The customer manages a large number of FileMaker databases for their clients and faced a critical issue — they lacked a clear overview of which database version was running for each customer. Each update required manual intervention, which, with ten clients, meant tens of hours of work. The process was slow, error-prone, and prevented fast, large-scale deployments of new versions.
We designed a solution that centralizes and automates the entire process. It consists of a central application and a helper application installed on each client’s server. The central app maintains a list of all databases and their versions, and enables remote deployment of updates. When a new version is released, a single click is enough — the central app creates a clone, assigns it a version number, and sends it to the helper app. The helper then closes the database, creates a backup, runs FM Data Migration Tool, and deploys the updated version. The entire process runs in the background, with each step logged, so the administrator can monitor progress in real time. (At the time of implementation, OttoFMS was not yet available.)
This approach eliminated manual work, cut update time from hours to minutes, and improved safety through controlled backups and detailed logging. The system is flexible — supporting deployment to both test and production servers and compatible with various operating systems.
