Thank you to Michael Rocharde for making FileMaker not only more easily approached, but for putting it in a way that makes one feel that this massive and ever-updating resource, (FileMaker 16 just released) is approachable and can become a fluid way to handle and optimize technology for data resource utilization. The videos, the examples, the indexing and even the call to arms: "You should write a FileMaker book" are inspirational. If I can figure out how to rate this book, I will give it a 5 out of 5.

Agreed that this is not your mother’s FileMaker Training Book. Michael has been exceedingly generous with his knowledge in this book and his previous one, and both make wonderful use of the iBooks platform. I think any developer will find something new here, but I’d especially recommend FileMaker & You and FileMaker & Me to the self-taught in-house developers who learned FileMaker piecemeal as they went along, project by project. Michael shares his overall approach and best practices, and we are all better for it.

Michael Rocharde takes a totally differnt approach to FileMaker training in this book. He shows how his thought process starts with trying to solve a particular problem and then how he applies his knowledge of FileMaker to solve that problem with a solution that is both efficient and well suited to the user’s needs. It is like seeing through the trees to actually see the forest. I came away with a lot of ahah moments in reading through the book and plan to disect the sample files that are given in the book to make Michael’s techniques part of my FileMake knowledge base. It is a really nicde bag of tricks that have helped me move up the FileMaker learning curve.

Michael’s book uses well-chosen case studies and examples to solve common problems using FileMaker. I often refer to this book to stimulate my thinking when troubleshooting methods and practices. The advice shared is based on core fundamentals of database design and depicts the related FileMaker capabilities—this is key to learning at any level. After spending many years designing custom solutions, I find the techniques in this book to be clear and concise. Michael not only covers the salient points of how a developer would identify common problems, but he delves further into how to use the native capabilities within FileMaker to frame and solve those problems. This book is a valuable read for newcomers and experienced FileMaker developers alike

Michael Rocharde has come out with a new book, “FileMaker and You”. Like his first book “FileMaker & Me” which focused on interface design, this new read gives you that same unique and enjoyable view into his approach while working with FileMaker, but this time focuses on how he goes about problem solving. Even though Michael categorizes it for the novice to intermediate developer it’s worth a read from even the most advanced FileMaker developer. For example, the chapter on how he approaches handling the problem found in a reservation system of assigning only available resources to a booking and how he works with dates was an “aha” moment. I look forward to reading and tearing apart the other example files he includes to explore alternative ways to approach solving problems with FileMaker… Thanks Michael.