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I have an end user version of an application written in FileMaker 10 (FML10.dll) and I need the data behind the software. Anyone knows a way to extract the data? Looks like the USR file containts the data, but I don't know how to open it. Is there a way to query it throught c#?

C:\PROGRAM FILES (X86)\ASAS 2013-01
   Asas 2013-01.exe
   Asas 2013-01.USR
   DBConverter.dll
   DBEngine.dll
   DOMSupport.dll
   FML10.dll
   FMLayout.dll
   FMOLE.dll
   FMPA Acknowledgements.pdf
   FMRSRC.dll
   FMScript.dll
   FMUserModel.dll
   FMWrapper.dll
   GdiPlus.dll
   HBAM.dll
   libeay32.dll
   MFCX.dll
   NSViews.dll
   OmniDynamic4.dll
   OmniORB4.dll
   OmniThread.dll
   PlatformSupport.dll
   ProofReader.dll
   ssleay32.dll
   Support.dll
   uninstal.exe
   uninstal.ini
   XalanDOM.dll
   XalanExtensions.dll
   XalanSourceTree.dll
   XalanTransformer.dll
   XCore.dll
   XDraw.dll
   Xerces.dll
   XercesParserLiaison.dll
   XFC.dll
   XGrfx.dll
   XMLEngine.dll
   XMLSupport.dll
   XPath.dll
   XSLT.dll
   XText.dll
Extensions
   Langs and etc..
Microsoft.VC80.CRT
       ...
Microsoft.VC80.MFC
       ...
Microsoft.VC80.MFCLOC
        ...
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6
  • This might be of some value to you: woodmann.com/forum/showthread.php?13546-A-Filemaker-Story
    – Jason Geffner
    Commented Aug 1, 2014 at 14:33
  • What "data" are we talking about? Please clarify.
    – Dominik Antal
    Commented Aug 1, 2014 at 14:45
  • All the data in the database, text, images, relationships...etc
    – appl3r
    Commented Aug 1, 2014 at 19:01
  • It's a valid question, albeit poorly worded. If this is a Filemaker runtime solution, then it presents itself as a normal application like any other. Only difference is that it uses a FM database as it's storage engine in the background, with all user-facing FM features being invisible to the user of the runtime solution.
    – jmiserez
    Commented Aug 2, 2014 at 22:15
  • So, did it work?
    – jmiserez
    Commented Aug 3, 2014 at 16:31

1 Answer 1

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3

Not quite sure what you are looking for, so here goes:

If you just want to open the database of a FM runtime solution, thats easy:

  • Just rename the .USR file to .fp7 and open it with Filemaker (you might need Filemaker Pro Advanced). See also the developers guide for the layout of the bound files (page 14). The .USR file is called the "bound" (as in binding together) file of the runtime solution (created using Filemaker Pro Advanced).

Note: The format is .fp7, there is no .fp10 format. The next higher version would be .fmp12

If you want to export your FM data into another database (e.g. Oracle database), then are multiple ways to get at your data:

  • Bulk export (parts) of your data to XML or other formats. Importing the XML somewhere does not seem very straightforward, but all the information should be there.
  • Use Custom Web Publishing with XML to answer interactive queries in XML. This library seems to support these kinds of queries.
  • However, I think the best option is to use the ODBC or JDBC interface to query your data. Then you can use standard SQL to query everything you'd need. You might need to export your scripts separately, although they will be of no use to you as they only work in FM.

That said, there isn't much to reverse engineer here, apart from renaming a file for the first scenario. However, you absolutely do need a valid copy of Filemaker 10 (or higher) to access your data. There is no description of the internal Filemaker format anywhere, and you won't be able to read it with any other programs. Note that there is a 30-day trial available from the Filemaker website.

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  • You need to login to the database and the default account (guest) does not allow you to export your data, only viewing through the filemaker interface. Maybe the ODBC solution you suggested allows me to query through all the data, but I am not sure. I will try it the next time when I got it (probably a few days). Thank you for taking your time and answering!
    – appl3r
    Commented Aug 4, 2014 at 17:45
  • There are third party tools out there that can recover a Filemaker password. As I understand it, .fp7 files are not encrypted, and these third party tools just swap out the password hash with a known one. If you have FM10, you could create a new database, then change the password and see which parts of the file changed. Most of these tools do not work with Filemaker Pro runtime solutions that have had the admin access remove (see here)
    – jmiserez
    Commented Aug 4, 2014 at 22:45
  • Note: It seems that the third party tool does not support databases which have had their admin access revoked as described in my previous comment. However, according to the FM help, each file must have at least one account. So while you might not be able to edit the database, reading from it should work.
    – jmiserez
    Commented Aug 4, 2014 at 22:53

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