Tips for Upgrading to FileMaker 17

05/18/2018

in FileMaker 16, FileMaker 17, Studio Manager 16

We love the new version of FileMaker 17 and we have some tips that may save you money and trouble.

Test a Copy of Your Database. FileMaker 17 was released this week on May 15. We’ve written some of the things you should know about it on my FileMaker Fever blog. If you know you want to upgrade to FileMaker 17, then the first step might be to download the trial version of 17 and test your copy of Studio Manager, our Studio Manager 16 demo or your own mission critical FileMaker database with it. Please note, you don’t go live on day one with an important database. What we did when we started testing FileMaker 17, was make copies of some of our key databases, including our current development version of Studio Manager. Copies is the operative word.

You may be able to find FileMaker Pro 16 on the market still and get a free upgrade from 16 to 17. I saw FileMaker Pro 16 for sale on Apple.com a minute ago for $329.95 and the upgrade version of FileMaker Pro 16 is $197.95 (you need to have FileMaker Pro 14 or higher to upgrade). That free upgrade Window would apply for those purchasing 16 within the 30 days prior to the FileMaker 17 launch (hoping there is some wiggle room if you buy close to FileMaker 17 launch.

One other advantage of 16 over 17 right now is that FileMaker 16 can run on OS X 10.11 El Capitan which might allow you to keep running it on an older Mac. If you can get to 16 right away and then try to get the free upgrade to 17. Keep 17 handy and for testing for now. And roll it out in a month or two with our blessings.

FileMaker Pro 17 has combined into FileMaker Pro Advanced. In our 16 to 17 scenario above, you might end up upgrading to FileMaker Pro Advanced 17 for the price of upgrading to FileMaker Pro 16. There is no more FileMaker Pro in 17 just FileMaker Pro Advanced which has a bunch of extra advanced features that can be turned off if you want for certain users.

We haven’t tested the 16->17 theory, but in any event if you don’t already have 16, we recommend you get it and use it. If you are doing an upgrade from an older version of FileMaker, testing your databases in FileMaker 16 is still essential. Since you aren’t the first one on your block to go to 16 since it has been out for a year. And 5 minor updates have been released already, so you are on solid, well-tested ground. Still, test any mission critical functions because as you move forward, things change in the world of technology and you probably have a fairly unique setup. You may find something has changed and needs attention before you go live with 16.

Check out my FileMaker Fever post on FileMaker 17 for some introductory details on your purchasing options. Feel free to contact Janet if you have questions.

More to follow on what we discover in our testing of FileMaker 17 here and on FileMaker Fever.

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