[SOLVED] why use a front end to SQL

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jrough
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why use a front end to SQL

Post by jrough »

I read about a catholic group that migrated from filemaker database to MS SQL Server and then back to filemaker because they couldn't print reports. Here is the story I got off someones web page. I guess they used Filemaker as a frontend to query the tables to get the data then trigger some reporting scripts.

Three years ago, a major Catholic Archdiocese made the decision to move their FileMaker applications to a new system that ran on Microsoft SQL Server. Soon after they completed the transition, however, they discovered that end users could not access data that was "back ended" in SQL. Consequently, they had no way to run reports — i.e., the new system was, for them, virtually a locked box. So, the Archdiocese decided to see if there was a way for them to continue using their SQL Server system but go back to using FileMaker to extract data in a form they could use for their reports. In addition, it was absolutely necessary to ensure that the solution they used would accurately mirror in FileMaker the data that was in the SQL system and vice versa.


Why wouldn't they be able to print their reports in SQL? What does it mean backended in SQL? does that mean that if they have variable queries they are trying to get from SQL that the reports would have to be programmed into the web interface and that can't be done so they need Filemaker for that? I assume these people were accessing the database through a web interface.

thanks,
Sycor
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Post by Sycor »

SQL is, quite simply, just a databasing application. It takes information and stores it. I have never used Filemaker, but I suspect that it includes it's own frontend.

The frontend is literally a template which can display and submit data. It accesses the data by querying the database with SQL, which is a conditional programming language and requires meticulous use of syntax. The end user cannot access this information if thay do not know how to query the SQl database. Filemaker would simply be a frontend for a database.

Had the Catholic group known anything about programming with SQL they would have been able to present the information they wanted as a web page, a picture, a PDF file or even a Linux program.

I hope this answers some of your questions, because I don't think I explained some of it very well.

The group could not because they knew not.
Sycor 23:94
jrough
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Post by jrough »

actually that makes a whole lot of sense. they probably couldn't afford an in house programmer so whenever they want a new report or something not in the box they are stuck. with filemaker users can come up with reports on their own usually.
JackV
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Post by JackV »

Reporting Services comes with SQL Server , although you do need some expertise
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feyd
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Post by feyd »

JackV, this thread is three years old. :roll:
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