Solvent has just signed a lease for office space in the beautiful town of Helena, Alabama just south of Birmingham. We will be moving in over the next month or so and should have the office ready for client visits in January. We are looking forward to expanding our lineup of services and look for a redesigned www.DissolvingProblems.com and our new corporate site www.SolvEnterprises.org which will be replacing www.SolventLLC.com.
Our new office is located at 271 Village Parkway, Helena, AL 35080 [Map]. Our mailing address will remain 9340 Helena Road, Suite F-109, Birmingham, AL 35244.
Posted by Sean Walsh on November 14, 2008 5:45 PM | Permalink
Solvent is pleased to announce that one of its founding partners is now a FileMaker 9 Certified Developer. Sean Walsh took the grueling 4-hour certification exam back in December and received notification this week that he passed. He is one of only a hand full of FileMaker 9 Certified Developers. Solvent is the only FileMaker Business Alliance member with an in-house FileMaker 9 Certified Developer in Alabama, Tennessee, or Mississippi.
Posted by Sean Walsh on February 16, 2008 10:30 PM | Permalink
This Thursday we kick off our monthly FileMaker Users and Developers Group meetings after taking a break for the summer. I hope you've had plenty of fun despite the HOT, dry weather!
This month we will meet at New Horizons Birmingham, a computer learning center off of Valley Avenue on Beacon Parkway West. (see MapQuest) They have classrooms that can accommodate more people than the Alabama Eye Bank's board room where we've been meeting. I would like to thank Paul Canzoneri for this generous offer.
This month we will begin with an introduction of FileMaker Pro 9, announced barely a month ago. We will demonstrate some of the new features and discuss the possibilities they offer you. As always, we will have time for questions and to brainstorm your solutions or put our heads together to solve problems brought to the group.
Because New Horizons has classrooms of various sizes, could you RSVP by next Tuesday to tell us whether you are coming so we can reserve the right sized room?
Posted by Sean Walsh on August 13, 2007 12:51 PM | Permalink
We were invited to present one-hour introductions to FileMaker Pro 9 at Birmingham's Apple Store every Wednesday in August. These presentations are free... and you can play with the cool iPhones when we finish!
You can view the schedule on Apple's web site.
Posted by Sean Walsh on August 1, 2007 12:46 PM | Permalink
Today FileMaker, Inc. announced the release of FileMaker Pro 9 the most comprehensive update in years. What’s in it for you? Plenty. Here are nine of our favorite things about FileMaker Pro 9 that will benefit users.
External Data
For starters, FileMaker now supports external data sources. This will allow you to access data from other sources such as your web site that is powered by a MySQL database or your UPS WorldShip computer without having to constantly import data. No more lost in translation problems either. Your data is simply there. There is even the ability to create supplemental fields to fill in the gaps between the external data and fields you may need inside FileMaker.
PDF Support
FileMaker Pro 9 has better PDF support. You can now append to an existing PDF document which will allow you to build a PDF based on your specifications. In our tests PDF file size has also been reduced and eliminates the file size problems we experienced with prior versions.
Sharing
For those who share their FileMaker solution without the benefit of FileMaker Server or FileMaker Server Advanced software, you can now share with up to 9 concurrent users instead of the previous limit of 5. For small offices that don’t have the budget for FileMaker Server this is a great reason to upgrade.
Conditional Formatting
With conditional formatting, we can do more to help users by giving them visual clues. Say you want to make sure that a new account has certain fields filled out before the user finishes creating the account or moves on to placing an order. Now those fields can be highlighted with ease, instantly showing the user what required fields must be filled out before moving on.
Quick Start Screen
Finally! The Quick Start Screen gets a major overhaul. It now provides you with useful information with a central place to create new files, view a list of previously opened files (either local or remote), and get instant access to electronic documentation.
Updates
No longer will you have to constantly keep an eye on the FileMaker web site in hopes of a new update, FileMaker will do it for you automatically.
Auto-Resize Layouts
For the very first time, layouts can be built that will adjust based on the size of the window. This is great for multi-user environments where screen sizes are rarely the same from user to user. Now when you maximize a window the content can adjust too.
Multi-Undo
If you made changes to a record and want to undo the last three instead of reverting to the previously saved changes, it’s now a snap.
Spellchecking
While spellchecking has been with FileMaker for some time, and visual spellcheck as well, it was often confusing to see a person’s name underlined when it was spelled correctly. Now spellchecking can be turned of on a field-by-field basis, eliminating the unnecessary squiggles.
That’s just the beginning. There are many more features including new features to FileMaker Server and Server Advanced.
On Site Demo
If you would like to know if upgrading is the right choice for you, or you are simply curious about what FileMaker Pro 9 can do we will be happy to give you an on-site demonstration of the power of the new FileMaker Pro 9. Contact us to set up your appointment now.
Sales
When you are ready to purchase any of the FileMaker product line, Solvent can handle all of your purchasing needs. Call today.
Posted by Sean Walsh on July 10, 2007 12:19 PM | Permalink
We have a special announcement here at Solvent. We have been accepted into the FileMaker Business Alliance!
The FBA requires its members to successfully pass a rigorous approval process to ensure that only the finest FileMaker consultancies are a part of the alliance. Solvent is the only FBA consultant firm in Birmingham/Central Alabama and one of only three in the state.
The goal of the FBA is to partner FileMaker's corporate resources with independent FileMaker consultancies to enhance sales and marketing. This partnership, along with our Technical Network membership, helps keep Solvent in-the-know about all things FileMaker.
With this alliance, you can now purchase your FileMaker software directly from Solvent. We can assist you in making your software purchasing decisions and help with your volume licensing and non-profit agreements. In addition we can install the software, help you keep tabs on your licensing and make sure you are always up-to-date with all the latest software upgrades -- all at no extra charge. When FileMaker releases new products, Solvent will be ready to answer your questions.
We look forward to what this exciting new partnership will bring.
Posted by Sean Walsh on June 23, 2007 12:18 PM | Permalink
We've update the answers to the business card brain teasers. Check them out here.
Posted by Sean Walsh on June 21, 2007 11:47 AM | Permalink
Scott has been actively involved in eye banking nationally. He served four years on the Board of the Eye Bank Association of America, served on many committees and ad hoc work groups, has spoken at annual conferences, and lobbied Congress on various issues. He is also actively involved with churches in the US, Brazil and Africa.
Posted by Sean Walsh on May 4, 2007 2:09 PM | Permalink
I thought this was a great quote from 43 Folders' Merlin Mann on his podcast , "Don't be so hung up on getting it perfect the first time that you fail to make anything." This isn't to say that you should push a sub-par product out the door. One of the agile development principles is that you can compromise on what features will be included in a release but you cannot compromise a release date.
Posted by Sean Walsh on August 27, 2006 8:09 AM | Permalink
Solvent is currently in the process of developing it's web site.
If you are a FileMaker user or developer we welcome you to view our FileMaker wiki or you may contribute your knowledge if you so desire.
Posted by Sean Walsh on July 30, 2006 1:08 PM | Permalink
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