Thank you to the more than 600 Claris FileMaker developers and Claris Partners who helped us make Claris Engage 2024 a success! The conference theme, build the future, came to life at the event with discussions around FileMaker and AI, plus other disruptive innovations.
The three-day event featured training courses, more than 50 sessions led by Claris developers and members of the Claris team, plus an opening keynote presented by Claris leadership. Explore highlights from Claris Engage 2024 and see what’s on the horizon for FileMaker and the rest of the Claris platform.
Claris developers are what makes us valuable.
“Our worth is not defined by the Claris platform, rather it is defined by the solutions you deliver.”
That’s what Claris CEO Brad Freitag said during the opening keynote about the importance of developers who build solutions and solve hard problems with Claris technology. “Our aim is to be more than your tech vendor – it’s to be your steady ally,” explained Brad.
This mission is what shapes our vision for the Claris platform.
Our commitment to you is the foundation of our product strategy.
Brad summarized our strategy for the future of the Claris platform and explained, “We need to build and design an entire platform ecosystem. That includes special focus on our product strategy, significant and continued commitment to FileMaker, expanding the capability through Claris Studio and Claris Connect, building AI into the entirety of the platform, and packaging it in a way that all our licensed FileMaker customers have access to everything we create.”
Our product vision is to empower FileMaker developers to deliver comprehensive workplace operating systems through Claris technology. By leveraging the combination of Claris FileMaker with Claris Connect and Claris Studio, developers have the power to create these systems that serve as the backbone for workplace operations. Claris vice president of Engineering Peter Nelson explained how Claris Studio and Claris Connect complement FileMaker and benefit developers.
“Claris Studio and Claris Connect both make things that are difficult in FileMaker easier to develop and deploy,” Peter said. “They are both meant to be used in conjunction with FileMaker, not on their own.”
The workplace operating system works.
Examples of workplace operating system successes were pervasive throughout the Claris Engage 2024 keynote presentation. Claris director of Product Marketing Andrew LeCates shared how Mobile Tyre Shop, a tire company in Australia, developed multiple connected services built on the Claris platform.
“They’re disrupting their industry with a clear vision to be the tire shop for the digital age,” Andrew said. Integrating their tech stack with Claris technology has allowed Mobile Tyre Shop to scale their business and provide a streamlined experience for their customers.
Another organization mentioned during the keynote, Pin USA, has also achieved success with a workplace operating system built on the Claris platform. Every member of their business uses the proprietary solution, affectionately named LOLA, which allows the team to keep up with customer demand for their custom pin design services.
Building a platform focused on forward-looking requirements and AI.
Achieving our vision of developers who leverage the Claris platform to build workplace operating systems means we must consider requirements for all components of these systems when looking ahead. See what enhancements and updates are in store for the Claris platform in the publicly visible Claris product backlog unveiled at Claris Engage 2024.
Internal solutions built with FileMaker.
For solutions that businesses use internally, we will continue to invest in FileMaker. We are committed to a rapid, continuous update cycle. These updates also include considerations for FileMaker AI and LLM integrations. Claris product manager Ronnie Rios explained what developers can do now with AI and the current FileMaker version in his keynote presentation and in his session, Delivering AI-driven solutions with Claris FileMaker: A practical overview.
Ronnie shared what Claris has planned for the future of AI and FileMaker.
"We're working with many AI-related technologies and making it easier for you to build really amazing AI-driven experiences in FileMaker. We can't wait to put it in your hands and see how you build the future with it."
— Ronnie Rios, Claris product manager
External solutions using Claris Studio.
An effective workplace operating system allows for a business’s external customers to interface with their system. Claris Studio makes creating those systems easier for developers. As such, our plan is to expand the capabilities of Claris Studio. Our goal for Claris Studio is to provide developers with a stack to create native web applications that scale elastically and deliver performance with a consistent experience across all devices.
Claris product manager Bridget Lumb explained during her keynote presentation that the new Claris Studio custom view is how we achieve this goal. “This view is great for when you want to pull information from multiple data sources because it’s decoupled from a single database table. With scripting and calculations, the developer has deeper control of the application logic, giving you the power to create stunning, multi-page data applications,” Bridget shared.
Integrating with Claris Connect.
Integrating your entire tech stack is key to developing a comprehensive and scalable workplace operating system. When your internal and external Claris solutions connect with the other third-party apps your organization uses, you can drive efficiency and create a seamless experience for both your customers and your employees.
Claris engineering lead Lui de la Parra explained how custom connectors in Claris Connect reduce the complexity for your integrations.
"With custom connectors, we invite you to take the reins and define integrations on your terms."
— Lui de la Parra, Claris engineering lead
Build the future with us.
The greater Claris Community is buzzing with excitement about the developments and enhancements coming to the Claris platform, especially when it comes to AI capabilities.
Weihao Ding from Direct Impact Solutions, a Claris Platinum Partner and winner of a 2023 Claris Excellence Award, expresses his thoughts about AI and FileMaker. “The keyword is now. Not the future. Now. I’m amazed by the progress AI practitioners in the community have made with the current version of FileMaker,” Weihao says.
Join the Claris Community to be part of the AI discussion, and find resources to help you start developing AI-driven experiences in FileMaker.
Check out what some Claris Partners are saying about their takeaways from Claris Engage 2024:
- Proof+Geist
- Soliant Consulting
- Richard Carlton Consulting
- Direct Impact Solutions (also available in French)
- Codence