FileMaker migration: from a DDR to a web application you own.
Your FileMaker system still works. Is it still the right system? I have built and supported FileMaker systems for more than 15 years. Now I use migration tools and AI-assisted development to move the right workflows into web applications. We start with a fit review, then define the scope before any build.
Not sure migration is the answer? Start with an assessment →
Jose from Solutions Cay led the migration of our group travel management system from FileMaker to a modern platform — fast, low-maintenance, and built to last.
The Problem
License costs
Per-seat licenses add up as the team grows. Compare that bill with hosting, support, and the cost of migration.
Portability
Your business rules live in a proprietary format. Inspecting, versioning, and moving that logic requires FileMaker-specific tools.
Developer dependency
If one FileMaker developer understands the system, routine changes and recovery depend on that person.
Integration effort
FileMaker can support mobile access, browser access, and APIs. Older solutions often need more work before those options are practical.
Recovery planning
Backups do not replace a tested recovery plan. Risk increases when files, scripts, integrations, and credentials are poorly documented.
Platform fit
An upgrade may not solve the problems in an old solution. Check whether FileMaker still fits the work ahead before extending it again.
The Process
Export the DDR
You export the built-in Database Design Report and send it to me. It describes tables, fields, relationships, scripts, layouts, and value lists. Your live data stays where it is.
Draft the migration map
My migration tools read the DDR and map the schema, relationships, scripts, and layouts into a first pass. Then I check it with you. A DDR cannot explain live data, integrations, or undocumented workarounds.
Rebuild one workflow at a time
We rebuild the workflows that survived the diagnostic. You review working software during the build instead of waiting for a final reveal.
Move data and cut over
We migrate the data, reconcile the results, and plan the cutover. You receive the source code, database access, and deployment credentials. You can run it yourself or use managed hosting.
Example rebuild: Furniture Store
A FileMaker solution rebuilt as a web application
I rebuilt a FileMaker solution made for a furniture store as a web application. The example shows the process and the result. It is not a client case study.
Example starting point
- Staff worked in FileMaker Pro
- Each additional user needed a license
- Sales staff had no mobile workflow
- Reports and data entry were manual
- The solution was hard to move or version
- One developer understood the system
Example web application
- Staff use it in a browser
- No per-seat application license
- Sales staff can work from a phone
- Inventory and recommendations can use AI
- Another developer can maintain the source code
- Dashboards update as the data changes
Example rebuilds: six episodes
All episodes →GFM Business: German ERP
I moved this eight-file German ERP into a web app in one day. The example covers DDR parsing, an English and German interface, and PDF export.
FM Starting Point
I converted this FileMaker starter solution into a web app with the migrate-filemaker, prd-builder, and design-builder tools.
Furniture Store: Part 4
A recap of the four-part example, from DDR parsing to a deployed web app.
Furniture Store: Part 3
Part 3 of the Furniture Store example.
Furniture Store: Part 2
Part 2 of the Furniture Store example.
Furniture Store: Part 1
Part 1 of the Furniture Store example.
Why Me
FileMaker since 2008
I have built and supported production FileMaker systems since 2008. That experience helps me separate platform problems from problems in one solution.
Enterprise delivery experience
I am a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Oracle. I have managed teams that deployed more than 20 production applications in eight months.
Migration tools I built
My Claude Code skill reads a DDR and drafts the first migration map. I review that draft before it becomes part of the diagnostic.
Work directly with me
I am based in Plano, Texas. Business owners work with me, not an account manager or a subcontracted development team. Se habla español.
Business and technical background
My MBA includes a Business Analytics minor. I evaluate the operating cost and risk along with the schema.
You own the result
You receive the source code, database access, and deployment credentials for the system you paid for.
FileMaker migration questions
- Do I need to upload my FileMaker file to start?
- No. The first conversation is a free fit review and needs no file upload. If there is a fit, a paid diagnostic follows, and a Database Design Report export is a useful input to it.
- What is a DDR and why do you ask for it?
- The Database Design Report is a built-in FileMaker export that describes tables, fields, relationships, scripts, layouts, and value lists. It shows structure, not records, so your live data stays where it is and there is no downtime.
- Do we have to migrate the whole system?
- No. The diagnostic decides which workflows survive. We rebuild those one at a time, and you review working software during the build. Keeping, stabilizing, or wrapping the existing system are valid outcomes too.
- Who owns the result?
- You do. You receive the source code, database access, and deployment credentials. You can run it yourself or use managed hosting, and another developer can maintain it.
- How is the work priced?
- The fit review is free. The diagnostic is paid and maps the real scope before any build. The build sprint that follows is fixed-price, and the numbers are set on the call once the scope is known.
- Where are you based?
- Plano, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Business owners work directly with me, not an account manager or a subcontracted team. Se habla español.
Start here
The first step is a fit review, not a migration plan. We talk through your system and decide whether there is a fit. If there is, a paid diagnostic maps the real scope before any build, and the sprint that follows is fixed-price.
A Database Design Report (DDR) is a useful input to that diagnostic, not a full specification. It shows structure, not records, runtime behavior, data quality, integrations, or the unwritten rules. The first conversation needs no file upload.