Defining field indexing options
1. Note To set options for fields in Table View, right-click the column heading for the field, choose Field > Field Options from the shortcut menu, then skip to step 6.
2. In the Manage Database dialog box, click the Fields tab.
5. Click Options (or double-click the field name).
6. In the Options for Field dialog box, click the Storage tab.If you selected a calculation field, you see the Specify Calculation dialog box. Click Storage Options.
A language from the Default language list
8. For calculation fields, select Do not store calculation results if you want FileMaker Pro to calculate the result only when needed, then click OK.
9. Click OK to close the Options for Field dialog box, or click another tab to set additional field options.
• For normal use, use None or Minimal and enable the option to Automatically create indexes as needed.
• Selecting All for text fields can significantly increase file size, as every word in the text field is indexed. Certain operations, such as importing records, may also take more time, as each word in the field is added to the field’s index as the import occurs.
• Automatically create indexes as needed indexes the field the first time a user performs a find request (searches) on the field. The first search is slow because the index is being created. However, subsequent searches on that field are faster because they use the index. (This option also creates an index when the field is used in a relationship.)
• To create relationships using text fields as match fields without creating word indexes for these fields, use Minimal and disable Automatically create indexes as needed.
• To reduce file size and prevent users from creating indexes, use None (or Minimal) and disable Automatically create indexes as needed.
• The combination of selecting None and disabling Automatically create indexes as needed prevents the field from being used to create relationships.
• For databases that will be placed on CD-ROM or other read-only media, any field that could be used in a find request should be set to Indexing All (if disk space on the CD-ROM allows).