Payments
Stripe, Square and other gateways — taking payments and reconciling them back into your records.
FileMaker Development, Consulting & Integration
FileMaker development & consulting
Certified Claris® consultants — built and supported in Canada
Smart Database Systems is a FileMaker development company and consultancy in Toronto, Ontario. We take over, modernize and extend the FileMaker solutions businesses already run — new features and modules, FileMaker Server management, and integration with the other systems you depend on. New FileMaker solutions are built from scratch too.
Integrations & APIs
FileMaker exchanges data with whatever else you run — through REST/JSON APIs, the FileMaker Data API and OData.
Email & calendar
Microsoft Graph, Mailchimp, SendGrid and SMTP — including reading mail into a case or job record.
Websites & portals
Data pushed and pulled between FileMaker and your website or a custom portal.
Documents & e-signature
Generated PDFs, contracts and signature workflows driven from your data.
Cloud storage
Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Dropbox for files and folders.
Anything with an API
If the service publishes a REST or JSON API it can usually be connected. Ask about yours.
What our FileMaker consultants do
Modernizing what you have
- Adding features & modules
- Rebuilding dated, cluttered layouts
- Upgrades from unsupported versions
- Automating steps still done by hand
- Documenting undocumented systems
- New FileMaker systems built from scratch
Speed & stability
- Diagnosing slow files and slow finds
- Unstored calculations and indexing
- Script and relationship graph cleanup
- Crash and corruption recovery
FileMaker Server
- High user-load environments
- Installation, upgrades and migration
- SSL certificates and security settings
- Backups, log and activity monitoring
- Hosting, WebDirect and Data API setup
Integrations & APIs
- Payment processors
- Accounting, e-commerce and shipping
- REST / JSON APIs and OData
- Microsoft Graph — email, calendar, files
- FileMaker Data API for external apps
- AI services — Claude, Gemini, OpenAI
Mobile & web access
- iPhone and iPad apps with FileMaker Go
- Field data capture
- WebDirect deployment
- Custom web portals for clients and members
Reporting & dashboards
- Reports and summaries inside FileMaker
- HTML / JavaScript charts for advanced output
- Data pushed to Power BI and SharePoint
- Managers' dashboards
Ongoing support
- Day-to-day user support
- Small changes without a new project
- Staff training and manuals
- Second opinion on an existing solution
Security & compliance
- Accounts, privilege sets and access review
- SSL and encrypted connections
- Audit trails and record history
- Barcode compliance for regulated work
Not listed here? Ask. If it involves FileMaker and a system with an API, it is usually something we have done or can scope quickly.
AI integration
Enhance your FileMaker application with AI. The model is called from a script step like any other API, so it runs inside the solution — a button on a layout, or a server schedule working through records overnight. Nothing new for staff to learn and no data leaving your workflow.
Sorting incoming email
Mail read as it arrives, matched to the right client, job or case record, then categorized and prioritized — instead of someone reading each one and filing it by hand.
In-application reasoning
A script step asks the model a question about the record in front of the user — does this need escalating, which category fits, what is the next step — and the answer drives the script.
Reading documents into fields
Attached PDFs, invoices, purchase orders and scanned forms parsed and written into the right fields, ready for a person to confirm rather than retype.
Drafting & summarizing in context
A button that drafts the reply, quote wording or service report from the current record — or condenses a long job history into a few lines before a call.
Duplicate detection & cleanup
Finding the same customer entered three different ways, and normalizing addresses, company names and inconsistent entries across the file.
Finding records by meaning
Staff describe what they are looking for in plain words and get the matching records — including similar past cases the exact search terms would have missed.
Connected through the Claude, Google Gemini and OpenAI APIs. Only the fields needed for a given task are sent, results are written back for a person to confirm rather than applied blindly, and we will say plainly when AI is not the right tool for the job.
How the work runs
- We look at the existing file first and tell you what is involved.
- Work goes out in small, tested stages — your team keeps working throughout.
- You deal directly with the developer doing the work.
- Small changes do not have to become a new project.
FileMaker consulting FAQ
Common questions from businesses looking for a FileMaker developer or consultancy.
What does a FileMaker consultant do?
A FileMaker consultant designs, builds, repairs and extends custom database applications built on Claris FileMaker. In practice most of the work is on solutions that already exist: adding modules, rebuilding dated layouts, fixing slow files, upgrading unsupported versions, connecting FileMaker to other systems through APIs, and running FileMaker Server. Smart Database Systems has done this from Toronto since 2011.
Can you take over a FileMaker solution built by another developer?
Yes. Taking over inherited files is most of our work. We read and document the existing solution first and tell you what is involved before any changes are made. The original developer does not need to be available.
What does FileMaker development cost?
The first consultation is free. We look at the existing file first and tell you what is involved, then quote before the work starts. Work goes out in small, tested stages rather than as one large unknown number, and small changes afterwards do not have to become a new project.
Do you work with clients outside Toronto?
Yes. We are based in Toronto, Ontario and work remotely with clients across Canada and the United States. Development, FileMaker Server administration and day-to-day support are all done remotely; on-site work is arranged when a project genuinely needs it.
Can FileMaker integrate with our other software?
Usually, yes. FileMaker exchanges data through REST/JSON APIs, the FileMaker Data API and OData. We have connected FileMaker to payment gateways such as Stripe and Square, accounting, e-commerce and shipping systems, Microsoft Graph for email, calendar and files, Google Workspace and Dropbox, e-signature and PDF generation, and AI services from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI. If the service publishes an API it can usually be connected.
Can you manage FileMaker Server?
Yes. We handle installation, upgrades and migration, SSL certificates and security settings, backups, log and activity monitoring, and WebDirect and Data API setup. We also tune FileMaker Server for high user-load environments, where performance under many simultaneous users is the problem.
Can staff use the system on an iPhone, iPad or in a web browser?
Yes. FileMaker Go puts the solution on iPhone and iPad, including field data capture, and FileMaker WebDirect runs a solution in a browser. Where the browser experience needs to be customer-facing or heavily branded, we build a custom client web portal against the same data instead.
Is FileMaker the right choice for us?
It depends on the problem. FileMaker suits internal business applications that change often and are maintained by a small team. It is a poor fit for high-volume public websites. We will say plainly when FileMaker, or an AI feature, is not the right tool, and where a custom web application makes more sense we build that instead.