About relationship criteria
When you join two tables using a relationship, you establish criteria that FileMaker Pro uses to display or access related records.
Your criteria can be simple, such as matching a field in TableA with a field in TableB with equal values. A more complex relationship definition usually returns a narrower set of related records. Examples of complex relationships include using multiple match fields on one or both sides of the relationship, comparing match fields using non-equal relational operators, or using calculated match fields.
The following table describes the types of criteria you can use when creating relationships.
Relationship type |
Description |
Single-criteria |
Relates two tables based on a single common value, such as a serial number or an ID number. See Single-criteria relationships. |
Multicriteria |
Relates two tables based on more than one common value, such as a customer ID and a date. See Multicriteria relationships. |
Comparative criteria |
Uses one or more relational operators to compare match field values in two related tables. See Relationships that use comparative operators. |
Range of records |
Similar to a multicriteria relationship, it uses comparative operators to find a range of records that are greater than one criteria and less than the other criteria. See Relationships that return a range of records. |