Apple VAR/SOHO automation services firm calls FileMaker Pro 9 a perfect foundation for reliable client systems

Building effective data management systems for small business users demands a solid, flexible and affordable foundation. Frank Heinrichs knows that firsthand – he's the president, owner, and chief technical officer of Sound Advice, an Apple Value Added Retailer and Small Office/Home Office automation specialist serving clients across Orange County, California. And he's a devoted believer in the power of FileMaker Pro.

“We at Sound Advice love coming into a small business, watching all of the hustle and bustle of the entrepreneurial sprit, and looking for ways to automate and streamline the processes of managing pieces of information,” Frank says. ”FileMaker Pro is the perfect structure to build our systems on. With each updated version of FileMaker Pro we find more and easier ways to manage the ever-increasing amount of information that businesses deal with each day.“

Frank is already planning to take full advantage of the innovative new features found in FileMaker Pro 9, and he’s especially excited about the new version’s emphasis on SQL connectivity. ”Each day businesses need to manage and thus connect to many different sources of data provided to them from external sources,“ he points out. “FileMaker Pro 9's external data connectivity capabilities are more robust and feature-rich for both the experienced or novice developer.”

Small businesses depend on fast service – and that puts a premium on rapid development. That's another area where Frank sees FileMaker Pro 9 offering a real step forward. “So many of the features provided in FileMaker 9 will make both the clients' data environment more satisfying for them to use and our development timeframes shorter,“ he predicts.

“The ease of accessing data from the Internet and being able to incorporate it into the database is phenomenal. We have a client who will require the abilities of ‘Conditional Formatting' for tracking job status within his shop. Until now, we have been doing workarounds to get him something that works – but going forward we can satisfy this need very quickly.”