User manual

Chapter 3
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Creating databases 65
6. Click OK.
7. Continue to define fields, or click OK.
Note If your FileMaker Pro file accesses data from external ODBC data sources, you can add supplemental
fields to specify summary fields for external data. For more information, see the next section.
Using supplemental fields
If your FileMaker Pro file accesses data from external ODBC data sources, you can use supplemental fields
to display unstored calculation and summary results using ODBC data. Because you can’t use
FileMaker
Pro to change the schema of an external ODBC database, supplemental fields are the only fields
you can add to external tables.
For information about how to access and work with SQL data interactively, see “Working with external data
sources” on page 120. For more information about using supplemental fields, see Help.
Setting options for fields
You can set field options when you define a field, or at a later time. You can set options for:
1 entering default data into a field
1 checking data against validation requirements
1 making a repeating field
1 creating an index
1 storing a global value
1 Furigana fields (Japanese language fields only)
Some field options help ensure the accuracy and consistency of your data. For example, if you type Frnc
instead of France into the Country field, you won’t find that record when you later search for all customers
from France. To be sure that all country names are entered correctly, you can define a value list containing
the names, then select the Member of value list validation option for the Country field. When you enter data
into the field, the data must match a value in the list.
You can set field options while you’re working in Table View, Form View, or List View.
For more information on value lists, see “Setting up checkbox sets and other controls on a layout” on
page 83. To set options for summary fields, see “Creating summary fields” on page 63.
Defining automatic data entry
To automatically enter a default value into a field for each record:
1. With the database open, do one of these:
1 If you’re working in Table View, right-click the field name, then choose Field Options . Then skip to step 5.
1 Choose File menu > Manage > Database.
2. In the Manage Database dialog box, click the Fields tab.
3. If your file contains more than one table, select the appropriate table from the Table list.