Upgrading to FMP8.5 from 6.0?

[tbyrd1969]

I am in the process of upgrading all users in my company to 8.5 from 6.0. If I buy the 8.5 Upgrade Version, will we still have 6.0 on all computers of does it override the program? My concern is that we will still need to run the 6.0 files for a while until all bugs are worked out of the 8.5 database.

 

[TStriker]

I'm about 98% sure installing 8.5 will not harm the Filemaker application that is currently installed. I believe that you will be able to have both on your PC at the same time.

The data files are a different animal altogether. Once you have converted the data files from 6.x to 8.x they will no longer be accessible from PCs running version 6.x This *may* mean that you will have to run parallel systems for a while. Make sure you copy anything and everything before working on the conversion because you want to be able to get back to square-one if you need to.

You should also be aware that the conversion from v6.x to v8.x is not an easy one. The Filemaker company has published a bunch of free "white papers" which you can find on their website that explain all of the ins-and-outs of migrating from earlier versions to later versions.

-Striker

 

[tbyrd1969]

Thanks for your help! I have been converting everything for the past three months on my computer (it has been quite difficult) and am now ready to go live with it across the company. I wanted to make sure I could go back to version 6 if we had to, just in case there are any unforseen bugs.

 

[TStriker]

I understand. If you do need to go back you will have to export all of the data in some format other than .fp7 and import it back into .fp5. I imagine this would be no small task so I was you the best.

If it makes you feel better I never had to go back after I converted ~50 files. There were a few hours at the beginning when I thought I would have to because FM 7 kept crashing but I soon discovered the cause of the crashing was a grouping of lines that formed a button. Whenever my mouse passed over the group of lines, FM would crash. Other than that it hass been pretty smooth sailing.

Good luck!

-Striker