Connecting to data sources
Data sources provide access to data from other FileMaker files and ODBC databases. You can connect to:
 •
external FileMaker data sources (called “file references” in pre-9.0 versions of FileMaker)
 •
ODBC data sources (links to external ODBC files)
Once you have defined data sources, data from the ODBC or FileMaker tables can be used in many of the same places as data in a local file (for example, on layouts and in scripts).
Follow the steps below for the type of data source you want to add.
To add a FileMaker data source:
1.
With the database open, choose File menu > Manage > External Data Sources.
The Manage External Data Sources dialog box appears.
2.
Click New.
The Edit Data Source dialog box appears. For Type, FileMaker is selected by default.
3.
Enter a name for the data source.
This is the name that appears in the login and other dialog boxes.
4.
Click Add File.
The Open File dialog box appears.
5.
Select a FileMaker file to add to the path list.
6.
Click Open to add the path for this file to the file path list.
Each named FileMaker data source can consist of one or more file paths. Use multiple file paths when you want FileMaker Pro to search a list of potential files. For more information, see Creating file paths.
You can also enter file paths by typing them directly into the file path list. Each file path must appear on a separate line.
7.
Click OK to save the data source.
Named data sources appear in creation order in the Manage External Data Sources dialog box. You can choose to view the names by alphabetical or custom order.
Type indicates whether the data source is a FileMaker or ODBC data source. File paths are listed under Details.
Note Alternatively, you can choose the Relationships tab in the Manage Database dialog box and click Add table button. In the Specify Table dialog box, for Data Source, choose Add FileMaker Data Source. See Adding tables to the relationships graph.
For details on working with FileMaker data sources, see Editing external FileMaker data sources.
To add an ODBC data source:
Important Before creating a SQL data source, you must connect to the external data source via an ODBC driver and set up DSNs. See Configuring an ODBC client driver.
1.
With the FileMaker database open, choose File menu > Manage > External Data Sources.
The Manage External Data Sources dialog box appears.
2.
Click New.
The Edit Data Source dialog box appears.
3.
For Type, select ODBC.
4.
Enter a name for the data source.
Names cannot be over 100 characters long.
5.
For DSN, click Specify.
6.
In the Select ODBC Data Source dialog box, select the System DSN that you want to work with from this FileMaker file.
7.
Set other options. For details on working with ODBC data sources, see Editing ODBC data sources.
8.
Click OK.
The data source is now listed in the Manage External Data Sources dialog box.
Note Alternatively, you can choose the Relationships tab in the Manage Database dialog box and click Add table button. In the Specify Table dialog box, for Data Source, choose Add ODBC Data Source. See Adding tables to the relationships graph.
To delete an external data source:
1.
In the Manage External Data Sources dialog box, select the data source in the list.
2.
Click Delete.
This only deletes the data source link to the current FileMaker file. The data source is still available to link to other FileMaker databases.
3.
Click OK.
Related topics 
Using ODBC and JDBC with FileMaker Pro
Was this topic helpful? Send feedback.