PDF Estimated Time To Read This: 3 – 5 minutes
Many of you have been using FileMaker for one thing or another for many years now – and for that we thank you… but when new versions are released you may think to yourself “Do I really need to upgrade?” There are only three ways we can possibly answer that question and each will depend on your own circumstances – Yes – No – or Maybe.
Many people stand by the old adage “if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it” and this can certainly be the case but there are other considerations that you need to take into account. Certainly if you are using a more recent version of FileMaker (i.e. v8.5, v9 or v10) then there may not be an immediate need to upgrade. It is always our personal preference to be working on the most recent version and that is the recommendation we make but again – the decision is, of course, entirely yours.
Some of the downsides to not upgrading are simply that FileMaker, as with any other software company, cease to provide support on older versions. Right now you can only get support from FileMaker on versions 8 and higher. Again this may not ever become an issue but the whole time you are running your older version of FileMaker you are also running OS updates (from either Microsoft or Apple) on your computers and any one of those could cause an issue to how your FileMaker solution operates – and when (if) that happens – there will be no support available from FileMaker.
Also to consider is the fact that it is getting much harder to find older versions of FileMaker. If your old FileMaker v5 solution runs nicely in your small group of 5 people and you need to expand to give access to your newly hired team of sales people (therefore requiring another 5 copies of FileMaker v5) you may be limited to searching on eBay for people selling the software as you cannot buy it in stores or from FileMaker themselves.
Another downside is the cost of upgrading your FileMaker software. If at some point you decide that you want to take advantage of some of the newer features available in FileMaker or that you upgrade your operating systems/hardware etc and find that your old version of FileMaker no longer runs smoothly on your new OS/hardware, you may decide to move to the latest version; however you only qualify for upgrade pricing if you are on version 8 or above. Anything below that requires purchasing all new licenses. If you consider the cost of upgrading just one copy of FileMaker Pro v8 and above to version 11 will only cost you $171(US) but the cost of buying a new license is $285(US) – a difference of $114(US). If you have 10 copies that need upgrading that difference just became $1,140 (US) and that doesn’t include server. With FileMaker’s maintenance program you can get the software at a fraction of that cost and you can stay current much easier.
Finally – and probably the biggest downside to staying on the version you are at is that there is a whole whack of new and exciting features available in the later versions. Each new version of FileMaker comes with its own cutting edge features which have been designed so you can get more out of your data. It may be possible to program them in the version you are on – or perhaps use plug-ins but to have them available out of the box saves you time and money. To see the differences between versions 6 – 11 simply click here.
Only you know what is best for your business but you may be missing out on opportunities to get more out of your data or perhaps you are going to pay more in the long run when you don’t need to by staying on the current version.
Happy FileMaking!
