Seeking Access Lessons for Filemaker Developers - Microsoft Access Forum


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Seeking Access Lessons for Filemaker Developers

Allan Hunter

9 months ago

I'm currently employed by a large organization that uses MS Access, and they'd like me to learn how to develop in it.

I'm not a database newbie, having worked in FileMaker Pro since the mid-1990s.  But only a portion of what I know translates over to Access.

I'm plowing through the Minnesota Basic and Intermediate Access Development materials that I received from the two classes I took.  The instructor read from this and marched us through it lockstep.  I'm picking up some bits and pieces I forgot or missed in class but it isn't helping much.

I suppose I'm a difficult and annoying student; I don't want to be shown how to do Example Project A, I want to be shown how to do each of the things I know how to do in FileMaker so that I'll know how to do them in Access.  (Doesn't have to be an exact replica, but should exhibit most of the desired properties and behaviors).

Does anyone here know of a course or an instructor who does "Access for Folks Coming In From FileMaker"?

If not, would it be inappropriate to describe each feature and get help implementing it?

	Alex Hedley @Reply 9 months ago
I've never come across much training for FileMaker so unlikely there is FileMaker to Access specific training, it's probably too niche, unfortunately. I think giving a list of things would be a good first step.

	Dave Clark @Reply 9 months ago
Hey Guys, One thought i had was to ask ChatGPT my go to (after Richard of course) Chat said you can Export the data in an XLXS file format and import it access from there. At least this would give you the data in Access table format to help you see how it lay out.

Allan Hunter OP @Reply

9 months ago

Yeah, I already know how to move data back and forth. That's not the kind of knowledge I'm seeking. It's more along the lines of "I want to put a button on this screen and when you click it, it caps off the corresponding related history record with and end date of today then makes a new record in history and fills in these seventeen fields with the current value of the record the user was sitting on and a start date of today". Wherein that's about six minutes' dev time in the environment that I know but I have no idea how to implement in Access. That's one example of about 419 things I need to implement in Access.

Should I make a separate thread for each "how do I..." inquiry or dump a laundry list all in one place?

	Raymond Spornhauer @Reply 9 months ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2USpibb7Y Access Beginner 1

	Bill Carver @Reply 9 months ago
Start with what's free but buy a membership here also take the four course that raymond mentioned above. Your understanding of filemaker will both help and hut. what helps? you understand relational databeses.. what hurts if you dont forget the mechanics of filemaker

	John Davy @Reply 9 months ago
Hi Allen, I have used FilemakerPro but probably not as much as you. I recommend signing up with ALZ and plow through Richard's courses. You will make the transition quickly and not look back. John

	Richard Rost @Reply 9 months ago
I have never in my life used FileMaker, so I will be absolutely of no help in this.

	Alex Hedley @Reply 9 months ago
Q1: After Update

	Alex Hedley @Reply 9 months ago
For reference, Previous Forum Post: Access vs FileMaker Pro

	Allan Hunter OP @Reply 9 months ago
Since none of you have said otherwise, I will post my specific questions each as separate threads, then. If someone sees this and thinks "Oh no, bad idea", please say so.

Bill Carver @Reply

9 months ago

OK you've pulled the gun out and you've aimed toward the paper target now just pull the trigger I'm telling you that if you have experience with File Maker you'll understand the concept of a relational database which puts you ahead of the game both programs are just about equally capable although Microsoft Access is more scriptable than File Maker is so take the Free introductory course on this site and get started the longer you ask questions the longer it will take you to get working. I'm not picking on you but there's a word for this OK really two words Analysis paralysis it's time to do the deed or get off the pot

	Sami Shamma @Reply 9 months ago
Hi, Allan. Bill gave you some strong words, but they ring true. Just get started with the Access Beginner 1 (free), which will teach you a lot of things in four hours, and Access Beginner 2, which is only for $1. And you will see that with your experience as a database developer, we'll kick in.

Martin Fairbairn @Reply

9 months ago

I also moved from Filemaker to Access and find Access far superior in so many ways. The main thing, as Sami says, is that you will understand everything Richard talks about. I found that starting with Richard from Beginner 1 was enlightening cos he teaches you all those little tricks that allow you to make the things you know in concept work in practice.
Most of all, I suggest you get familiar quickly with Queries which make programming in Access 100% easier than in FM.

	Martin Fairbairn @Reply 9 months ago
The other major difference is being able to link tables together on an ad hoc basis to support individual queries without having to create multiple name instances of the tables

	John Davy @Reply 9 months ago
Hi Allen, As I read the responses, I believe 4 of us said jump in to Richard's courses and go for it. You will make the transition easier than skipping around. John

Martin Fairbairn @Reply

9 months ago

I have gone back and reviewed the Access vs. FM chat of 2 years ago and see that Richard's "friend" ChatGPT concluded that FM is more robust and Access is basically limited to small-scale applications. I strongly disagree. Access linked to mySQL with SQL, VBA and the query designer, with the ability to link files ad hoc with a query, is significantly easier to use than FM AND more robust :-) . And, to the best of my knowledge, there is no Richard Rost equivalent learning course for FM!!!

Allan Hunter OP @Reply

9 months ago

I suspect that, as with the perennial "MacOS vs Windows" debates, a lot of it comes down to what you are familiar with and hence which one you can use effectively as a tool. Me, if I could only have one application on my computer, it would be FileMaker. (Wouldn't make a very good photo editor or 3D spline compiler but I could make do without a word processor, spreadsheet, web browser, OS shell, image management system, email program, music playback system, file and folder management, etc, rolling my own in FileMaker. Whereas Access just frustrates me because I can't make it do ANYTHING useful.

I already have tutorials and intro course materials. Admittedly, the ones you folks keep linking to may be better ones. But if I were looking for intro / tutorial materials to learn from, there's no shortage. None of them I've encountered so far are teaching Access as a Second Language for FileMaker geeks. So I find them frustrating too.

Bill Carver @Reply

9 months ago

What can I say Alan I know it's hard to leave from the system you used earlier but I can tell you that I've used file maker and I've used access and I can get further with access than I can file maker. And by the way, that was both on Macintosh and on windows. If you're looking for a translation from file maker to Windows, you will find that in between your ears. Once you're gained the knowledge in a four hour program, which is. access beginner one here. You'll have all the tools you need to make that translation. It won't cost you anything but 4 hours, so check it out. If you're not willing to even start that, I might suggest we wouldn't be able to help you here I'm not the hair cod president or the 599Cd.com president But I am a client And a satisfied one at that. Give it a try.

	Allan Hunter OP @Reply 9 months ago
I'm more likely to overpay for private one-on-one instruction in order to have the learning process set up exactly the way I want it. (I'm kind of stubborn that way and I haven't found anyone else's Basic / Intermediate "Learn Microsoft Access" courses to be useful).

	Sami Shamma @Reply 9 months ago
Alan, you can reach out to me at [email protected]

	Bill Carver @Reply 9 months ago
Allan OK. Take the free beginner course and send me money. I'm ok with that :) or reach out to sami. He does gve good advice

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