About the persistent data store

The persistent data store is a set of named values saved as part of the schema in a FileMaker Pro file, not as record data. Unlike variables, which are temporarily stored in memory and are user-specific, entries in the persistent data store remain available across FileMaker sessions until explicitly deleted and are accessible to all users of the file.

Each entry in the persistent data store consists of the following:

  • Name: Text for the name of the entry.

  • Instance ID: An additional text identifier you can use as a namespace or owner identifier for grouping entries that have a common purpose. For example, you can use the same instance ID to identify all the named entries used by a specific instance of an add-on.

    The combination of name and instance ID uniquely identifies an entry in the file's persistent data store.

  • Data: A value in any FileMaker data type—text, number, date, time, timestamp, or container.

When to use the persistent data store

Use the persistent data store when you need to store:

  • A version number or other metadata about your file

  • Add-on configuration settings that persist across sessions

  • JavaScript libraries or other resources for use in web viewers

  • AI model prompts that are shared among multiple scripts

  • Script data shared across scripts for use by all users without using global fields

How to access the persistent data store

To work with the persistent data store, use:

Notes 

  • The persistent data store is accessible only within the context of the current file.

  • All users connected to the file share the same persistent data store. Changes made by one user are immediately available to all other users.

  • When you clone a file, persistent data store entries are included in the clone. See Saving and copying files.

  • The persistent data store is not copied to the destination file when using the FileMaker data migration tool, because the persistent data store is not record data. See FileMaker Data Migration Tool Guide.

  • When working with existing entries, names and instance IDs are not case sensitive.

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