Connect to FHIR Data in Claris FileMaker Pro

Claris FileMaker is a low-code database application development tool that allows users to create custom apps for managing and organizing data. It combines a powerful relational database engine with an intuitive interface, enabling both technical and non-technical users to design and deploy applications across desktop, web, and mobile platforms.

In this article, we'll explore how to use the CData ODBC Driver for FHIR in FileMaker to connect to FHIR data.

Create an ODBC Data Source for FHIR

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Set URL to the Service Base URL of the FHIR server. This is the address where the resources are defined in the FHIR server you would like to connect to. Set ConnectionType to a supported connection type. Set ContentType to the format of your documents. Set AuthScheme based on the authentication requirements for your FHIR server.

Generic, Azure-based, AWS-based, and Google-based FHIR server implementations are supported.

Sample Service Base URLs

• Generic: http://my_fhir_server/r4b/
• Azure: https://MY_AZURE_FHIR.azurehealthcareapis.com/
• AWS: https://healthlake.REGION.amazonaws.com/datastore/DATASTORE_ID/r4/
• Google: https://healthcare.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/LOCATION/datasets/DATASET_ID/fhirStores/FHIR_STORE_ID/fhir/

Generic FHIR Instances

The product supports connections to custom instances of FHIR. Authentication to custom FHIR servers is handled via OAuth (read more about OAuth in the Help documentation. Before you can connect to custom FHIR instances, you must set ConnectionType to Generic.

When you configure the DSN, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

Connect and sync FHIR data with FileMaker using the CData ODBC Driver for FHIR

Once you configure the CData ODBC Driver for FHIR, you can connect to live FHIR data in FileMaker and use it in your applications. In this section, we'll walk through the steps to connect live FHIR data to FileMaker.

You can download and install the latest version of FileMaker Pro for your Mac/Windows/Linux systems here: https://www.claris.com/resources/downloads/.

Importing FHIR data using FileMaker's ODBC Import Function

Follow the steps below to easily import FHIR data using the ODBC import feature:

1. Open FileMaker Pro. Navigate to Create from the left panel and select Blank > Create.
👁 Create a new application in FileMaker

2. Enter a desired filename and click Save.
3. In the Manage Database window, go to the Tables tab and create or rename the table where you want to display FHIR data.
👁 Create or edit a table.

4. In the Fields tab, add the required fields to the table.
👁 Create the fields for the table.

5. In the Relationships tab, define table relationships if your database has multiple tables, then click OK.
6. To reopen and modify the table structure later, go to File > Manage > Database.
7. To import FHIR data via the CData ODBC Driver for FHIR, navigate to File > Import Records > ODBC Data Source.
👁 Select ODBC Data Source from Import Records.

8. In the Select ODBC Data Source window, choose CData ODBC Driver for FHIR and click Create. Enter your FHIR username and password, then click OK.
👁 Select CData FHIR Sys.
👁 Enter the FHIR username and password.

9. In the SQL Query Builder window, select the desired table from the Tables section and choose the relevant columns from the Columns section. Click Insert into SQL Query after each selection to automatically generate a query that retrieves data from FHIR. You can also manually edit the query using WHERE and ORDER BY clauses or use the tabs provided in the SQL Query Builder. Click Execute to run the query.
👁 Choose the columns to generate the SQL Query.

10. In the Specify Import Order window, define the import order for the target fields. Select Add between source and target to add new records to the target table from the selected fields. Click Import.
👁 Specify the import order.

You have now successfully imported FHIR data into FileMaker Pro using the CData ODBC Driver for FHIR. To perform incremental updates, change the import order to "Update" or use "Replace" based on your use case.

Process FHIR data at design time

You can sort and aggregate data, as well as calculate summary functions while browsing tables. To manipulate the view of data at design time, complete the following steps:

• Switch to Preview Mode: Click the Preview at the top to check how the FHIR data with look before you print it.
• Switch to Table View: Click the table icon in the View As menu in the main toolbar of the application.

👁 The FHIR data is displayed in FileMaker Pro.

Aggregate and summarize

Follow the steps below to group column values and display summaries, as shown in the screenshot:

• Sort: Click the arrow in the NumberOfEmployees column header and choose Sort Ascending from the menu.
• Group: In the same menu, click Add Trailing Group by Industry to group the values and insert a summary row. Alternatively, click Add Leading Group to add a summary row at the beginning.
• Summarize: Select a summary option from the Trailing Subtotals menu for a grouped column.

👁 Select the Trailing Subtotals.

Create a bar chart

Use the following steps to create a simple bar chart showing the total NumberOfEmployees for each Industry:

1. Click the arrow in the NumberOfEmployees column header and select Chart by NumberOfEmployees.
   • If you've already grouped the table by a column (e.g., Industry), you can chart NumberOfEmployees by that column.
   👁 Create the chart from FHIR data.
   
2. In the Chart Setup window:
   • Click the button next to the Data box to add the x-axis column.
   • Choose the appropriate column in the dialog that appears.
   • For the y-axis, select a summary option from the Summary menu.

👁 The chart is displayed based on the inputs given.

Get Started Today

Download a free 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for FHIR to integrate FHIR data into Claris FileMaker and work with FHIR data in your FileMaker applications.

Reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.