Slides from the vendor session about myFMbutler DoSQL 2 at the FileMaker Devcon 2013 in San Diego.

1. Do more with SQL
in FileMaker
Koen Van Hulle

2. Koen Van Hulle

3. Gent
Niels Heyvaert - http://www.sxc.hu

4. Belgium
Linda DuBose
Vince Varga - http://www.sxc.hu

5. I work at
• FileMaker“7...12”Certified developer
• 2012 FileMaker Mad Dog PR Award

6. better known as
• FileMaker Hosting
• Tools and add-ons for FileMaker
FMbutlermy

7. our product range

8. the easiest way to send e-mail, text messages and faxes
from FileMaker Server 12
• Checks which e-mails
need to be sent, based
on FileMaker field criteria
• Runs a background
process
• Supports plain text as
well as HTML e-mail
• Easy implementation
• Ideal for integration in

9. the ultimate developer tool that saves you tons of
development time
• Stores complete
FileMaker fields, tables,
scripts, script steps and
layouts in an easy-to-use
library.
• Clip Editor
• Clip History
• easy access with the
“snippets”feature.

10. allows you to easily control printer switching from within
your FileMaker
• switches printers on the
fly
• generates PDF in runtime
solutions
• captures printer
settings like page
orientation, paper size
etc. and restores them at
the time of printing

11. Do more with SQL in FileMaker
• uses SQL statements to
select, update, create or
delete FileMaker records.
• doesn't require any
drivers
• Returns native FileMaker
data types like dates,
images, formatted text,
• Debug tools

12. Menu
• FQL Engine demystified
• Overview of most common SQL commands
• Other DoSQL Commands
• Common mistakes

13. FQL engine?
• FileMaker code that accesses the data in
another way
• Providing an alternative way of“talking”to
the data
• Using multiple FQL interfaces to the
database(s)

14. One FQL engine,
four interfaces
ODBC
driver
JDBC
driver
plug-in
API
executeSQL

15. Outside
ODBC
driver
JDBC
driver
plug-in
API
executeSQL
Inside
Credentials at login Credentials of the current user

16. plug-in
API
executeSQL
Inside
Credentials of the current user

17. Selecting a database

18. ExecuteSQL()
• only the file of the
calculation context

19. Plug-in API
• any existing open file with second
generation plug-ins

20. What does the FQL
engine support?
• SQL-92
• SELECT
• DELETE
• INSERT
• UPDATE
• CREATE TABLE
• ALTER TABLE
• CREATE INDEX
• DROP INDEX

21. What does
executeSQL support?
• SQL-92
• SELECT
• DELETE
• INSERT
• UPDATE
• CREATE TABLE
• ALTER TABLE
• CREATE INDEX
• DROP INDEX

22. SELECT
SELECT[DISTINCT]{*|column_expression[[AS]column_alias],...}
FROMtable_name[table_alias],...
[WHEREexpr1rel_operatorexpr2]
[GROUPBY{column_expression,...}]
[HAVINGexpr1rel_operatorexpr2]
[UNION[ALL](SELECT...)]
[ORDERBY{sort_expression[DESC|ASC]},...]
[OFFSETn{ROWS|ROW}]
[FETCHFIRST[n[PERCENT]]{ROWS|ROW}{ONLY|WITHTIES}]
[FORUPDATE[OF{column_expression,...}]]

23. SELECT
SELECTsum(salary),Name,EmpID,Department
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=‘marketing’

24. SELECT
ExecuteSQL(
“SELECTsum(salary),Name,EmpID,Department
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=‘marketing’”
;”;”;“¶”)
1000000;WillySommers;203;marketing
1000000;DanaWinner;204;marketing
1000000;EvaDeWaelle;205;marketing
1000000;MaartenCox;206;marketing
1000000;DannyFabry;207;marketing

25. SELECT
ExecuteSQL(
“SELECTsum(salary),Name,EmpID,Department
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=?”
;”;”;“¶”; globals::department)
1000000;WillySommers;203;marketing
1000000;DanaWinner;204;marketing
1000000;EvaDeWaelle;205;marketing
1000000;MaartenCox;206;marketing
1000000;DannyFabry;207;marketing

26. RESULT
• Always TEXT
• Always one TEXT string per query

27. Result = Text
Let(
x=ExecuteSQL("SELECTsum(salary)
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=?";
"";"";globals::department);
x<20000)
*sum(salary)=1000000
TRUE“1000000”<20000

28. Result = Text
Let(
x=ExecuteSQL("SELECTsum(salary)
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=?";
"";"";globals::department);
GetAsNumber(x)<20000)
*sum(salary)=1000000
False1000000<20000

29. Result = TEXT
• Date:“2013-08-15”
• Time:“02:49:03”
• Timestamp:“2013-08-15 02:49:03”
• Containers: only the name of the file: e.g.
image.jpeg

30. Select with DoSQL
• DoSQL can retrieve the data like ExecuteSQL
if you want
• FQL-engine does support native FileMaker
types, so does myFMbutler DoSQL 2
• DoSQL supports container fields
• Compatible with FileMaker Pro 11 and
above

31. Select with DoSQL
mFMb_DoSQL_SetParameters
(myTable::Department)
mFMb_DoSQL("SELECTsum(salary),Name,EmpID,
Department
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=?";
false)

32. Result
• Row Count
• Use mFMb_DoSQL_Result ( row ; column )
• Result in native FileMaker Datatypes, no
need to convert.

33. Result
Let([
p=mFMb_DoSQL_SetParameters(myTable::Department);
q=mFMb_DoSQL("SELECTsum(salary)
FROMEmployees
WHEREDepartment=?"; false);
x=mFMb_DoSQL_Result(1;1)];
x<20000)
False1000000<20000

34. INSERT,
UPDATE & DELETE
• Supported through JDBC, ODBC and the
plug-in API
• NOT supported through ExecuteSQL()
• So plug-ins are the only ones capable of
supporting FQL fully from the inside

35. Let’s start with INSERT
• syntax: INSERT INTO table_name
[(column_name, ...)] VALUES (expr, ...)
• can be a prepared statement ( it better be )
• VALUES can be a SELECT expression
• can be a lot faster than a script doing new
record, set field, set field,… why?

36. Committing records
• for JDBC & ODBC this is a setting
• the plug-in API is always auto-committing
and has no cursor support

37. INSERT
• No need to change the context
• Logging
• Audit trail
• Creating statistics, reports, ...

38. So, You Think You Can
UPDATE
• UPDATE table_name SET column_name =
expr, ... [ WHERE { conditions } ]
• A user can lock a record
• the error codes returned are the FileMaker
error codes ( e.g. 301 )!
• compare with SELECT, it will never return
error 401

39. Select for update
• SELECT for UPDATE only locks records on
JDBC and ODBC
• plug-in cannot lock a record, but SELECT for
UPDATE returns error when records are
locked
• user can lock a record

40. UPDATE
• No need to change the context
• Changing data (in bulk) of related records
• Triggering auto-enter calculations of related
records

41. Delete
• DELETE FROM table_name [ WHERE
{ conditions } ]
• check for record locking!
• check for privileges!

42. DELETE
• Conditional deletes (of related records)

43. Modifying Structure
using SQL
• this is dangerous stuff, keep backups
• a calculation field cannot return a result
when the schema is being changed, this
results in a deadlock
• modifying schema on idle can be done
using DoSQL 2.

44. Other features of
DoSQL 2

45. SQL for dummies
• Generates the SQL for you
• mFMb_DoSQL_Select
• mFMb_DoSQL_Insert
• mFMb_DoSQL_Delete

46. mFMb_DoSQL_Select
mFMb_DoSQL("SELECTcitizens,category
FROMcities
WHEREcity=‘Gent’")

47. mFMb_DoSQL_Select
Let([
table=GetValue(Substitute(GetFieldName(cities::citizens);“::”;“¶”);1);
field1=GetValue(Substitute(GetFieldName(cities::citizens);“::”;“¶”);2);
field2=GetValue(Substitute(GetFieldName(cities::category);“::”;“¶”);2);
field3=GetValue(Substitute(GetFieldName(cities::city);“::”;“¶”);2);
q=mFMb_DoSQL("SELECT" & field1&"," & field1&
" FROM" & table
" WHERE" & field2& "=‘Gent’")];
q)

48. mFMb_DoSQL_Select
mFMb_DoSQL_Select(
GetFieldName(cities::citizens);
GetFieldName(cities::category);
“WHERE”;
GetFieldName(cities::city);
“Gent”
)

49. Debug tools
• Errors
• Log
• Alert dialog

50. Errors
• mFMb_DoSQL_LastErrNum( )
• returns the last error
• mFMb_DoSQL_LastSQL( )
• returns the last query

51. Errors
• http://wiki.myfmbutler.com/index.php/
DoSQL_2#Errors_returned_by_DoSQL
• Plug-in Errors
• FQL Errors

52. Logs
• Logging can be enabled by the funtion:
mFMb_DoSQL_Debug( level { ; once }
• Level 1: Only errors
• Level 2: All queries

53. Logs
2012-01-1910:34:53.674SelectCount(MAILBOXID_DNR)from
mailboxeswhereparentmailboxid_dnr=7009
2012-01-1910:34:53.674ERROR:8310
ERROR:FQL0001/(1:18):Thereisanerrorinthesyntaxofthequery.

54. Logs
2012-01-1910:34:54.043RunningScript:"ReadMessages"
2012-01-1910:34:54.043SELECTCount("messageid")FROM
"mailboxes_messagereceivers"WHERE"mbdef_id"=6AND"contactid"
=1000843AND"is_unread"=1
2012-01-1910:34:54.045rowsinresult:1
2012-01-1910:34:54.045columnsinresult:1
2012-01-1910:34:54.046resultsize:2
2012-01-1910:34:54.046resulthasbeenretrieved

55. • mFMb_DoSQL_SupressAlerts()
Alert dialog

56. Common mistakes

57. Use hard coded
field names
• Do not use GetFieldName ( field ) instead
• Do not push FileMaker to solve
GetFieldName() validation bugs with
unrelated fields
Linda DuBose - http://www.sxc.hu

58. Use SQL in
Stored Calculations
• And see the continents move while your
schema recalculates

59. Never check for errors
• Just assume you SQL queries are perfect
• ExecuteSQL(): never check for Get
( LastError )
• DoSQL: set DoSQL_SupressAlerts( True ) and
never use DoSQL_LastErrNum
Michael & Christa Richert - http://www.sxc.hu

60. Leave your queries in
the data viewer
• when you are finished with debugging
and use your computer to grill your meat
Chris Chidsey - http://www.sxc.hu

61. Do more with SQL
• Even when it’s faster to do it using old
school methods
• Know that because SQL calculation are
harder to write, they must be the better way
do to things
Everything

62. Do more with SQL in FileMaker
• uses SQL statements to
select, update, create or
delete FileMaker records.
• doesn't require any
drivers
• Returns native FileMaker
data types like dates,
images, formatted text,
• Debug tools

63. DoSQL 2
License Price FM Server
1 user
5 users
10 users
25 users
50 users
Developer (25)
Site license
29,- EUR (± 38,- USD)
99,- EUR (± 132,- USD)
169,- EUR (± 226,- USD)
259,- EUR (± 346,- USD)
469,- EUR (± 627,- USD)
339,- EUR (± 453,- USD) YES
559,- EUR (± 747,- USD) YES

64. Thank you!
www.myfmbutler.com
or visit our booth