Are you ready for the new Claris Platform?

Ben Fletcher • 24 November 2022

The new Claris Platform represents the latest evolution of the venerable Claris FileMaker Platform.  While the FileMaker Platform is a powerful and flexible toolset, it was originally launched in 1985 and conceived to solve the data problems of that era - predating much of the modern internet staples that we are familiar with today like pervasive broadband, mobile computing and cloud services.  While an impressive number of new features have been added to the FileMaker platform to modernise it over the years, there were always going to be some areas where it was not an optimal solution given the need to maintain compatibility with previous releases.


The new Claris Platform focuses on offering a new approach to building unified, hybrid apps with a more cloud native approach.  Central to this new offering is Claris Studio, a web-based tool for building online web forms, dynamic charts, dashboards and task trackers (see https://www.claris.com/studio/).  Historically, these are all areas that the FileMaker platform has served poorly out of the box, or has required substantial developer effort utilising 3rd party plugins or integration with other apps and cloud services to work around.  The new Claris Platform bundle therefore significantly extents what would be possible with FileMaker alone.  It is well worth looking at these Claris Youtube videos exploring the new platform https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkvKnBkQSCeTE1hT4FJkCJ_foOOq_DBIe


However, Claris Studio does not integrate with classic FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server - instead it works with Claris Pro and Claris Server.  In order to get Claris Studio to market and in the hands of developers as quickly as possible, Claris have had to make some compromises and so narrowed their initial platform support and features.  This means that while Claris Pro and Claris Server have most of the core features of FileMaker Pro and FileMaker Server there are some important differences - while the new Claris platform is an excellent fit for most new development projects, it is not yet a 'no-brainer' upgrade for existing FileMaker customers that are reliant on some of the older features which are not yet present in the new platform. 


Two deciding limitations for many existing FileMaker customers are that: 1) Claris Server only currently runs on the Linux platform - there is no support for running on macOS or Windows servers currently.  2) By design the new Claris Platform needs internet access in order to integrate with Claris Studio and so cannot be 'LAN locked' which may be the case for certain FileMaker solutions due to strict security as can be found in healthcare environments or with very high performance solutions such as video environments.


If you don't have expertise in deploying Linux servers or moving from a LAN to cloud environment then this can be mitigated as it is perfectly possible to get a 3rd party managed private cloud hosting.  This is exactly the service that DataTherapy can provide - see https://datatherapy.host/pricing for more details.  Contact our team if you are interested in a demo of the new Claris Platform offering and a FREE initial consultation about how to migrate from from your existing FileMaker based solution in order to take advantage of the new Claris Studio features.

by Ben Fletcher 25 April 2025
The Claris FileMaker Server 21.1.4 update is now available and includes important fixes that address known issues from previous versions: Key Fixes 1. Field definitions incorrectly read from cache. A bug introduced in version 21.0 caused field definitions to be incorrectly cached, resulting in symptoms such as: Empty related fields Missing value lists and indexes “Insufficient privileges (error -9)” messages 2. Windows only: Server-side script sessions limited by CPU cores. Version 21.1.3 limited simultaneous server-side script sessions to the number of CPU cores on Windows. This impacted I/O-bound environments by unnecessarily queuing sessions. 21.1.4 resolves this by allowing up to 50 concurrent script sessions on Windows before queueing begins—regardless of CPU cores. These sessions may be triggered by schedules, OData, or Perform Script on Server (PSoS). Note: This behavior is not controlled by the AllowPSoS setting. Claris Recommends: To ensure system stability, it is advised to limit active clients to 40 - 45 simultaneous sessions. Exceeding 50 may result in delays, memory overload, or session hangs. Do you need assistance with upgrading? DataTherapy are pleased to announce that Claris FileMaker 2024 (version 21.1) managed private cloud hosting packages are immediately available. DataTherapy can provide scalable, managed FileMaker packages for businesses of all size. Full details of all of our packages can be found here . We can offer a range of a variety of enhanced options such as domain management, custom SSL certificates, VPN, VLAN, disaster recovery and integration with other technologies. If you need additional information on upgrading to the new release, advise on how to migrate your current on-premises FileMaker Server to the cloud, or would like to arrange a free trial of any of our packages then please don’t hesitate to contact our team .
Databases
by Ben Fletcher 16 April 2025
Using Microsoft Excel for workflows and complex data management instead of a dedicated database presents several inherent problems. These issues stem from Excel’s limitations in scalability, data integrity, collaboration, automation, and security. Below is a detailed breakdown of these challenges and how a custom Claris FileMaker App can meet these challenges . . .
Optimising Claris FileMaker App Performance
by Ben Fletcher 25 March 2025
What to do when your FileMaker App isn't running as well as it used to . . .
by Ben Fletcher 14 March 2025
Ensuring Business Continuity: Augmenting or Replacing Your In-House FileMaker Team
by Ben Fletcher 18 February 2025
FileMaker 2024 massively simplifies the complexity of leverage LLMs . . .
by Ben Fletcher 11 February 2025
How to use Claris Studio to extend your Claris FileMaker App, what are the use cases and how to get access.
by Ben Fletcher 4 February 2025
There are many problems inherent in using Excel for workflows and complex data management: the case for upgrading your business to Claris FileMaker in 2025!
by Ben Fletcher 10 December 2024
Still using FileMaker 19.6? Time to upgrade . . .
by Ben Fletcher 22 November 2024
Modernising Your Claris FileMaker App: Email Integration Made Smarter
by Ben Fletcher 8 November 2024
The Claris FileMaker 2024 (version 21.1) Platform release for Nov 2024 is now available
More posts