Inspector or BaseElements
One of the great features of FileMaker Advanced is the ability to generate a DDR (Database Design Report); providing information on all your database files, fields, scripts, layouts, relationships, and tables in HTML or XML format. Great information, but not always the easiest read. Enter Inspector 2.0 and BaseElements 2.0.
Both Inspector and BaseElements have been around for a while; Inspector was release in 2006 and BaseElements in 2007. I’ve been using Inspector for a couple years, but based on all the positive praise running through the FileMaker community regarding BaseElements I decided to check it out in more detail. I have to say that I’m impressed.
I found the interface of BaseElements very intuitive, more so than Inspector. BaseElements also highlighted errors that Inspector missed. The best part of BaseElements is it’s a FileMaker solution. Beyond the emotional satisfaction I get from utilizing FileMaker to analysis other FileMaker solutions, you can easily create new layouts to customize your view and reports.
Both Inspector and BaseElements are excellent programs, but BaseElements is now my top choice. BaseElements is a little more expensive than Inspector; BaseElements starting at $499 and Inspector at $399. Is BaseElements worth the extra $100? Definitely.
