FileMaker Pro's External SQL Source (ESS) is among the most important developer-centric features in the current version (v9). I love ESS. But I am a bit wary of some of the practices I am seeing. First, let me explain how we generally use ESS.

A fairly common question when preparing to integrate your web application’s MySQL database into a FileMaker solution using ESS (External SQL Sources) is, “What information do I need from my hosting provider to connect to MySQL?”

The list is pretty straightforward, and you’ll probably have an easier time asking your hosting company for these MySQL specifics than trying to explain FileMaker ESS: