Connect to JSON Services 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 JSON in FileMaker to connect to JSON services.

Create an ODBC Data Source for JSON

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.

See the Getting Started chapter in the data provider documentation to authenticate to your data source: The data provider models JSON APIs as bidirectional database tables and JSON files as read-only views (local files, files stored on popular cloud services, and FTP servers). The major authentication schemes are supported, including HTTP Basic, Digest, NTLM, OAuth, and FTP. See the Getting Started chapter in the data provider documentation for authentication guides.

After setting the and providing any authentication values, set to more closely match the data representation to the structure of your data.

The property is the controlling property over how your data is represented into tables and toggles the following basic configurations.

• Document (default): Model a top-level, document view of your JSON data. The data provider returns nested elements as aggregates of data.
• FlattenedDocuments: Implicitly join nested documents and their parents into a single table.
• Relational: Return individual, related tables from hierarchical data. The tables contain a primary key and a foreign key that links to the parent document.

See the Modeling JSON Data chapter for more information on configuring the relational representation. You will also find the sample data used in the following examples. The data includes entries for people, the cars they own, and various maintenance services performed on those cars.

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 JSON services with FileMaker using the CData ODBC Driver for JSON

Once you configure the CData ODBC Driver for JSON, you can connect to live JSON services in FileMaker and use it in your applications. In this section, we'll walk through the steps to connect live JSON services 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 JSON services using FileMaker's ODBC Import Function

Follow the steps below to easily import JSON services 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 JSON services.
👁 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 JSON services via the CData ODBC Driver for JSON, 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 JSON and click Create. Enter your JSON username and password, then click OK.
👁 Select CData JSON Sys.
👁 Enter the JSON 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 JSON. 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 JSON services into FileMaker Pro using the CData ODBC Driver for JSON. To perform incremental updates, change the import order to "Update" or use "Replace" based on your use case.

Process JSON services 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 JSON services 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 JSON services 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 JSON services.
   
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 JSON to integrate JSON services into Claris FileMaker and work with JSON services in your FileMaker applications.

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