Not up to the Pogue standard

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Book:		FileMaker Pro 10: The Missing Manual
Subject:		Not up to the Pogue standard
Date:		2009-04-01 19:17:49
From:		jeffanon

Rating: There's lots of good info in this book, but the detective agency example is somewhat obscure. The authors don't lay out the real world user work flow/process that motivates the design, so it's a bit of a puzzle. The database creation instructions are reasonably clear, though at times they are dense and abstract. One is required to enter a good deal of sample data into the downloaded databases to see what's going on, and the intermediate stages of the database make that process ubergeeky, to say the least. And finally, the editing is SLOPPY, SLOPPY, SLOPPY. Wrong table references, inaccurate diagrams, and other inconsistencies really slow the learner down. I've used other Pogue Missing Manuals and found them excellent, but this one needs a good going over by a skilled editor before it will be ready.

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Not up to the Pogue standard, September 11 2009

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Submitted by Anonymous Reader [Respond | View]

I'd have to agree with this review, I've been using Filemaker on and off for a while but wanted to get into the relational side more after I'd constructed a few databases.

There is some useful information in this book, I started with chapter 7 and it explains how to model your data. From then on it gets into the detective agency example and quickly loses the reader.

I had to go and look for the downloaded examples to try and make sense of what was being written. I'm happy to follow a book building my own copy of the database that they describe and then use it for the next chapter. You can't do that with this book as the example files for the next chapter contain more work in them than is explained in the book. This slows you down as you have to try and work out what the changes are and what they are for.

I still haven't worked out how the detective agency databsae is supposed to work or what it is trying to achieve. Too many jumps without a suitable explanation make it very hard to understand.

What's a line item, how is that different to an expense and why does it have an invoice ID? I can see what you're trying to get at but not being an accountant doesn't make following the example easy at all.

The style of the book is a bit like being in a room with 5 different people talking at the same time, there are too many unrelated examples littering the page and because of that you find yourself having to refer to diagrams several pages forward or back from where you are in the book.

I have other Missing Manual books and I don't feel that this is up to the same standard.

Not up to the Pogue standard, September 11 2009
Submitted by Anonymous Reader [Respond | View]

Dear Reader,

Thank you for taking the time to review FileMaker Pro 10: The Missing Manual. We are planning to revise the entire text, including the example databases, for the next edition. Thank you for being so specific in pointing out where you had problems; this helps us know what needs the most improvement.

I'm sorry that the book did not meet your expectations.

Nan Barber
editor

Re: Not up to the Pogue standard, April 09 2009
Submitted by Nan Barber [Respond | View]

Jeff, I'm the editor of FileMaker Pro 10: The Missing Manual. I would first of all like to thank you for taking the time to submit your candid review of the book. We take reader feedback very seriously.

I'm sorry that the inaccuracies you found hindered your use and enjoyment of the book. While no book is perfect, these kinds of inaccuracies should be very rare.

We will use your feedback and that of others to improve future editions of the book. I'm all ears if you'd care to go into further detail about the problems you found. If any examples in the book aren't clear to you, I will relay your questions to the authors and get a direct response. Please write to me at nanbarber@oreilly.com.

Above all, thank you for being a faithful and involved Missing Manual reader.

-- Nan