Connecting FileMaker to external SQL databases via ODBC/JDBC

Intermediate

Use external data sources to query and join data from MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or Oracle directly inside FileMaker.

What you'll learn

  • How to define an External Data Source for an ODBC/JDBC connection
  • What shadow tables are and how they appear in the Relationships graph
  • Limitations of external SQL data sources in FileMaker

FileMaker can connect to external SQL databases using ODBC or JDBC drivers. Once a connection is defined as an External Data Source, you can create shadow tables, build relationships across systems, and use ExecuteSQL queries against external tables.

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Install the ODBC driver and define a DSN

Install the appropriate ODBC driver for your database (e.g., MySQL Connector/ODBC, PostgreSQL psqlODBC) on the FileMaker Server machine. Create a System DSN (Data Source Name) using the ODBC Data Source Administrator (Windows) or iODBC (macOS). The DSN is what FileMaker references.

FileMaker Server admin accounts and file account securityDesigning scripts that run safely on FileMaker Server

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