Defining database tables

Creating a solution > Defining database tables

Use database tables to organize and group your data by common characteristics or principles. Your database can contain as many tables as you need to organize your data (limited only by the amount of storage space on your hard disk).

By default, a new file contains a table with the same name as the file. This table can later be renamed or deleted.

Tables you add to a file are automatically displayed in the relationships graph.

To define a table:

1. With the database open, choose File menu > Manage > Database.

2. In the Manage Database dialog box, click the Tables tab.

3. Type a name for the table, then click Create.

To change a table name, select the table, type a new name, then click Change.

4. Continue to define tables, or click the Fields tab to define fields.

Note When you change a table name, FileMaker Pro updates all references to the table throughout your calculations, relationships, scripts, table occurrences, and so on.

Important In addition to storing data, FileMaker Pro uses tables to describe relationships in the relationships graph, and establish the context for layouts and some calculations. For information about relationships, see Working with related tables and files. For information on the relationships graph, see Working with the relationships graph. For information on creating layouts, see Creating and managing layouts and reports.