY clause

FOR UPDATE clause

DELETE statement

INSERT statement

UPDATE statement

CREATE TABLE statement

ALTER TABLE statement

CREATE INDEX statement

DROP INDEX statement

SQL aggregate functions

SQL expressions

Field names

Constants

Exponential/scientific notation

Numeric operators

Character operators

Date operators

Relational operators

Logical operators

Functions

Functions that return character strings

Functions that return numbers

Functions that return dates

Operator precedence

ODBC Catalog functions

JDBC Meta Data functions

Reserved SQL keywords

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Chapter 8

Reference Information

Mapping FileMaker fields to ODBC data types

Mapping FileMaker fields to JDBC data types

ODBC and JDBC error messages

ODBC error messages

JDBC error messages

Index

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60

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Chapter 1

Introduction

This guide describes how you can use FileMaker ® software as an ODBC client application and as a data source for ODBC and JDBC applications.

The following table gives an overview of how to use ODBC and JDBC with FileMaker software.

What do you want to do?

1

Use FileMaker software as an

ODBC client application.

1

Access ODBC data stored in an external SQL data source.

How do you do it?

1. Interactively via the relationships graph

2. One-time, static via ODBC import or

File menu > Open. Also, the Import

Records script step and the Execute SQL script step

1

Use a FileMaker database as a data source.

1

Share FileMaker Pro data with a third-party ODBC client application.

1. SQL queries

2. ODBC and JDBC

Product

1

FileMaker Pro

1

FileMaker Pro Advanced

1

FileMaker Server

1

FileMaker Server Advanced

1

FileMaker Pro

1

FileMaker Pro Advanced

1

FileMaker Server Advanced only

See

1

This guide,

chapter 2.

1

FileMaker

Pro Help

This guide,

chapters 3 to 8.

About this guide

1

For information on using ODBC and JDBC with previous versions of FileMaker Pro, see www.filemaker.com/documentation.

1

This guide assumes that you are familiar with the basics of using ODBC and JDBC, and constructing

SQL queries. Refer to a third-party book for more information on these topics.

1

This guide uses “FileMaker Pro” to refer to both FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Pro Advanced, unless describing specific FileMaker Pro Advanced features.

Note You can download PDFs of FileMaker documentation from www.filemaker.com/documentation.

Any updates to this document are also available from the website.

About ODBC and JDBC

ODBC and JDBC are application programming interfaces (APIs). ODBC is an API for applications written in the C language, and JDBC is a similar API for the Java language. These APIs give client applications a common language for interacting with a variety of data sources and database services, including

FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server Advanced.

All applications that support ODBC and JDBC recognize a basic subset of SQL (Structured Query

Language) statements. Working with SQL, you can use other applications (such as spreadsheets, word processors, and reporting tools) to view, analyze, and modify data.


Using ODBC or JDBC APIs, a client application communicates with a driver manager that identifies the

client driver to communicate with a data source.

Client

Application

Driver

Manager

Client

Driver

Client

Driver

FileMaker software can act either as a client application or as a data source.

Using FileMaker software as an ODBC client application

As an ODBC client application, FileMaker software can access data in external SQL data sources.

FileMaker software connects to the external SQL data source using the client driver for the ODBC data source, and either imports ODBC data or works with ODBC tables in the relationships graph.

Importing ODBC data

You can import ODBC data in either of these ways:

1 from the File menu, by specifying an ODBC data source and entering SQL statements in the

FileMaker Pro SQL Query builder dialog box

1 by creating a FileMaker script that uses the Import Records script step or the Execute SQL script step

For either of these methods, you enter the SQL statements yourself, so you need to know the supported SQL statements and their syntax for your ODBC data source. Because you write the SQL statements yourself, you can import ODBC data from any ODBC data source.

Adding ODBC tables to the relationships graph

When you add an ODBC table to the relationships graph, you can connect to and work with data in external

SQL data sources in much the same way that you work with data in the current, active FileMaker database file. For example, you can:

1 create tables in the relationships graph for ODBC data sources

1 add supplemental fields to ODBC tables to perform unstored calculations or to summarize data in the

ODBC tables

1 add, change, and delete external data interactively

1 create relationships between fields in FileMaker tables and fields (also called “columns”) in ODBC tables

Because FileMaker Pro generates the SQL statements used to communicate with an ODBC table that has been added to the relationships graph, you are limited to the specific Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL data sources that FileMaker Pro supports in the relationships graph.

Note You cannot modify the schema of external ODBC data sources using FileMaker Pro.

Chapter 2, “Accessing external SQL data sources,” describes how to use FileMaker software as an ODBC

client application.

Chapter 1 | Introduction 9

Using a FileMaker database as a data source

As a data source, FileMaker data is shared with ODBC- and JDBC-compliant applications. The application connects to the FileMaker data source using the FileMaker client driver, constructs and executes the SQL queries using ODBC or JDBC, and processes the data retrieved from the FileMaker database solution.

Accessing a hosted FileMaker Pro database

With either FileMaker Server Advanced or FileMaker Pro, you can host a FileMaker database file as a data source, sharing your data with other applications using ODBC and JDBC. The following table describes what each FileMaker product allows.

This FileMaker product Allows

FileMaker Server Advanced Up to 50 connections and supports local access (same computer) and remote access (both for middleware such as web servers, and for remote client access from desktop productivity applications).

FileMaker Pro Up to nine connections and supports local access (same computer) only.

If your FileMaker database solution uses more than one FileMaker database file, all of the database files must be on the same computer.

The ODBC and JDBC plug-in components you need for sharing your data with other applications are installed with FileMaker Server Advanced and FileMaker Pro.

To access a hosted FileMaker database file, you need to install the corresponding ODBC or JDBC client driver. Install the client driver on the machine where the third-party application is installed.

This guide documents how the ODBC and JDBC client drivers, when used with FileMaker Pro and

FileMaker Server Advanced, support the industry standards for ODBC (Open Database Connectivity),

JDBC (Java Database Connectivity), and SQL (Structured Query Language).

1

Chapter 3, “Installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers,” explains how to install the driver files needed for

accessing a FileMaker data source using ODBC.

1

Chapter 4, “Using ODBC to share FileMaker data,” describes how to use the FileMaker ODBC client

driver to connect to a FileMaker data source from another application.

1

Chapter 5, “Installing FileMaker JDBC client drivers,” explains how to install the driver files needed for

accessing a FileMaker data source using JDBC.

1

Chapter 6, “Using JDBC to share FileMaker data,” describes how to use the FileMaker JDBC client

driver with a Java application or applet that connects to a FileMaker data source.

1

Chapter 7, “Supported standards,” describes the SQL statements that the ODBC and JDBC client drivers

support when used with FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server Advanced.

Important If you disable ODBC/JDBC sharing after it has already been on, a data source hosted by

FileMaker Server Advanced or FileMaker Pro immediately becomes unavailable. The database administrator doesn’t have the capability to alert ODBC and JDBC client applications about the data source’s availability (the administrator can communicate only with FileMaker database file clients). No errors are reported, and the client application should notify users that the data source is not available and transactions cannot be completed. If a client application attempts to connect to an unavailable FileMaker database file, a message explains that the connection failed.


Limitations with third-party tools

Microsoft Access: When using Microsoft Access to view data in a FileMaker data source, do not use data from a summary field. The summary field’s data should not be edited in Microsoft Access, and the data value that is displayed in Microsoft Access may not be accurate.

Networking requirements

You need a TCP/IP network when using FileMaker Server Advanced to host a FileMaker database file as a data source over a network. FileMaker Pro supports local access (same computer) only.

Updating files from previous versions

Installing current drivers

If you installed a driver from prior versions of FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server Advanced, you must install the driver for version 11.

The driver for FileMaker version 11 is not compatible with earlier versions of FileMaker Pro or FileMaker

Server Advanced.

For more information on installing drivers, see chapter 3, “Installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers” and

chapter 5, “Installing FileMaker JDBC client drivers.”

Note You have to create a Data Source Name (DSN) for each FileMaker database file you want to access as a data source. If you have previously set up access through one DSN that allows tables to be spread among several FileMaker database files, you’ll need to consolidate those tables into a single database file (or create several DSNs).

Chapter 2

Accessing external SQL data sources

As an ODBC client application, FileMaker software can access data in external SQL data sources.

FileMaker software connects to the external SQL data source using the client driver for the ODBC data source, and either imports ODBC data or works with ODBC tables in the relationships graph.

Whether you are importing ODBC data or working with ODBC tables in the relationships graph, you must configure a driver for the ODBC data source you’re using. For example, to access records from an Oracle database, you configure an Oracle client driver.

Importing ODBC data

When you import ODBC data, you need an ODBC client driver for the external SQL data source configured on the client machine.

FileMaker

Pro

Driver

Manager

Client

Driver SQL Data

Source

After configuring an ODBC client driver, you can interact with records, import records into an existing

FileMaker Pro database file, or create a new FileMaker Pro database file from an ODBC data source (such as Oracle or Microsoft Access databases).

First, you access the data source you want to import from. Then you construct a query for the records you want to import from the data source. Finally, if you’re importing data into an existing file, you map fields from your data source to fields in your FileMaker Pro database file.

You can access your ODBC data source through the File menu, with the Import Records script step, or with the Execute SQL script step.

To import ODBC data, follow this general process:

1

Install and configure specific ODBC drivers for the external data sources you want to access.

1

On the computer that hosts the current FileMaker Pro file, define a system Data Source Name (DSN) for each ODBC data source you want to access.

1

Determine any additional considerations for the ODBC data sources you want to access (for example, whether users are prompted for a user name and password).


1

In FileMaker Pro, do one of the following:

1

To import into an existing FileMaker Pro file, choose File menu > Import Records > ODBC Data

Source.

1

To create a FileMaker Pro file from the data source records, choose File menu > Open. In the Open dialog box, choose ODBC Data Source for Files of type (Windows) or Show (Mac OS).

Choose your data source, enter the user name and password (if any), and click OK to open the FileMaker

Pro SQL Query builder dialog box.

Using the FileMaker Pro SQL Query builder dialog box, you can construct a query. Select the table from which you want to import, and then select specific columns you want to use in your SQL query. Use the

WHERE tab to construct search criteria and the ORDER BY tab to specify a sort order.

You can also type an SQL statement directly into the SQL Query builder dialog box.

You can execute the query immediately, or you can use the Import Records or Execute SQL script step to execute a query as part of a FileMaker script.

Note ODBC import, the Execute SQL script step, and external SQL data sources are not supported in runtime solutions created with FileMaker Pro Advanced.

See FileMaker Pro Help for more information on importing data, using the SQL Query builder dialog box, and creating FileMaker scripts.

Executing SQL to interact with data sources via ODBC

In addition to importing data into a FileMaker Pro database file via ODBC, you can also interact with data sources using SQL statements through the Execute SQL script step. You can use any SQL statement supported by the data source, such as INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE.

You can also use SQL statements that go beyond simply importing data into a FileMaker Pro database file.

For example, you could execute SQL statements that add records to a database table in SQL Server, using information from a FileMaker Pro database file.

See FileMaker Pro Help for more information on creating FileMaker scripts that use the Execute SQL script step.

Working with ODBC tables in the relationships graph

When you add an ODBC table to the relationships graph, you can connect to and work with data in external

SQL data sources in much the same way that you work with data in the current, active FileMaker database file.

Chapter 2 | Accessing external SQL data sources 13

When you use FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server as the host for a solution that includes ODBC tables in the relationships graph, you configure the ODBC client driver for the external SQL data source on the host machine.

FileMaker

Pro user

FileMaker

Pro user

FileMaker Pro or

FileMaker

Server host machine

Driver

Manager

Client

Driver SQL Data

Source

FileMaker

Pro user

Data sources supported in FileMaker 11

As an ODBC client application, FileMaker supports the following external SQL data sources as ODBC tables in the relationships graph:

1

Oracle 9i

1

Oracle 10g

1

Oracle 11g

1

SQL Server 2000

1

SQL Server 2005

1

SQL Server 2008

1

MySQL 5.0 Community Edition (free)

1

MySQL 5.1 Community Edition (free)

For information on supported client drivers, see http://www.filemaker.com/support/technologies.

Adding ODBC tables to the relationships graph

To set up a FileMaker Pro database to access data in supported ODBC data sources:

1

Install and configure specific ODBC drivers for the external data sources you want to access.

1

On the computer that hosts the current FileMaker Pro file, define a system Data Source Name (DSN) for each ODBC data source you want to access.

1

Determine any additional considerations for ODBC data sources you want to access (for example, whether users are prompted for a user name and password).

1

Add one or more tables from the ODBC data source to the relationships graph in the current FileMaker

Pro file.

1

Add fields to layouts in the FileMaker Pro file to display external data.

1

Optionally, add supplemental fields to external tables and layouts to display calculation and summary results based on data stored in external ODBC data sources.


See FileMaker Pro Help for detailed steps and additional information on configuring an ODBC client driver, connecting to ODBC data sources, editing ODBC data sources, and setting up an ODBC table in the relationships graph.

Chapter 3

Installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers

These instructions help you install the ODBC client driver needed to access FileMaker as a data source from third-party and custom applications via ODBC (Open Database Connectivity). The ODBC client driver is available through a separate installation on your FileMaker installation disk or electronic download in the xDBC folder.

The latest versions of the client drivers are also available from this URL: www.filemaker.com/support/technologies

If you’ll be hosting a FileMaker database file using FileMaker Server Advanced, make the client drivers available to remote users.

After installing the client driver you need, you can configure the driver to access a FileMaker data source and construct SQL (Structured Query Language) queries to interact with the data.

Hardware and software requirements

To install and use the ODBC client drivers, you need the following minimum equipment and software:

ODBC client driver requirements (Windows)

1

Pentium III 700MHz or higher

1

256 MB RAM minimum, 2 GB RAM recommended, for Windows XP; 1 GB RAM minimum for

Windows Vista and Windows 7

1

Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 SP1

1

Windows MDAC 6.0 for Vista

ODBC client driver requirements (Mac OS)

1

Apple G4 or G5; or Mac OS computer with an Intel processor

1

1 GB RAM minimum; 2 GB RAM recommended

1

Mac OS X version 10.5.7 or 10.6 (the software may also work with later versions certified by FileMaker)


If you’ll be accessing a FileMaker data source hosted on another computer, you’ll need network access via

TCP/IP.

ODBC client driver installation (Windows)

Note You need MDAC 2.8 SP1 (available from www.microsoft.com) to install the ODBC client driver on a 32-bit Windows operating system.


To install the ODBC client driver:

1. Do one of the following:

1

If you received your software electronically, double-click the installation icon (.exe file).

1

If you have an installation disk, insert the disk into the drive.

2. In the FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server window, double-click the xDBC folder.

3. In the xDBC folder, double-click the ODBC Client Driver Installer folder.

4. In the ODBC Client Driver Installer folder, double-click the FMODBC_Installer_Win32.msi file.

The FileMaker ODBC Driver Setup Wizard opens.

5. Install the ODBC client driver by following the on-screen instructions.

6. When the installation is complete, click Close.

By default, the ODBC client driver will be installed in this folder: c:\windows\system32

The ODBC client driver, FileMaker ODBC, is now available for you to configure for accessing a

FileMaker data source.

Configuring client drivers (Windows)

Before using a client application to access a FileMaker data source, you must configure a client driver for the data source. Configuration settings identify the client driver you’re using, the location of the data source, and details on how you intend to connect.

Important When using a FileMaker client driver, you must reserve 2399 as the port.

To configure the ODBC client driver:

1. In the Windows Control Panel, open Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC).

1

In Windows XP, Administrative Tools appear in the Performance and Maintenance category.

1

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, Administrative Tools appear in the System and Security category.

The ODBC Data Source Administrator opens.

2. Select the System DSN or User DSN tab

3. Click Add.

The Create New Data Source dialog box opens.

4. Select FileMaker ODBC, and click Finish.

The FileMaker DSN Configuration dialog box opens.

5. Click Next.

6. For Name, enter a name that will be meaningful to others accessing the FileMaker data source. For

Description, enter an optional description of the FileMaker data source. Click Next.

Chapter 3 | Installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers 17

7. For Host:

1

If you’re connecting to a database file hosted by FileMaker Pro on your local machine, enter localhost or the IP address 127.0.0.1.

1

If you’re connecting to a database file hosted by FileMaker Server Advanced over a network, enter the IP address of the FileMaker Server.

If you have enabled sharing via ODBC/JDBC in the host application, you can select Connect to host to obtain the names of available databases. Click Next.

Otherwise, click Finish to save your data source information.

8. For Database, select a database from the list of available databases, or type the filename of the FileMaker database file you’re using as a data source.

Note For database files hosted by FileMaker Server Advanced, the list of databases may be filtered based on the File Display Filter setting. See FileMaker Server Help for information.

If you need special handling of non-English text, click Advanced Language. The Advanced Language

Options dialog box opens.

1

To auto-detect language settings, select the Auto-detect language settings for application option.

1

To specify the language setting, clear the Auto-detect language settings for application option and select the system setting you want to use.

If you want to create a log file for long-running queries, select the Save long-running queries to a log file option, and enter the name for the log file.

Click Finish to save your data source information.

9. Review the information about your FileMaker DSN.

1

Click Test to verify that you have correctly configured the ODBC client driver to access the FileMaker data source.

If you receive an error message, you can correct the connection information.

You may also need to check that the FileMaker database file is hosted and available, that the

FileMaker account specified uses a privilege set with the extended privilege Access via ODBC/JDBC, and that host application (FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server Advanced) has been set up for sharing via ODBC/JDBC.

1

Click Done to save your data source information.

ODBC client driver installation (Mac OS)

To install the ODBC client driver:


1

If you received your software electronically, double-click the disk image icon (.dmg file).

1



3. In the xDBC folder, double-click the ODBC Client Driver Installer folder.


4. In the ODBC Client Driver Installer folder, double-click FileMaker ODBC.mpkg.

The FileMaker ODBC Driver Installer opens.

5. Install the ODBC client driver by following the on-screen instructions.

6. When the installation is complete, click Close.

The ODBC client driver will be installed in this folder:

/Library/ODBC

Note You cannot change the installation folder for the ODBC client driver.

The ODBC client driver, FileMaker ODBC, is now available for you to configure for accessing a


Configuring client drivers (Mac OS)

Before using a client application to access a FileMaker data source, you must configure a client driver for the data source. Configuration settings identify the client driver you’re using, the location of the data source, and details on how you intend to connect.

These instructions assume you have installed the ODBC Manager from Actual Technologies, available at www.odbcmanager.net, which is a freeware product not supported by FileMaker.

You may also use Apple’s ODBC Administrator Tool for Mac OS X. For Mac OS X version 10.5, ODBC

Administrator is installed as part of the operating system. For Mac OS X version 10.6, ODBC Administrator is available at www.apple.com/support.

Important When using a FileMaker client driver, you must reserve 2399 as the port.

To configure the ODBC client driver:

1. Launch the ODBC Manager utility. (The ODBC Manager is installed in the Utilities folder in the

Applications folder.)

2. Select the System DSN or User DSN tab, and click Add.

The Choose a driver dialog box opens.

3. Select FileMaker ODBC, and click OK.


4. Click Continue.


Description, enter an optional description of the FileMaker data source. Click Continue.

Chapter 3 | Installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers 19

6. For Host:

1

If you’re connecting to a database file hosted by FileMaker Pro on your local machine, enter localhost or the IP address 127.0.0.1.

1

If you’re connecting to a database file hosted by FileMaker Server Advanced over a network, enter the IP address of the FileMaker Server.

If you have enabled sharing via ODBC/JDBC in the host application, you can select Connect to host to obtain the names of available databases. Click Continue.

Otherwise, click Finish to save your data source information.





1


1



Click Finish to save your data source information.

8. Review the information about your FileMaker DSN.

1

Click Test to verify that you have correctly configured the ODBC client driver to access the FileMaker data source.

If you receive an error message, you can correct the connection information.

You may also need to check that the FileMaker database file is hosted and available, that the

FileMaker account specified uses a privilege set with the extended privilege Access via ODBC/JDBC, and that host application (FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server Advanced) has been set up for sharing via ODBC/JDBC.

1

Click Done to save your data source information.

Where to go from here

After you install and configure a client driver, you can construct and execute SQL queries to access a


Client applications sometimes use different terminology for accessing a data source via ODBC. Many applications have menu items with names such as Get external data or SQL query. Review the documentation or Help that comes with your application for details.

For more information on using FileMaker as an ODBC data source, see chapter 4, “Using ODBC to share

FileMaker data.”


Chapter 4

Using ODBC to share FileMaker data

Use the ODBC client driver to connect to a FileMaker data source from another application. The application that uses the ODBC client driver can directly access the data in a FileMaker database file.

The FileMaker ODBC client driver is FileMaker ODBC.

Note You can also use FileMaker Pro as an ODBC client application, interacting with records from another

data source via ODBC using SQL. See chapter 2, “Accessing external SQL data sources,” for details about

accessing an external SQL data source via ODBC.

About ODBC

ODBC is an API that enables applications to access data from many database management systems. ODBC gives client applications a common language for interacting with data sources and database services.

All applications that support ODBC recognize a basic subset of SQL (Structured Query Language) statements. SQL lets you use other applications (such as spreadsheets, word processors, and reporting tools)

to view, analyze, and modify FileMaker data. See chapter 7, “Supported standards,” for the SQL statements,

functions, and expressions that the ODBC client driver supports.

Your application can talk directly to a FileMaker database file by using the ODBC client driver. Your SQL statements are delivered to the FileMaker host of the database file and the results of those statements are sent back to you. If you use FileMaker Server Advanced to host a FileMaker database file as a data source, the database file can be located on another machine (the server machine) connected to the network, while your client application is located on your machine (the client machine). This is referred to as a client/server configuration.

Client

Application

Driver

Manager

Oracle

ODBC Driver

SQL Server

ODBC Driver

FileMaker

ODBC Client

Driver

Oracle

Microsoft

SQL Server

FileMaker


Using the ODBC client driver

You can use the ODBC client driver with any ODBC-compliant application. Sharing your FileMaker database file as a data source, you can:

1 perform mail merges with Microsoft Word

1 create charts with Microsoft Excel

1 move FileMaker data to a DBMS like Microsoft SQL Server

1 further analyze your FileMaker data with query or reporting tools to create charts, construct ad-hoc queries, and perform drill-down analysis

1 create a Microsoft Visual Basic application that shares information with FileMaker Pro

To share a FileMaker database file as a data source, use FileMaker Pro to define accounts that need access to the database file. Then, control access to the database file by assigning privilege sets to the accounts, including the extended privilege of access via ODBC/JDBC. Finally, enable the FileMaker Server Advanced or FileMaker Pro host application to share data via ODBC/JDBC. For details, see FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server Help.

Important Prior versions of the FileMaker ODBC client driver are not compatible with FileMaker version 11. To connect to a FileMaker version 11 database file, you need to install and configure the new

ODBC client driver.

Note To confirm that the FileMaker xDBC Listener is currently running, you can use the Activity Monitor on Mac OS or the Task Manager on Windows to check the status of the FileMaker xDBC Listener process.

When the process is started, it is named fmxdbc_listener, and events are logged by that name. The FileMaker xDBC Listener process is separate from the FileMaker Server process.

Overview of accessing a FileMaker database file

From an ODBC-compliant application, you can construct SQL queries to access a FileMaker database file.

The ODBC client driver must be installed on the computer generating the SQL query.

To access a FileMaker database file:

1. In FileMaker Pro, review the privilege sets you’ve assigned to accounts that will access the database file.

Accounts that need access must use a privilege set with the extended privilege of Access via ODBC/JDBC.

2. Enable the FileMaker Server Advanced (via FileMaker Server Admin Console) or FileMaker Pro host application to share data via ODBC/JDBC.

FileMaker Server Admin Console: Click ODBC/JDBC then select Enable ODBC/JDBC.

FileMaker Pro: Choose File menu > Sharing > ODBC/JDBC and set ODBC/JDBC Sharing to On.

3. Make sure the FileMaker database file you want to access is hosted and available.

If your FileMaker database solution uses more than one FileMaker database file, all of the database files must be on the same computer.

4. Connect to the FileMaker data source.

Chapter 4 | Using ODBC to share FileMaker data 23

5. Construct and execute an SQL query in the client application.

Each FileMaker database file that is open and set up for access is a separate data source (you create a

DSN for each FileMaker database file you want to access as a data source).

Each database can have one or more tables. FileMaker fields are represented as columns. The complete field name, including any non-alphanumeric characters, displays as the column name.

Accessing a FileMaker database file from a Windows application

Specifying ODBC client driver properties for a FileMaker DSN (Windows)

Create a DSN for each FileMaker database file you want to access as a data source. The DSN identifies the

FileMaker ODBC client driver, the location of the FileMaker host application, and the FileMaker database file you’re accessing as a data source.

To configure a new ODBC client driver, see “Configuring client drivers (Windows)” on page 16.

To change an existing ODBC client driver:


1


1



2. Select the System DSN or User DSN tab (select the tab used when you previously configured).

3. Choose the FileMaker data source that you previously configured.

The data source name you originally entered appears under Name, and FileMaker ODBC appears as the Driver.

4. Click Configure.

The FileMaker DSN Configuration dialog box appears.


Description, enter an optional description of the FileMaker data source. Click Next.

6. For Host, enter the location of your data source.

If you’re connecting to a FileMaker database file hosted by FileMaker Pro on your local machine, type localhost (or 127.0.0.1

).

If you’re connecting to a FileMaker database file hosted by FileMaker Server Advanced over a network, type the IP address of FileMaker Server.

If you’ve enabled sharing via ODBC/JDBC in the host application, select Connect to host to obtain the names of available databases.






1


1



8. Click Finish to save your data source information.

9. Click Done to close the FileMaker DSN Configuration dialog box.

Verifying access via ODBC (Windows)

To verify that you’ve correctly configured the ODBC client driver to access the FileMaker data source:


1


1





The data source name you originally entered appears under Name, and FileMaker ODBC appears as the

Driver.

4. Click Configure.

The FileMaker DSN Configuration dialog box appears.

5. Click Next until you reach the Conclusion page.

6. Click Test.

You are prompted to enter your FileMaker account name (in Database User Name) and password (in

Database Password).

If the connection is OK, you receive the message Test completed successfully.

If the connection fails:

1

Make sure the FileMaker database file is hosted and available.

1

Update or correct your connection information.

Chapter 4 | Using ODBC to share FileMaker data 25

1

Make sure your FileMaker account uses a privilege set with the extended privilege of Access via ODBC/

JDBC.

1

Verify that the FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server host application has been set up for sharing via

ODBC/JDBC.

Accessing a FileMaker database file from a Mac OS application

Specifying ODBC client driver properties for a FileMaker DSN (Mac OS)

Create a DSN for each FileMaker database file you want to access as a data source. The DSN identifies the

FileMaker ODBC client driver, the location of the FileMaker host application, and the FileMaker database file you’re accessing as a data source.

To configure a new ODBC client driver, see “Configuring client drivers (Mac OS)” on page 18.

To change an existing ODBC client driver:

1. Launch the ODBC Manager utility. (The ODBC Manager is installed in the Utilities folder in the


2. Click the System DSN or User DSN tab.


The data source name you originally entered appears under Name, and FileMaker ODBC appears as the Driver.

4. Click Configure.


5. Click Continue.

6. For Name, type a name that will be meaningful to others accessing the FileMaker data source.

An additional Description is optional.

7. For Host, enter the location of your data source.

If you’re connecting to a FileMaker database file hosted by FileMaker Pro on your local machine, type localhost (or 127.0.0.1

).

If you’re connecting to a FileMaker database file hosted by FileMaker Server Advanced over a network, type the IP address of FileMaker Server.

If you’ve enabled sharing via ODBC/JDBC in the host application, select Connect to host to obtain the names of available databases.






1


1



9. Click Finish to save your data source information.

10. Click Done to close the FileMaker DSN Configuration dialog box.

Verifying access via ODBC (Mac OS)

To verify that you’ve correctly configured the ODBC client driver to access the FileMaker data source:

1. Launch the ODBC Manager utility. (The ODBC Manager is located in the Utilities folder in the




The data source name you originally entered appears under Name, and FileMaker ODBC appears as the

Driver.

4. Click Configure.


5. Click Continue until you recheck the Conclusion page.

6. Click Test.

You are prompted to enter your FileMaker account name (in Database User Name) and password (in

Database Password).

If the connection is OK, you receive the message Test completed successfully.

If the connection fails:

1

Make sure the FileMaker database file is hosted and available.

1

Update or correct your connection information.

1

Make sure your FileMaker account uses a privilege set with the extended privilege of Access via ODBC/

JDBC.

1

Verify that the FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server host application has been set up for sharing via

ODBC/JDBC.

Chapter 5

Installing FileMaker JDBC client drivers

These instructions help you install the client driver needed to access FileMaker as a data source from thirdparty and custom applications via JDBC (Java Database Connectivity). The client driver is available on your

FileMaker DVD or electronic download in the xDBC folder. The latest versions of the client drivers are also available from this URL: www.filemaker.com/support/technologies

If you’ll be hosting a FileMaker database file using FileMaker Server Advanced, make the client drivers available to remote users.

After installing the client driver you need, you can configure the driver to access a FileMaker data source and construct SQL (Structured Query Language) queries to interact with the data.

The JDBC client driver is the driver portions of the FileMaker software that allow third-party applications or custom applications to access FileMaker files as JDBC data sources.

Software requirements

To install and use the JDBC client drivers, you need JDK 1.4 or later.

To find which version of Java you’re running, open a command window (Windows) or Terminal window

(Mac OS) and type java -version .


If you’ll be accessing a FileMaker data source hosted on another computer, you’ll need network access via

TCP/IP.

JDBC client driver installation

You must have write access to the folder where you’re installing the JDBC client driver.

To install the JDBC client driver:


1

Windows: If you received your software electronically, double-click the installation icon (.exe file).

1

Mac OS: If you received your software electronically, double-click the disk image icon (.dmg file).

1



3. In the xDBC folder, double-click the JDBC Client Driver Installer folder.


4. Copy the fmjdbc.jar file to the appropriate folder for your operating system:

1

Windows: Copy the fmjdbc.jar file to the folder that includes your Java executable file (java.exe) or to another folder location included in the ClassPath of your Java application.

1

Mac OS: Copy the fmjdbc.jar file to the /Library/Java/Extensions folder or to another folder location included in the ClassPath of your Java application.

The JDBC client driver is now available for you to use to access a FileMaker data source.

Using the JDBC client driver

Your Java application or applet must register the JDBC client driver with the JDBC driver manager, and you must specify the correct JDBC URL from within the application or applet.

Important You must reserve the port 2399 for the FileMaker JDBC client driver. The port number is always

2399. You can’t change the JDBC sharing to a different port.

For more information on using the JDBC client driver, see chapter 6, “Using JDBC to share FileMaker data.”

Chapter 6

Using JDBC to share FileMaker data

If you’re a Java programmer, you can use the JDBC client driver with any Rapid Application Development

(RAD) tool to visually create a Java application or applet that connects to a FileMaker data source. The Java application or applet that uses the JDBC client driver can directly access the data in a FileMaker database file.

About JDBC

JDBC is a Java API for executing SQL statements, the standard language for accessing relational databases.

JDBC is a name and not an acronym — although it is thought of as standing for “Java Database Connectivity” because it is the Java equivalent for ODBC. JDBC is a low-level interface, which means that it is used to call

SQL commands directly. It is also designed to be used as a base for higher level interfaces and tools.

Your Java applet or application can talk directly to a FileMaker database file by using the JDBC client driver.

Your SQL statements are delivered to the FileMaker host of the database file and the results of those statements are sent back to you. If you use FileMaker Server to host, the FileMaker database file you’re using as a data source can be located on another machine (the server machine) connected to the network, while your Java applet or client application is located on your machine (the client machine). This is referred to as a client/server configuration.

Java application

JDBC driver

FileMaker

Client machine Database server

Using the JDBC client driver

You can use the JDBC client driver with a Java compiler or RAD tool to connect with your database while you build the code for your Java application or applet. After the Java application or applet has been created, the JDBC client driver must be present with the files or included within the code in order for the application or applet to communicate with the database.

To use the JDBC client driver, your Java application or applet must register the driver with the JDBC driver manager and you must specify the correct JDBC URL from within the application or applet. You need the

JDBC URL to make the connection to the database.

About the JDBC client driver

The JDBC client driver provides partial support for the JDBC 3.0 specification. The following features are not supported by FileMaker:

1

Savepoint support

1

Retrieval of auto-generated keys

1

Passing parameters to a callable statement object by name

1

Holdable cursor support


1

Retrieving and updating the object referenced by a Ref object

1

Updating of columns containing CLOB, ARRAY and REF data types

1

Boolean data type

1

DATALINK data type

1

Transform groups and type mapping

1

Relationship between the JDBC SPI and the Connector architecture

For additional details, see www.filemaker.com/support/technologies.

The JDBC client driver has been tested against the Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.5 (Mac OS) and 1.6

(Windows). It is a Type 4 driver — a native protocol, pure Java driver that converts JDBC calls directly into the network protocol used by FileMaker. This type of driver offers all the advantages of Java including automatic installation (for example, downloading the JDBC driver with an applet that uses it).

The driver class and main entry point for the driver is named: com.filemaker.jdbc.Driver

Important The JDBC client driver replaces the FileMaker JDBC driver released with a previous version of

FileMaker. If you have previously set up access to a FileMaker data source using the older driver, you’ll need to re-define access by using and configuring the new driver.

Note To confirm that the FileMaker xDBC Listener is currently running, you can use the Activity Monitor on Mac OS or the Task Manager on Windows to check the status of the FileMaker xDBC Listener process.

When the process is started, it is named fmxdbc_listener, and events are logged by that name. The FileMaker xDBC Listener process is separate from the FileMaker Server process.

Using a JDBC URL to connect to your database

In Java, most resources are accessed through URLs (Uniform Resource Locators). A JDBC URL is used to identify the database so the JDBC client driver can recognize and establish a connection with the database.

The JDBC URL consists of three main parts separated by colons: jdbc:<subprotocol>:<subname>

The first part in the JDBC URL is always the JDBC protocol (“ jdbc ”). The subprotocol is the driver name or the mechanism that supports multiple drivers. For the JDBC client driver, the subprotocol is filemaker .

The subname is the IP address of the machine that is hosting the FileMaker data source.

Registering the JDBC client driver and connecting to a FileMaker data source (an example)

Here is a snippet of a JDBC client application that:

1. Registers the JDBC client driver with the JDBC driver manager.

2. Establishes a connection with the FileMaker data source. The JDBC URL is jdbc:filemaker://192.168.1.1/database

Chapter 6 | Using JDBC to share FileMaker data 31

{

3. Returns error codes.

import java.sql.*; class FMPJDBCTest

{ public static void main(String[ ] args)

// register the JDBC client driver try {

Driver d =

(Driver)Class.forName("com.filemaker.jdbc.Driver").newInstance();

} catch(Exception e) {

System.out.println(e);

}

// establish a connection to FileMaker

Connection con; try {

} con = DriverManager.getConnection(“jdbc:filemaker://192.168.1.1/mydatabase”,”username”,

“password”);

} catch(Exception e) {

System.out.println(e);

}

// get connection warnings

SQLWarning warning = null; try { warning = con.getWarnings(); if (warning == null) {

System.out.println("No warnings"); return;

} while (warning != null) {

System.out.println("Warning: "+warning); warning = warning.getNextWarning();

}

} catch (Exception e) {

Sysem.out.println(e);

}

}þ

Note This example is not meant to be compiled.


Specifying driver properties in the URL subname

Specify the user and password driver properties in the subname of the JDBC URL. These are the properties that could be passed to the connection when calling the DriverManager.getConnection method via the

Properties parameter.

1 user: an account in the FileMaker database file that uses a privilege set with the extended privilege

Access via ODBC/JDBC

1 password: the password for the account in the FileMaker database file

JDBC URL connection with the database name specified in the URL

Format: jdbc:filemaker://<filemaker host IP address>/<databasename>

Example: jdbc:filemaker://192.168.1.1/publications

JDBC URL connection with the database name, user name, and password specified in the URL

Format: jdbc:filemaker://<filemaker host IP address>/

<databasename>?user=<databaseusername>&password=<databasepassword>

Example: jdbc:filemaker://192.168.1.1/customers?user=Collections&password=admin

Note Because of the use of the ampersand character (&) in this syntax, you cannot use an ampersand character in the user name or the password.

Invalid user name example: jdbc:filemaker://localhost/sales_db?user=ad&min&password=admin

Invalid password example: jdbc:filemaker://localhost/sales_db?user=admin1&password=ad&min

Solutions with multiple FileMaker database files

If your FileMaker database solution uses many FileMaker database files, create an additional database file that contains all the necessary external data source references, table occurrences, and relationships for your solution. Then define this additional database file as your data source in the JDBC URL. All of the

FileMaker database files must be on the same computer.

Chapter 6 | Using JDBC to share FileMaker data 33

Verifying access via JDBC

When verifying access to a FileMaker database file via JDBC, make sure:

1

The FileMaker database file is hosted and available.

1

Your FileMaker account uses a privilege set with the extended privilege of Access via ODBC/JDBC.

1

The FileMaker Pro or FileMaker Server Advanced host application has been set up for sharing via

ODBC/JDBC.

To share a FileMaker database file as a data source, use FileMaker Pro to define accounts that need access to the database file. Then, control access to the database file by assigning privilege sets to the accounts, including the extended privilege of access via ODBC/JDBC. Finally, enable the

FileMaker Server Advanced or FileMaker Pro host application to share data via ODBC/JDBC. For details, see FileMaker Pro Help.

1

The JDBC client driver registration and the JDBC URL are correct (the driver can be included inside the

Java Application or located on the client machine).

For additional information on using JDBC to share FileMaker data, see www.filemaker.com/support/technologies.


Chapter 7

Supported standards

This chapter describes the SQL statements and constructs supported by the FileMaker ODBC and JDBC client drivers. Use the client drivers to access a FileMaker database solution from an ODBC- or JDBCcompliant application. The FileMaker database solution can be hosted by either FileMaker Pro or

FileMaker Server Advanced.

The ODBC client driver supports ODBC 3.5 Level 1 with some features of Level 2. The JDBC client driver provides partial support for the JDBC 3.0 specification. See www.filemaker.com/support/technologies for more information. The ODBC and JDBC client drivers support SQL-92 entry-level conformance, with some

SQL-92 intermediate features.

Support for Unicode characters

The ODBC and JDBC client drivers support the Unicode API. However, if you’re creating a custom application that uses the client drivers, use ASCII for field names, table names, and filenames (in case a non-

Unicode query tool or application is used).

Note To insert and retrieve Unicode data, use SQL_C_WCHAR.

SQL statements

The ODBC and JDBC client drivers provide support for the following SQL statements:

SELECT (see below)

CREATE TABLE (page 44)

DELETE (page 42)

ALTER TABLE (page 44)

INSERT (page 42)

CREATE INDEX (page 45)

UPDATE (page 43)

DROP INDEX (page 45)

The client drivers also support FileMaker data type mapping to ODBC SQL and JDBC SQL data types. See

“Mapping FileMaker fields to ODBC data types” on page 59 and “Mapping FileMaker fields to JDBC data types” on page 59 for data type conversions. For more information on constructing SQL queries, refer to a

third-party book.

Note The ODBC and JDBC client drivers do not support FileMaker portals.

SELECT statement

Use the SELECT statement to specify which columns you're requesting. Follow the SELECT statement with the column expressions (similar to field names) you want to retrieve (for example, last_name ).

Expressions can include mathematical operations or string manipulation (for example, SALARY * 1.05

).


The SELECT statement can use a variety of clauses:

SELECT [DISTINCT] {* | column_expression [[AS] column_alias],...}

FROM table_name [table_alias], ...

[ WHERE expr1 rel_operator expr2 ]

[ GROUP BY {column_expression, ...} ]

[ HAVING expr1 rel_operator expr2 ]

[ UNION [ALL] (SELECT...) ]

[ ORDER BY {sort_expression [DESC | ASC]}, ... ]

[ FOR UPDATE [OF {column_expression, ...}] ]

Items in brackets are optional.

column_alias can be used to give the column a more descriptive name, or to abbreviate a longer column name. For example, to assign the alias department to the column dept :

SELECT dept AS department FROM emp

Field names can be prefixed with the table name or the table alias. For example, EMP.LAST_NAME or

E.LAST_NAME, where E is the alias for the table EMP.

The DISTINCT operator can precede the first column expression. This operator eliminates duplicate rows from the result of a query. For example:

SELECT DISTINCT dept FROM emp

SQL clauses

The ODBC and JDBC client drivers provide support for the following SQL clauses.

Use this SQL clause

FROM (page 37)

WHERE (page 37)

GROUP BY (page 38)

HAVING (page 38)

UNION (page 37)

ORDER BY (page 39)

FOR UPDATE (page 39)

To

Indicate which tables are used in the SELECT statement.

Specify the conditions that records must meet to be retrieved (like a FileMaker Pro find request).

Specify the names of one or more fields by which the returned values should be grouped. This clause is used to return a set of aggregate values by returning one row for each group (like a FileMaker Pro subsummary).

Specify conditions for groups of records (for example, display only the departments that have salaries totaling more than $200,000).

Combine the results of two or more SELECT statements into a single result.

Indicate how the records are sorted

To perform Positioned Updates or Positioned Deletes via SQL cursors

Note If you attempt to retrieve data from a table with no columns, the SELECT statement returns nothing.

Chapter 7 | Supported standards 37

FROM clause

The FROM clause indicates the tables that are used in the SELECT statement. The format is:

FROM table_name [table_alias] [, table_name [table_alias]] table_name is the name of a table in the current database. table_alias can be used to give the table a more descriptive name, to abbreviate a longer table name, or to include the same table in the query more than once (for example, in self-joins).

Field names can be prefixed with the table name or the table alias. For example, given the table specification

FROM employee E , you can refer to the LAST_NAME field as E.LAST_NAME. Table aliases must be used if the SELECT statement joins a table to itself. For example:

SELECT * FROM employee E, employee F WHERE E.manager_id = F.employee_id

The equal sign (=) includes only matching rows in the results.

If you are joining more than one table, and you want to discard all rows that don’t have corresponding rows in both source tables, you can use INNER JOIN. For example:

SELECT *

FROM Salespeople INNER JOIN Sales_Data

ON Salespeople.Salesperson_ID = Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID

If you are joining two tables, but you don’t want to discard rows of the first table (the “left” table), you can use LEFT JOIN.

SELECT *

FROM Salespeople LEFT JOIN Sales Data

ON Salespeople.Salesperson ID = Sales Data.DepartmentID

Every row from the “Salespeople” table will appear in the joined table.

If you are joining two tables, but you don’t want to discard rows of the second table (the “right” table), you can use RIGHT JOIN.

SELECT *

FROM Salespeople RIGHT JOIN Sales Data

ON Salespeople.Salesperson ID = Sales Data.DepartmentID

Every row from the “Sales Data” table will appear in the joined table.

Notes

1

LEFT JOIN is supported, but the grammar LEFT OUTER JOIN is not currently supported.

1

RIGHT JOIN is supported, but the grammar RIGHT OUTER JOIN is not currently supported.

1

FULL OUTER JOIN is not currently supported.

WHERE clause

The WHERE clause specifies the conditions that records must meet to be retrieved. The WHERE clause contains conditions in the form:

WHERE expr1 rel_operator expr2 expr1 and expr2 can be field names, constant values, or expressions.

rel_operator is the relational operator that links the two expressions. For example, the following

SELECT statement retrieves the names of employees who make $20,000 or more.

SELECT last_name,first_name FROM emp WHERE salary >= 20000


The WHERE clause can also use expressions such as these:

WHERE expr1 IS NULL

WHERE NOT expr2

Note If you use fully qualified names in the SELECT (projection) list, you must also use fully qualified names in the related WHERE clause.

GROUP BY clause

The GROUP BY clause specifies the names of one or more fields by which the returned values should be grouped. This clause is used to return a set of aggregate values. It has the following format:

GROUP BY columns columns must match the column expression used in the SELECT clause. A column expression can be one or more field names of the database table separated by commas.

The following example sums the salaries in each department.

SELECT dept_id, SUM (salary) FROM emp GROUP BY dept_id

This statement returns one row for each distinct department ID. Each row contains the department ID and the sum of the salaries of the employees in the department.

HAVING clause

The HAVING clause enables you to specify conditions for groups of records (for example, display only the departments that have salaries totaling more than $200,000). It has the following format:

HAVING expr1 rel_operator expr2 expr1 and expr2 can be field names, constant values, or expressions. These expressions do not have to match a column expression in the SELECT clause.

rel_operator is the relational operator that links the two expressions. The following example returns only the departments whose sums of salaries are greater than $200,000:

SELECT dept_id, SUM (salary) FROM emp

GROUP BY dept_id HAVING SUM (salary) > 200000

UNION operator

The UNION operator combines the results of two or more SELECT statements into a single result. The single result is all of the returned records from the SELECT statements. By default, duplicate records are not returned. To return duplicate records, use the ALL keyword (UNION ALL). The format is:

SELECT statement UNION [ALL] SELECT statement

When using the UNION operator, the select lists for each SELECT statement must have the same number of column expressions, with the same data types, and must be specified in the same order. For example:

SELECT last_name, salary, hire_date FROM emp UNION SELECT name, pay, birth_date FROM person

This example has the same number of column expressions, and each column expression, in order, has the same data type.

The following example is not valid because the data types of the column expressions are different (SALARY from EMP has a different data type than LAST_NAME from RAISES). This example has the same number of column expressions in each SELECT statement, but the expressions are not in the same order by data type.

SELECT last_name, salary FROM emp UNION SELECT salary, last_name FROM raises


ORDER BY clause

The ORDER BY clause indicates how the records are to be sorted. The format is:

ORDER BY {sort_expression [DESC | ASC]}, ...

sort_expression can be field names, expressions, or the positional number of the column expression to use. The default is to perform an ascending (ASC) sort.

For example, to sort by last_name then by first_name , you could use either of the following SELECT statements:

SELECT emp_id, last_name, first_name FROM emp ORDER BY last_name, first_name or

SELECT emp_id, last_name, first_name FROM emp ORDER BY 2,3

In the second example, last_name is the second column expression following SELECT, so ORDER BY 2 sorts by last_name .

FOR UPDATE clause

The FOR UPDATE clause locks records for Positioned Updates or Positioned Deletes via SQL cursors. The format is:

FOR UPDATE [OF column_expressions] column_expressions is a list of field names in the database table that you intend to update, separated by a comma. column_expressions is optional, and is ignored.

The following example returns all records in the employee database that have a SALARY field value of more than $20,000. When each record is fetched, it is locked. If the record is updated or deleted, the lock is held until you commit the change. Otherwise, the lock is released when you fetch the next record.

SELECT * FROM emp WHERE salary > 20000

FOR UPDATE OF last_name, first_name, salary


Additional examples:

Using text constant numeric constant date constant time constant timestamp constant text column

Sample SQL

SELECT 'CatDog' FROM Salespeople

SELECT 999 FROM Salespeople

SELECT DATE '2011-06-05' FROM Salespeople

SELECT TIME '02:49:03' FROM Salespeople

SELECT TIMESTAMP '2011-06-05 02:49:03' FROM Salespeople numeric column date column time column timestamp column

BLOB a

column

Wildcard *

SELECT Company_Name FROM Sales_Data

SELECT DISTINCT Company_Name FROM Sales_Data

SELECT Amount FROM Sales_Data

SELECT DISTINCT Amount FROM Sales_Data

SELECT Date_Sold FROM Sales_Data

SELECT DISTINCT Date_Sold FROM Sales_Data

SELECT Time_Sold FROM Sales_Data

SELECT DISTINCT Time_Sold FROM Sales_Data

SELECT Timestamp_Sold FROM Sales_Data

SELECT DISTINCT Timestamp_Sold FROM Sales_Data

SELECT Company_Brochures FROM Sales_Data

SELECT GETAS(Company_Logo, 'JPEG') FROM Sales_Data

SELECT * FROM Salespeople

SELECT DISTINCT * FROM Salespeople a. A BLOB is a FileMaker database file container field.

Notes from the examples

A column is a reference to a field in the FileMaker database file (the field can contain many distinct values).

The asterisk (*) wildcard character is shorthand for “everything”. For the example SELECT * FROM

Salespeople , the result is all the columns in the Salespeople table. For the example SELECT

DISTINCT * FROM Salespeople , the result is all the unique rows in the Salespeople table (no duplicates).

1

FileMaker does not store data for empty strings, so the following queries always return no records:

SELECT * FROM test WHERE c =’’

SELECT * FROM test WHERE c <>’’

1

If you use SELECT with binary data, you must use the GetAs() function to specify the stream to return.

See the following section “Retrieving the contents of a container field: CAST() function and GetAs() function,” for more information.

Retrieving the contents of a container field: CAST() function and GetAs() function

You can retrieve binary data, file reference information, or data of a specific file type from a container field.

To retrieve binary data, use a standard SELECT statement. For example:

SELECT Company_Brochures FROM Sales_Data

If file or JPEG data exists, the SELECT statement retrieves the data in binary form; otherwise, the SELECT statement returns <null>.


To retrieve file reference information from a container field, such as the file path to a file, picture, or

Quicktime movie, use the CAST function with a SELECT statement. For example:

SELECT CAST(Company_Brochures AS VARCHAR(NNN)) FROM Sales_Data

In this example, if you:

1

Inserted a file into the container field using FileMaker Pro but stored only a reference to the file, the

SELECT statement retrieves the file reference information as type SQL_VARCHAR.

1

Inserted the contents of a file into the container field using FileMaker Pro, the SELECT statement retrieves the name of the file.

1

Imported a file into the container field from another application, the SELECT statement displays '?' (the file displays as Untitled.dat in FileMaker Pro).

To retrieve data from a container field, use the GetAs function and specify the file’s type depending on how the data was inserted into the container field in FileMaker Pro.

1

If the data was inserted using the Insert > File command, specify 'FILE' in the GetAs function. For example:

SELECT GetAs(Company_Brochures, 'FILE') FROM Sales_Data

1

If the data was inserted using the Insert > Sound command (Standard sound — Mac OS raw format), specify 'snd' in the GetAs function. For example:

SELECT GetAs(Company_Meeting, 'snd ') FROM Company_Newsletter

1

If the data was inserted using the Insert > Object command (OLE container data), specify 'EMBO' in the

GetAs function. For example:

SELECT GetAs(Company_Results, 'EMBO') FROM Annual_Report

1

If the data was inserted using the Insert > Picture command, drag and drop, or paste from the clipboard, specify one of the file types listed in the following table. For example:

SELECT GetAs(Company_Logo, 'JPEG') FROM Company_Icons

File type Description

'EMF+' Windows Enhanced Metafile Plus

'EPS '

'FPix'

Embedded PostScript

Flash (FPX)

'FORK'

'GIFf'

'JPEG'

'JP2 '

Resource fork (Mac OS)

Graphics Interchange Format

Photographic images

JPEG 2000

'META'

'METO'

'moov'

Windows Metafile (enhanced)

Windows Metafile (original)

Old QuickTime format (Mac OS)

File type Description

'PDF ' Portable Document Format

'PICT'

'PNGf'

Mac OS (does not have 512-byte file-based header)

Bitmap image format

'PNTG'

'qtif'

'.SGI'

'TIFF'

MacPaint

QuickTime image file

Generic bitmap format

Raster file format for digital images

'TPIC'

'XMLO'

'8BPS'

Targa

Layout objects

PhotoShop (PSD)


DELETE statement

Use the DELETE statement to delete records from a database table. The format of the DELETE statement is:

DELETE FROM table_name [ WHERE { conditions } ]

Note The WHERE clause determines which records are to be deleted. If you don’t include the WHERE keyword, all records in the table are deleted (but the table is left intact).

An example of a DELETE statement on the Employee table is:

DELETE FROM emp WHERE emp_id = 'E10001'

Each DELETE statement removes every record that meets the conditions in the WHERE clause. In this case, every record having the employee ID E10001 is deleted. Because employee IDs are unique in the Employee table, only one record is deleted.

INSERT statement

Use the INSERT statement to create records in a database table. You can specify either:

1

A list of values to be inserted as a new record

1

A SELECT statement that copies data from another table to be inserted as a set of new records

The format of the INSERT statement is:

INSERT INTO table_name [(column_name, ...)] VALUES (expr, ...)

[, VALUES (expr, ...)] column_name is an optional list of column names that provides the name and order of the columns whose values are specified in the VALUES clause. If you omit column_name , the value expressions ( expr ) must provide values for all columns defined in the table and must be in the same order that the columns are defined for the table. column_name may also specify a field repetition, for example lastDates[4]. expr is the list of expressions giving the values for the columns of the new record. Usually the expressions are constant values for the columns (but they can also be a subquery). You must enclose character string values in pairs of single quotation marks ('). To include a single quotation mark in a character string value enclosed by single quotation marks, use two single quotation marks together (for example, 'Don''t').

Subqueries must be enclosed in parentheses.

The following example inserts a list of expressions:

INSERT INTO emp (last_name, first_name, emp_id, salary, hire_date)

VALUES ('Smith', 'John', 'E22345', 27500, {d ‘2008/06/05’})

Each INSERT statement adds one record to the database table. In this case a record has been added to the employee database table, EMP. Values are specified for five columns. The remaining columns in the table are assigned a blank value, meaning Null.

Note In container fields, you can INSERT text only, unless you prepare a parameterized statement and stream the data from your application. To use binary data, you must specify the type in a PutAs() function:

PutAs(col, ‘type’)

, where the type value is a type as described in “Retrieving the contents of a container field: CAST() function and GetAs() function” on page 40.

The SELECT statement is a query that returns values for each column_name value specified in the column name list. Using a SELECT statement instead of a list of value expressions lets you select a set of rows from one table and insert it into another table using a single INSERT statement.


Here's an example of an INSERT statement that uses a SELECT statement:

INSERT INTO emp1 (first_name, last_name, emp_id, dept, salary)

SELECT first_name, last_name, emp_id, dept, salary from emp

WHERE dept = ‘D050’

In this type of INSERT statement, the number of columns to be inserted must match the number of columns in the SELECT statement. The list of columns to be inserted must correspond to the columns in the SELECT statement just as it would to a list of value expressions in the other type of INSERT statement. For example, the first column inserted corresponds to the first column selected; the second inserted to the second, and so on.

The size and data type of these corresponding columns must be compatible. Each column in the SELECT list should have a data type that the ODBC or JDBC client driver accepts on a regular INSERT/UPDATE of the corresponding column in the INSERT list. Values are truncated when the size of the value in the

SELECT list column is greater than the size of the corresponding INSERT list column.

The SELECT statement is evaluated before any values are inserted.

UPDATE statement

Use the UPDATE statement to change records in a database table. The format of the UPDATE statement is:

UPDATE table_name SET column_name = expr, ... [ WHERE { conditions } ] column_name is the name of a column whose value is to be changed. Several columns can be changed in one statement.

expr is the new value for the column.

Usually the expressions are constant values for the columns (but they can also be a subquery). You must enclose character string values in pairs of single quotation marks ('). To include a single quotation mark in a character string value enclosed by single quotation marks, use two single quotation marks together (for example, 'Don''t').

Subqueries must be enclosed in parentheses.

The WHERE clause is any valid clause. It determines which records are updated.

An example of an UPDATE statement on the Employee table is:

UPDATE emp SET salary=32000, exempt=1 WHERE emp_id = 'E10001'

The UPDATE statement changes every record that meets the conditions in the WHERE clause. In this case the salary and exempt status are changed for all employees having the employee ID E10001. Because employee IDs are unique in the Employee table, only one record is updated.

Here's an example using a subquery:

UPDATE emp SET salary = (SELECT avg(salary) from emp) WHERE emp_id = 'E10001'

In this case, the salary is changed to the average salary in the company for the employee having employee

ID E10001.

Note In container fields, you can UPDATE with text only, unless you prepare a parameterized statement and stream the data from your application. To use binary data, you must specify the type in a PutAs()

function: PutAs(col, ‘type’), where the type value is a type as described in “Retrieving the contents of a container field: CAST() function and GetAs() function” on page 40.


CREATE TABLE statement

Use the CREATE TABLE statement to create a table in a database file. The format of the CREATE TABLE statement is:

CREATE TABLE table_name table_element_list [DEFAULT expr][UNIQUE][NOT NULL]

Within the statement, you specify the name and data type of each column.

1 table_name and table_element_list have a 100 character limit.

1

The DEFAULT keyword allows you to set a default value for a column. You may use a literal such as

CURRENT_USER , CURRENT_DATE, CURRENT_TIME, or CURRENT_TIMESTAMP.

1

Defining a column to be UNIQUE automatically selects the Unique Validation Option for the corresponding field in the FileMaker database file.

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Defining a column to be NOT NULL automatically selects the Not Empty Validation Option for the corresponding field in the FileMaker database file. The field is flagged as a Required Value in the Fields tab of the Manage Database dialog box in FileMaker Pro.

Examples

Using text column text column, NOT NULL numeric column date column time column timestamp column

BLOB column

Sample SQL

CREATE TABLE T1 (C1 VARCHAR, C2 VARCHAR (50), C3 VARCHAR (1001), C4 VARCHAR

(500276))

CREATE TABLE T1NN (C1 VARCHAR NOT NULL, C2 VARCHAR (50) NOT NULL, C3 VARCHAR

(1001) NOT NULL, C4 VARCHAR (500276) NOT NULL)

CREATE TABLE T2 (C1 DECIMAL, C2 DECIMAL (10,0), C3 DECIMAL (7539,2),

C4 DECIMAL (497925,301))

CREATE TABLE T3 (C1 DATE, C2 DATE, C3 DATE, C4 DATE)

CREATE TABLE T4 (C1 TIME, C2 TIME, C3 TIME, C4 TIME)

CREATE TABLE T5 (C1 TIMESTAMP, C2 TIMESTAMP, C3 TIMESTAMP, C4 TIMESTAMP)

CREATE TABLE T6 (C1 BLOB, C2 BLOB, C3 BLOB, C4 BLOB)

ALTER TABLE statement

Use the ALTER TABLE statement to change the structure of an existing table in a database file. You can modify only one column in each statement. The formats of the ALTER TABLE statement are:

ALTER TABLE table_name ADD [COLUMN] column_definition

ALTER TABLE table_name DROP [COLUMN] unqualified_column_name

ALTER TABLE table_name ALTER [COLUMN] column_definition SET DEFAULT expr

ALTER TABLE table_name ALTER [COLUMN] column_definition DROP DEFAULT

You must know the table’s structure and how you want to modify it before using the ALTER TABLE statement.


Examples

To add columns remove columns

Sample SQL

ALTER TABLE Salespeople ADD C1 VARCHAR

ALTER TABLE Salespeople DROP C1 set the default value for a column

ALTER TABLE Salespeople ALTER Company SET DEFAULT ‘FileMaker’ remove the default value for a column

ALTER TABLE Salespeople ALTER Company DROP DEFAULT

Note SET DEFAULT and DROP DEFAULT do not affect existing rows in the table, but change the default value for rows that are subsequently added to the table.

CREATE INDEX statement

Use the CREATE INDEX statement to speed searches in your database file. The format of the CREATE

INDEX statement is:

CREATE INDEX ON table_name.column_name

CREATE INDEX ON table_name (column_name)

CREATE INDEX is supported for a single column (multi-column indexes are not supported). Indexes are not allowed on columns that correspond to container field types, summary fields, fields that have the global storage option, or unstored calculation fields in a FileMaker database file.

Creating an index for a text column automatically selects the Storage Option of Minimal in Indexing for the corresponding field in the FileMaker database file. Creating an index for a non-text column (or a column formatted as Japanese text) automatically selects the Storage Option of All in Indexing for the corresponding field in the FileMaker database file.

Creating an index for any column automatically selects the Storage Option of Automatically create indexes as needed in Indexing for the corresponding field in the FileMaker database file.

FileMaker automatically creates indexes as needed. Using CREATE INDEX causes the index to be built immediately rather than on demand.

Example

CREATE INDEX ON Salespeople.Salesperson_ID

DROP INDEX statement

Use the DROP INDEX statement to remove an index from a database file. The format of the DROP INDEX statement is:

DROP INDEX ON table_name.column_name

DROP INDEX ON table_name (column_name)

Remove an index when your database file is too large, or you don’t often use a field in queries.

If your queries are experiencing poor performance, and you’re working with an extremely large FileMaker database file with many indexed text fields, consider dropping the indexes from some fields. Also consider dropping the indexes from fields that you rarely use in SELECT statements.

Dropping an index for any column automatically selects the Storage Option of None and clears

Automatically create indexes as needed in Indexing for the corresponding field in the FileMaker database file.


The PREVENT INDEX CREATION attribute is not supported.

Example

DROP INDEX ON Salespeople.Salesperson_ID

SQL aggregate functions

Aggregate functions return a single value from a set of records. You can use an aggregate function as part of a SELECT statement, with a field name (for example, AVG(SALARY)), or in combination with a column expression (for example, AVG(SALARY * 1.07)).

You can precede the column expression with the DISTINCT operator to eliminate duplicate values. For example:

COUNT (DISTINCT last_name)

In this example, only unique last name values are counted.

Examples

Aggregate function

SUM

AVG

COUNT

MAX

MIN

Returns

The total of the values in a numeric field expression. For example, SUM(SALARY) returns the sum of all salary field values.

The average of the values in a numeric field expression. For example, AVG(SALARY) returns the average of all salary field values.

The number of values in any field expression. For example, COUNT(NAME) returns the number of name values. When using COUNT with a field name, COUNT returns the number of non-null field values. A special example is COUNT(*), which returns the number of records in the set, including records with null values.

The maximum value in any field expression. For example, MAX(SALARY) returns the maximum salary field value.

The minimum value in any field expression. For example, MIN(SALARY) returns the minimum salary field value.

SELECT SUM (Sales_Data.Amount) AS agg FROM Sales_Data

SELECT AVG (Sales_Data.Amount) AS agg FROM Sales_Data

SELECT COUNT (Sales_Data.Amount) AS agg FROM Sales_Data

SELECT MAX (Sales_Data.Amount) AS agg FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Amount < 3000

SELECT MIN (Sales_Data.Amount) AS agg FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Amount > 3000

SQL expressions

Use expressions in WHERE, HAVING, and ORDER BY clauses of SELECT statements to form detailed and sophisticated database queries.Valid expression elements are:

Field names

Constants

Exponential notation

Numeric operators

Character operators

Date operators

Relational operators

Logical operators

Functions


Field names

The most common expression is a simple field name, such as calc or Sales_Data.Invoice_ID

.

Constants

Constants are values that do not change. For example, in the expression PRICE * 1.05, the value 1.05 is a constant. Or you might assign a value of 30 to the constant Number_Of_Days_In_June.

You must enclose character constants in pairs of single quotation marks ('). To include a single quotation mark in a character constant enclosed by single quotation marks, use two single quotation marks together

(for example, 'Don''t').

FileMaker accepts the ODBC/JDBC format date, time, and timestamp constants in braces ({}), for example:

1

{D '2010-06-05'}

1

{T '14:35:10'}

1

{TS '2010-06-05 14:35:10'}

FileMaker also accepts SQL-92 syntax ISO date and time formats with no braces:

1

DATE 'YYYY-MM-DD'

1

TIME 'HH:MM:SS'

1

TIMESTAMP 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'

Constant

Text

Number

Date

Time

Timestamp

Acceptable syntax (examples)

'Paris'

1.05

DATE '2010-06-05'

{ D '2010-06-05' }

{06/05/2010}

{06/05/10}

Note: The 2-digit year syntax is not supported for the ODBC/JDBC format or the SQL-92 format.

TIME '14:35:10'

{ T '14:35:10' }

{14:35:10}

TIMESTAMP '2010-06-05 14:35:10'

{ TS '2010-06-05 14:35:10'}

{06/05/2010 14:35:10}

{06/05/10 14:35:10}

Make sure Strict data type: 4-Digit Year Date is not selected as a validation option in the FileMaker database file for a field using this 2-digit year syntax.

Note: The 2-digit year syntax is not supported for the ODBC/JDBC format or the SQL-92 format.

When entering date and time values, match the format of the database file locale. For example, if the database was created on an Italian language system, use Italian date and time formats.


Exponential/scientific notation

Numbers can be expressed using scientific notation.

Example

SELECT column1 / 3.4E+7 FROM table1 WHERE calc < 3.4E-6 * column2

Numeric operators

You can include the following operators in number expressions: +, -, *, /, and ^ or ** (exponentiation).

You can precede numeric expressions with a unary plus (+) or minus (-).

Character operators

You can concatenate characters.

Examples

In the following examples, last_name is 'JONES ' and first_name is 'ROBERT ':

-

Operator Concatenation

+ Keep trailing blank characters

Move trailing blank characters to the end

Example first_name + last_name first_name - last_name

Result

'ROBERT JONES '

'ROBERTJONES '

Date operators

You can modify dates.

Examples

In the following examples, hire_date is {D '2008-30-01'}.

-

Operator Effect on date

+ Add a number of days to a date

Find the number of days between two dates, or subtract a number of days from a date

Example hire_date + 5 hire_date - {D

'

2008-01-01

'

} hire_date - 10

Result

{D ' 2008-02-04 ' }

29

{D ' 2008-01-20 ' }

Additional examples:

SELECT Date_Sold, Date_Sold + 30 AS agg FROM Sales_Data

SELECT Date_Sold, Date_Sold - 30 AS agg FROM Sales_Data


Relational operators

>

>=

<

<=

Operator

=

<>

LIKE

NOT LIKE

IS NULL

IS NOT NULL

BETWEEN

IN

NOT IN

EXISTS

ANY

ALL

Meaning

Equal

Not equal

Greater than

Greater than or equal to

Less than

Less than or equal to

Matching a pattern

Not matching a pattern

Equal to Null

Not equal to Null

Range of values between a lower and upper bound

A member of a set of specified values or a member of a subquery

Not a member of a set of specified values or a member of a subquery

‘True’ if a subquery returned at least one record

Compares a value to each value returned by a subquery (operator must be preceded by =, <>, >, >=,

<, or <=); =Any is equivalent to In

Compares a value to each value returned by a subquery (operator must be preceded by =, <>, >, >=,

<, or <=)

Examples

SELECT Sales_Data.Invoice_ID FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID = 'SP-1'

SELECT Sales_Data.Amount FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Invoice_ID <> 125

SELECT Sales_Data.Amount FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Amount > 3000

SELECT Sales_Data.Time_Sold FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Time_Sold < '12:00:00'

SELECT Sales_Data.Company_Name FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Company_Name LIKE '%University'

SELECT Sales_Data.Company_Name FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Company_Name NOT LIKE '%University'

SELECT Sales_Data.Amount FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Amount IS NULL

SELECT Sales_Data.Amount FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Amount IS NOT NULL

SELECT Sales_Data.Invoice_ID FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.Invoice_ID BETWEEN 1 AND 10

SELECT COUNT(Sales_Data.Invoice_ID) AS agg

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.INVOICE_ID IN (50,250,100)

SELECT COUNT(Sales_Data.Invoice_ID) AS agg

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.INVOICE_ID NOT IN (50,250,100)

SELECT COUNT(Sales_Data.Invoice_ID) AS agg FROM Sales_Data

WHERE Sales_Data.INVOICE_ID NOT IN (SELECT Sales_Data.Invoice_ID

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID = 'SP-4')


SELECT *

FROM Sales_Data WHERE EXISTS (SELECT Sales_Data.Amount

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID IS NOT NULL)

SELECT *

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Amount = ANY (SELECT Sales_Data.Amount

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID = 'SP-1')

SELECT *

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Amount = ALL (SELECT Sales_Data.Amount

FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID IS NULL)

Logical operators

You can combine two or more conditions. The conditions must be related by AND or OR, such as: salary = 40000 AND exempt = 1

The logical NOT operator is used to reverse the meaning, such as:

NOT (salary = 40000 AND exempt = 1)

Examples

SELECT * FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Company_Name

NOT LIKE '%University' AND Sales_Data.Amount > 3000

SELECT * FROM Sales_Data WHERE (Sales_Data.Company_Name

LIKE '%University' OR Sales_Data.Amount > 3000)

AND Sales_Data.Salesperson_ID = 'SP-1'

Functions

FileMaker SQL supports many functions you can use in expressions. Some of the functions return characters strings, some return numbers, and some return dates.


Functions that return character strings

Functions that return character strings

CHR

CURRENT_USER

DAYNAME

RTRIM

TRIM

LTRIM

UPPER

LOWER

LEFT

MONTHNAME

RIGHT

SUBSTR

SUBSTRING

SPACE

STRVAL

TIME

TIMEVAL

USERNAME

USER

Description

Converts an ASCII code to a one-character string

Returns the login ID specified at connect time

Example

CHR(67) returns C

Returns the name of the day that corresponds to a specified date.

Removes trailing blanks from a string RTRIM(' ABC ') returns ' ABC'

Removes leading and trailing blanks from a string TRIM(' ABC ') returns 'ABC'

Removes leading blanks from a string

Changes each letter of a string to uppercase

Changes each letter of a string to lowercase

Returns leftmost characters of a string

LTRIM(' ABC') returns 'ABC'

UPPER('Allen') returns 'ALLEN'

LOWER('Allen') returns 'allen'

LEFT('Mattson',3) returns 'Mat'

Returns the names of the calendar month.

Returns rightmost characters of a string RIGHT('Mattson',4) returns 'tson'

Returns a substring of a string, with parameters of the string, the first character to extract, and the number of characters to extract (optional)

SUBSTR('Conrad',2,3) returns 'onr'

SUBSTR('Conrad',2) returns 'onrad'

Generates a string of blanks SPACE(5) returns ' '

Converts a value of any type to a character string STRVAL('Woltman') returns 'Woltman'

STRVAL(5 * 3) returns '15'

STRVAL(4 = 5) returns ' False '

STRVAL({D '2008-12-25'}) returns '2008-12-25'

Returns the time of day as a string At 9:49 PM, TIME() returns 21:49:00

Returns the login ID specified at connect time

Note The TIME() function is deprecated. Use the SQL standard CURRENT_TIME instead.

Examples

SELECT CHR(67) + SPACE(1) + CHR(70) FROM Salespeople

SELECT RTRIM(' ' + Salespeople.Salesperson_ID) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT TRIM(SPACE(1) + Salespeople.Salesperson_ID) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT LTRIM(' ' + Salespeople.Salesperson_ID) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT UPPER(Salespeople.Salesperson) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT LOWER(Salespeople.Salesperson) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT LEFT(Salespeople.Salesperson, 5) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT RIGHT(Salespeople.Salesperson, 7) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT SUBSTR(Salespeople.Salesperson_ID, 2, 2) +

SUBSTR(Salespeople.Salesperson_ID, 4, 2) AS agg FROM Salespeople


SELECT SUBSTR(Salespeople.Salesperson_ID, 2) +

SUBSTR(Salespeople.Salesperson_ID, 4) AS agg FROM Salespeople

SELECT SPACE(2) + Salespeople.Salesperson_ID AS Salesperson_ID FROM

Salespeople

SELECT STRVAL('60506') AS agg FROM Sales_Data WHERE Sales_Data.Invoice = 1


HOUR

INT

LEN

LENGTH

MONTH

LN

LOG

MAX

MIN

MINUTE

NUMVAL

Functions that return numbers


ABS

ATAN

ATAN2

B

CEIL

CEILING

DEG

DEGREES

DAY

DAYOFWEEK

MOD

EXP

FLOOR

Description

Returns the absolute value of the numeric expression

Returns the arc tangent of the argument as an angle expressed in radians

Returns the arc tangent of x and y coordinates as an angle expressed in radians

Returns the decimal equivalent of a binary number

Returns the smallest integer value that is greater than or equal to the argument

Example

B'1001' returns 9

Returns the number of degrees of the argument, which is an angle expressed in radians

Returns the day part of a date

Returns the day of week (1-7) of a date expression

Divides two numbers and returns the remainder of the division

Returns a value that is the base of the natural logarithm (e) raised to a power specified by the argument

DAY({d '2010/01/30'}) returns 30

DAYOFWEEK({d '2004/05/01'}) returns 7

MOD(10,3) returns 1

Returns the largest integer value that is less than or equal to the argument

Returns the hour part of a value.

Returns the integer part of a number

Returns the length of a string

INT(6.4321) returns 6

LEN('ABC') returns 3

PI

POW

RADIANS

ROUND

SECOND

Returns the month part of a date

Returns the natural logarithm of the argument

MONTH({d '2010/01/30'}) returns 1

Returns the larger of two numbers

Returns the smaller of two numbers

Returns the minute part of a value

Converts a character string to a number; if the character string is not a valid number, returns 0

MAX(66,89)

MIN(66,89)

returns 89

returns 66

NUMVAL('123') returns 123

Returns the constant value of the mathematical constant pi

Raises a number to a power POW(7,2) returns 49

Returns the number of radians for an argument that is expressed in degrees

Rounds a number ROUND(123.456,0) returns 123

ROUND(123.456,2) returns 123.46

ROUND(123.456,-2) returns 100

Returns the seconds part of a value



SIGN

SIN

SQRT

TAN

VAL

X

YEAR

Description

An indicator of the sign of the argument: -1 for negative, 0 for 0, and 1 for positive.

Example

Returns the sine of the argument

Returns the square root of the argument

Returns the tangent of the argument

Converts a character string to a number; if the character string is not a valid number, returns 0

VAL('123') returns 123

Returns the decimal equivalent of a hexadecimal number X'b9' returns 185

Returns the year part of a date YEAR({d '2010/01/30'}) returns 2010

Functions that return dates

Functions that return dates

CURDATE

CURRENT_DATE

CURTIME

CURRENT_TIME

Description

Returns today’s date

Returns the current time

CURTIMESTAMP

CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

TIMESTAMPVAL

Returns the current timestamp value

Returns today’s date DATE

TODAY

DATEVAL Converts a character string to a date

Example

If today is 11/21/2010, DATE() returns 2010-11-21

DATEVAL('01/30/2011') returns 2011-01-30

Note The DATE() function is deprecated. Use the SQL standard CURRENT_DATE instead.

Operator precedence

As expressions become more complex, the order in which the expressions are evaluated becomes important.

This table shows the order in which the operators are evaluated. The operators in the first line are evaluated first, and so on. Operators in the same line are evaluated left to right in the expression.

6

7

4

5

8

2

3

Precedence

1

Operator

Unary '-', Unary '+'

^, **

*, /

+, -

=, <>, <, <=, >, >=, Like, Not Like, Is Null, Is Not Null, Between, In, Exists, Any, All

Not

AND

OR


The following example shows the importance of precedence:

WHERE salary > 40000 OR hire_date > {d ‘2008/01/30’} AND dept = 'D101'

Because AND is evaluated first, this query retrieves employees in department D101 hired after January 30,

2008, as well as every employee making more than $40,000, no matter what department or hire date.

To force the clause to be evaluated in a different order, use parentheses to enclose the conditions to be evaluated first. For example:

WHERE (salary > 40000 OR hire_date > {d ‘2008/01/30’}) AND dept = 'D101' retrieves employees in department D101 that either make more than $40,000 or were hired after January 30, 2008.

ODBC Catalog functions

The ODBC client driver supports the following Catalog functions:

1

SQLTables - catalog information is stored and reported as single part names (table name only).

1

SQLColumns

1

SQLColumnPrivileges

1

SQLDescribeCol

1

SQLGetTypeInfo

JDBC Meta Data functions

The JDBC client driver supports the following Meta Data functions:

1 getColumns

1 getColumnPrivileges

1 getMetaData

1 getTypeInfo

1 getTables

1 getTableTypes

Reserved SQL keywords

The following table lists reserved keywords that should not be used as names for columns, tables, aliases, or other user-defined objects. If you are getting syntax errors, these errors may be due to using one of these reserved words. If you want to use one of these keywords, you need to use quotation marks to prevent the word from being treated as a keyword.


For example, the following Create Table statement shows how to use the "OID" keyword as a data element name.

create table t ("oid" numeric)

ABSOLUTE

ACTION

ADD

ALL

ALLOCATE

ALTER

AND

ANY

ARE

AS

ASC

ASSERTION

AT

AUTHORIZATION

AVG

BEGIN

BETWEEN

BINARY

BIT

BIT_LENGTH

BLOB

BOOLEAN

BOTH

BY

CASCADE

CASCADED

CASE

CAST

CATALOG

CHAR

CHARACTER

CHARACTER_LENGTH

CHAR_LENGTH

CHECK

CHR

CLOSE

COALESCE

COLLATE

COLLATION

COLUMN

DAY

DAYNAME

DAYOFWEEK

DEALLOCATE

DEC

DECIMAL

DECLARE

DEFAULT

DEFERRABLE

DEFERRED

DELETE

DESC

DESCRIBE

DESCRIPTOR

DIAGNOSTICS

DISCONNECT

DISTINCT

DOMAIN

COMMIT

CONNECT

CONNECTION

CONSTRAINT

CONSTRAINTS

CONTINUE

CONVERT

CORRESPONDING

COUNT

CREATE

CROSS

CURDATE

CURRENT

CURRENT_DATE

CURRENT_TIME

CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

CURRENT_USER

CURSOR

CURTIME

CURTIMESTAMP

DATE

DATEVAL

FULL

GET

GLOBAL

GO

GOTO

GRANT

GROUP

HAVING

HOUR

IDENTITY

IMMEDIATE

IN

INDEX

INDICATOR

INITIALLY

INNER

INPUT

INSENSITIVE

DOUBLE

DROP

ELSE

END

END_EXEC

ESCAPE

EVERY

EXCEPT

EXCEPTION

EXEC

EXECUTE

EXISTS

EXTERNAL

EXTRACT

FALSE

FETCH

FIRST

FLOAT

FOR

FOREIGN

FOUND

FROM

READ

REAL

REFERENCES

RELATIVE

RESTRICT

REVOKE

RIGHT

ROLLBACK

ROUND

ROWID

ROWS

RTRIM

SCHEMA

SCROLL

SECOND

SECTION

SELECT

SESSION

OF

ON

ONLY

OPEN

OPTION

OR

ORDER

OUTER

OUTPUT

OVERLAPS

PAD

PART

PARTIAL

POSITION

PRECISION

PREPARE

PRESERVE

PRIMARY

PRIOR

PRIVILEGES

PROCEDURE

PUBLIC

NSERT

INT

INTEGER

INTERSECT

INTERVAL

INTO

IS

ISOLATION

JOIN

KEY

LANGUAGE

LAST

LEADING

LEFT

LENGTH

LEVEL

LIKE

LOCAL

LONGVARBINARY

LOWER

LTRIM

MATCH

MAX

MIN

MINUTE

MODULE

MONTH

MONTHNAME

NAMES

NATIONAL

NATURAL

NCHAR

NEXT

NO

NOT

NULL

NULLIF

NUMERIC

NUMVAL

OCTET_LENGTH

SESSION_USER

SET

SIZE

SMALLINT

SOME

SPACE

SQL

SQLCODE

SQLERROR

SQLSTATE

STRVAL

SUBSTRING

SUM

SYSTEM_USER

TABLE

TEMPORARY

THEN

TIME

TIMESTAMP

TIMESTAMPVAL

TIMEVAL

TIMEZONE_HOUR

TIMEZONE_MINUTE

TO

TODAY

TRAILING

TRANSACTION

TRANSLATE

TRANSLATION

TRIM

TRUE

UNION

UNIQUE

UNKNOWN

UPDATE

UPPER

USAGE

USER

USERNAME

USING

USAGE

USER

USERNAME

USING

VALUE

VALUES

VARBINARY

VARCHAR

VARYING

VIEW

WHEN

WHENEVER

WHERE

WITH

WORK

WRITE

YEAR

ZONE



Chapter 8

Reference Information

Mapping FileMaker fields to ODBC data types

This table illustrates how FileMaker field types map to the standard ODBC data types.

FileMaker field type Converts to ODBC data type About the data type text SQL_VARCHAR The maximum column length of text is 1 million characters, unless you specify a smaller Maximum number of characters for the text field in FileMaker. FileMaker returns empty strings as NULL.

number SQL_DOUBLE The FileMaker number field type can contain positive or negatives values as small as 10

-308

, and as large as 10

+308

, with up to 15 significant digits.

date time

SQL_DATE

SQL_TIME The FileMaker time field type can contain the time of day or a time interval. A time interval is returned as a time of day, unless it is less than 0 or greater than 24 hours (both return a value of 0).

timestamp container (BLOB)

SQL_TIMESTAMP

SQL_LONGVARBINARY calculation

You can retrieve binary data, file reference information, or data of a specific file type from a container field.

Within a SELECT statement, use the CAST function to retrieve file reference information, and use the GetAs function to retrieve data of a specific file type.

The result is mapped to the corresponding ODBC data type.

String length is optional in table declarations. All strings are stored and retrieved in Unicode.

Note FileMaker repeating fields are supported like arrays. Examples:

INSERT INTO mytable(repField[3]) VALUES (‘this is rep 3’)

SELECT repField[1], repField[2] FROM mytable

Mapping FileMaker fields to JDBC data types

The JDBC client driver uses the following mappings when converting FileMaker data types to JDBC SQL types. (For information about these types, see the JDK 1.5 documentation web pages at www.javasoft.com.)

FileMaker field type text number date time timestamp

Converts to JDBC SQL type java.sql.Types.VARCHAR

java.sql.Types.DOUBLE

java.sql.Types.DATE

java.sql.Types.TIME

java.sql.Types.TIMESTAMP


FileMaker field type container calculation

Converts to JDBC SQL type java.sql.Types.BLOB

specified by the data type of the calculation’s result

The JDBC client driver converts the FileMaker calculation data type to the JDBC SQL type matching the calculation’s result. For example, the JDBC client driver converts a FileMaker calculation that results in a timestamp data type to java.sql.Types.TIMESTAMP.

ODBC and JDBC error messages

Here are the basic formats of error messages you receive when working with FileMaker and ODBC/JDBC.

ODBC error messages

Error messages can come from:

1

ODBC driver errors

1

FileMaker and FileMaker xDBC Listener errors

FileMaker ODBC error messages

An error that occurs in the FileMaker listener or data source includes the data source name, in the following format:

[FileMaker] [FileMaker ODBC] message

For example, you might get the following message from your FileMaker data source:

[FileMaker] [FileMaker ODBC] Invalid Username/Password

If you get this type of error, you did something incorrectly with the database system. Check your FileMaker documentation for more information or consult your database administrator.

Consecutive messages for errors in different columns can sometimes display an incorrect column name.

JDBC error messages

The FileMaker JDBC driver reports errors to the calling application by returning SQLExceptions. Error messages can come from:

1

JDBC driver errors

1

FileMaker and FileMaker xDBC Listener errors

FileMaker JDBC error messages

An error that occurs in the FileMaker listener or data source includes the data source name, in the following format:

[FileMaker] [FileMaker JDBC] message

For example, you might get the following message from your FileMaker data source:

[FileMaker] [FileMaker JDBC] Invalid Username/Password

If you get this type of error, you did something incorrectly with the database system. Check your FileMaker documentation for more information or consult your database administrator.

A

ABS function

53

Access via ODBC/JDBC extended privilege

22

accounts and privileges

22

aggregate functions in SQL 46

ALL operator

49

ALTER TABLE (SQL statement)

44

AND operator 50

ANY operator 49

ARRAY data type 30

ATAN function

53

ATAN2 function

53

auto-generated keys 29

B

B function

53

BETWEEN operator 49

binary data use in SELECT

40

bitmap files in container fields 41

blank characters

48

blank value in columns 42

BLOB data type use in CREATE TABLE

44

use in SELECT

40

Boolean data type

30

C

CAST function 41

, 59

catalog functions for ODBC

55

CEIL function 53

CEILING function 53

character operators in SQL expressions 48

CHR function

51

client application, using FileMaker as 7

CLOB data type 30

column aliases

36

column names 23

configuring a FileMaker data source via JDBC

31

via ODBC (Mac OS) 25

via ODBC (Windows)

23

connections, database 9

constants in SQL expressions

47

Index

container field

JDBC data type mapping

60

ODBC data type mapping

59

with INSERT statement 42

with SELECT statement

40

with UPDATE statement 43

CREATE INDEX (SQL statement) 45

CREATE TABLE (SQL statement) 44

CURDATE function

54

CURRENT USER function

51

CURRENT_DATE function

54

CURRENT_TIME function

54

CURRENT_TIMESTAMP function

54

CURRENT_USER function

51

cursors in JDBC

29

in ODBC

39

CURTIME function 54

CURTIMESTAMP function

54

D data source

configuring for access via JDBC 31

configuring for access via ODBC (Mac OS) 25

configuring for access via ODBC (Windows) 23

disabling a shared FileMaker database file 9

one DSN for each FileMaker database file

10

verifying access via JDBC 32

verifying access via ODBC (Mac OS) 26

verifying access via ODBC (Windows) 24

data source names. See DSNs

data type mapping

JDBC client driver

59

ODBC client driver 59

database connections, number supported 9

database, DSN 24

DATALINK data type 30

date formats 47

DATE function 54

date operators in SQL expressions

48

DATEVAL function

54

DAY function 53

DAYNAME function

51

DAYOFWEEK function

53

DEG function

53


DEGREES function 53

DELETE (SQL statement)

42

disabling a shared FileMaker database file 9

DISTINCT operator

36

driver properties

JDBC client driver

31

ODBC client driver (Mac OS)

25

ODBC client driver (Windows)

23

drivers

uninstalling old 10

DROP INDEX (SQL statement) 45

DSNs

creating (Mac OS) 25

creating (Windows) 23

one per file

10

E empty string use in SELECT

40

error message formats

60

EXISTS operator

49

EXP function 53

exponential notation in SQL expressions

48

expressions in SQL 46

extended privileges

22

F

field names in SQL expressions 47

fields mapping to JDBC

59

mapping to ODBC

59

FileMaker products

9

files organizing on one computer

9

setting up access to

22

use in container fields 41

FLOOR function

53

FOR UPDATE (SQL clause)

39

FROM (SQL clause)

37

FULL OUTER JOIN

37

functions in SQL expressions

50

G

GetAs function 41

, 59

GROUP BY (SQL clause) 38

H

HAVING (SQL clause) 38

holdable cursor 29

host, DSN 23

, 25

HOUR function

53

I image files in container fields

41

IN operator

49

INNER JOIN 37

INSERT (SQL statement) 42

installation requirements 15 ,

27

INT function

53

IS NOT NULL operator 49

IS NULL operator 49

J

Java Development Kit (JDK)

30

Java version 27

JDBC client driver, described

29 described 29

error messages

60

overview of using

7

JDBC client driver driver class and main entry point

30

mapping data types 59

meta data functions 55

portals

35

registering with the JDBC driver manager 30 specifying the JDBC URL 30

Unicode support 35

verifying access

32

JDBC SPI 30

join 37

K

keywords, reserved SQL 55

L

LEFT function

51

LEFT JOIN 37

LEFT OUTER JOIN

37

LEN function

53

LIKE operator 49

literals in SQL expressions 47

LN function 53

LOG function

53

logical operators in SQL expressions 50

LOWER function 51

LTRIM function 51

M

Mac OS creating a DSN

25

JDBC client driver requirements 27

ODBC client driver requirements 15

verifying ODBC access 26

mapping data types

JDBC client driver

59

ODBC client driver 59

MAX function

53

meta data functions for JDBC

55

MIN function

53

MINUTE function 53

MOD function

53

MONTH function 53

MONTHNAME function 51

N network requirements

10

NOT IN operator 49

NOT LIKE operator 49

NOT NULL (SQL clause)

44

NOT operator

50

null value 42

, 59

numeric operators in SQL expressions 48

NUMVAL function 53

O

ODBC

described 21

error messages

60

overview of using

7

repeating fields 59

standards compliance

35

ODBC Administrator (Mac OS) 26

ODBC client driver catalog functions

55

mapping data types 59

portals

35

Unicode support 35

verifying access (Mac OS) 26

verifying access (Windows)

24

ODBC Data Source Administrator (Windows) 25

| Index 63

operator precedence in SQL expressions 54

OR operator 50

ORDER BY (SQL clause) 39

OUTER JOIN 37

overview setting up privileges and sharing

22

using ODBC and JDBC with FileMaker 7

P password

with JDBC 31

with ODBC

24 ,

26

PI function 53

port, specifying for JDBC 28

portals

35

positioned updates and deletes

39

POW function 53

PREVENT INDEX CREATION 46

privileges, extended

22

Q

QuickTime files in container fields 41

R

RADIANS function 53

Rapid Application Development (RAD) tools

29

REF data type 30 registering the JDBC client driver 30

relational operators in SQL expressions 49

remote access

9

repeating fields 59

requirements for installation 15

, 27

reserved SQL keywords

55

RIGHT function 51

RIGHT JOIN 37

RIGHT OUTER JOIN 37

ROUND function 53

RTRIM function 51

S

savepoint support 29

scientific notation in SQL expressions 48

SECOND function 53

SELECT (SQL statement)

35

binary data 40

BLOB data type 40 empty string 40


Server Data Source 26

sharing, setting up ODBC/JDBC 22

SIGN function

54

SIN function

54

SPACE function 51

SQL aggregate functions 46

SQL expressions 46

character operators 48

constants 47

date operators

48

exponential or scientific notation

48

field names

47

functions 50

literals

47

logical operators 50

numeric operators 48

operator precedence 54

relational operators

49

SQL standards compliance

35

SQL statements

ALTER TABLE 44

CREATE INDEX

45

CREATE TABLE

44

DELETE 42

DROP INDEX

45

INSERT

42

reserved keywords 55

SELECT

35 supported by client drivers 35

UPDATE 43

SQL_C_WCHAR data type

35

SQL-92

35

SQLExceptions

60

SQRT function 54

standards compliance

35

string functions 51

STRVAL function 51

subqueries 42

SUBSTR function

51

SUBSTRING function

51

syntax errors

55

system requirements

15 ,

27

T

table aliases 36

, 37

TAN function

54

testing access

JDBC client driver

32


26


24

time formats

47

TIME function

51

timestamp formats

47

TIMESTAMPVAL function

54

TIMEVAL function 51

TODAY function 54

TRIM function

51

U

Unicode support 35

UNION (SQL operator) 38

UPDATE (SQL statement) 43

UPPER function 51

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for the JDBC client driver

30

USERNAME function

51

V

VAL function

54

VALUES (SQL clause) 42

verifying access

JDBC client driver

32


26


24

W

WHERE (SQL clause) 37

Windows

creating a DSN 23

JDBC client driver requirements 27

ODBC client driver requirements 15

verifying ODBC access 24

X

X function

54

Y

YEAR function 54

No results