Sharing FileMaker Pro data via ODBC or JDBC

FileMaker Pro can serve as a data source for sharing your database files with ODBC- and JDBC-compliant applications.

Important  Prevent data from being inadvertently modified or deleted: other applications can update and delete unprotected, shared data. Review the privilege sets you've assigned to accounts that will access shared database files. As a minimum level of protection, specify account access that requires passwords.

To share databases using ODBC or JDBC:

  1. Open the database files.

    To enable or change a file's sharing status, you must open it with account access that has Manage extended privileges access privileges. See About accounts, privilege sets, and extended privileges for more information.

  2. Choose File menu > Sharing > Enable ODBC/JDBC.

  3. For ODBC/JDBC Sharing, click On.

  4. Select the filename(s) to share from the list of open files.

  5. Choose which users can access the file:

    6. Choose

    To

    All users

    Provide access to users from any account.

    Specify users by privilege set

    Provide access to users with account access assigned one of the selected privilege sets. Click Specify to select the privilege set that account access must have to access the shared database file.

    Accounts that need access to the database file require the fmxdbc extended privilege Access via ODBC/JDBC. Users may need to enter their account name and password for account access defined in the Manage Security dialog box, depending on the setting in the File Options dialog box (see Setting file options).

    No users
    (the default setting)

    Prevent any user from accessing the database using ODBC/JDBC.

  6. Repeat steps 3 - 5 for each database you want to publish.

  7. Click OK.

Each FileMaker Pro database file that is open and set up for access is a separate data source (create a DSN for each individual FileMaker database file you want to access).

For instructions on installing FileMaker ODBC client drivers, see FileMaker ODBC and JDBC Guide. For details about supported SQL statements, expressions, and Catalog functions, see FileMaker SQL Reference and FileMaker ODBC and JDBC Guide.

Note  Avoid using spaces in the field names of database files you intend to share via ODBC and JDBC, because some SQL query tools don't allow spaces in column names.

Important  If you disable ODBC/JDBC sharing after it's already been on, FileMaker Pro stops serving data immediately. No errors are reported, and the client application must notify users that data is no longer available and transactions cannot be completed.

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