FileMaker warms to PDFs, Web

FileMaker released an upgrade to its desktop database that will allow people to save files in the Adobe PDF and Microsoft Excel formats.

FileMaker Pro version 8, which costs $299, adds a number of productivity enhancements for its users, who typically are not professional programmers, said company president Dominique Philippe Goupil. With the new version, people can more easily customize the database with graphics and give Web access to FileMaker files to others. FileMaker Server 8, which can serve information to 250 simultaneous users, will be available in the fall, Goupil said.