My take on this is that I don't believe your FileMaker Pro license is restricted to only accessing files on your FileMaker Server - you can open files on any FileMaker server including your clients' servers with your licensed copy of FileMaker Pro. Each of your clients doesn't need to reserve one of their licenses for you if you already have your own license. Similarly, your clients' license does not restrict them to only accessing their FileMaker server. They can open files on any FileMaker server including your server.
Where it gets a bit muddy for me is WebDirect (& FM Go). If I access my client's server using WebDirect or FM Go I am not using my licensed copy of FileMaker Pro - I'm using a free client. Similarly if my client accesses my server using WebDirect they are not using their licensed copy of FileMaker Pro. Do these connections essentially use up one of the user licenses for the server that is being accessed or does my FileMaker license allow me to connect to any WebDirect system and any FileMaker server using FM Go?
I would say that your client can access files on your server using their own licensed copy of FileMaker Pro but I am not sure about whether they can access files on your server using WebDirect or FM Go without YOU having a license that allows that. It is an interesting question!
Then if a client can't connect to my FMS using WD, what the heck are my 5 licenses for?
I'm not going to pay nearly $1,000 per year for 5 connections if they're not at all usable for any business purpose I have.
As @bdbd stated above: "If you are the owner and you use this solution as well as your customers, then yes, you are okay. If you are the owner and your customer(s) is the only user of this solution, then you are okay only if your customer(s) access this solution as a service. This means your customer(s) don't directly direct, manage or fund the development or maintenance of this solution. If your customer is the owner of the solution, you are not okay because you are hosting a solution for a customer as well as for your own solutions."
If that's not correct, I'll never be able to have FMS since I don't have "employees" in a single company. Like many (most?) here, I'm a consultant who works with clients.
Does anyone know the final and exact story here regarding clients' pricing connecting to FMS? It's interesting to note that @CarlHenshall's comments mirror many people, including myself, who are never quite sure how narrow the exact usage FMS model is. We all want to be in "compliance" with the license but have a business to run at the same time. Hopefully, those two goals are mutually attainable.
Base on what FM Sales told me, which is different than the posts here, I still have no idea.
FM Sales just emailed me again that for a client who doesn't have a FileMaker license, there is a special license type needed for him to connect to my FMS (assuming I have it). I haven't been able to talk to them yet to find out what that license is yet, but I'm afraid that "special" license will just be a lot more expensive over and above the already-expensive FMS 5 user license.
I'll update this thread once I know more...
No joy with FM Sales. Sales wants to call me to discuss, but I'm in meetings all day. They will absolutely not answer my questions in email saying the licensing situation is too "nuanced". What?! There is no online resource at Claris to price basic FMS usage other then their one size fits all model. No documentation where I can figure it out. WTF? Is this hidden pricing model (feels like "bait and switch") even legal?
OK, I give up I guess. Really wanted to use FMS, but my simple use-cases are apparently "verboten" without lots of extra cash (I'm assuming this "special pricing" was the part of what was "nuanced").
Although I was really, really hoping to use FMS, Ninox looks like it will work fine. Hosting it is $10/month for 50,000 records which is plenty for this client. No pricing shenanigans or nuanced charges. Ninox client software is free and it's quick and easy to create a basic UI. No mind-boggling frustration trying to get basic license information. Very good internal function library. I could have put up the whole 1:M form in Ninox five times over for the time I've spent with FM Sales (with no actual pricing) just today alone.
Based on what I was told in email from FM Sales, everyone's reply above is incorrect.
That's really not what I meant. Sorry for any confusion. I really meant figuring out the maze of (undocumented) pricing models so I could maybe figure out what I needed to pay so I could decide if it was worth it. Unfortunately, paying almost $1,000 per year for a measly five licenses wasn't enough for my straightforward business use cases.
I agree with you that finding your way in the licensing system is complicated, but @bdbd and @Malcolm are Claris partners and they know quite well how the licensing works. As far as I remember, WebDirect licenses are more complicated, not to say very complicated. But if you use the Data API for these anonymous users, I guess you will be alright.
The users would not be "anonymous", they would be named users.
The simple use-case is a client who would connect to my FMS WebDirect who does not own FileMaker. Connect to an app I own. I had assumed the 5 licenses in the nearly $1,000 per year basic license would cover this basic business use-case. Nope (according to FM "sales"). I guess I don't understand what these licenses are for.
I was unable to talk with sales today due to my schedule and they refused to give me a pricing number in email, only that my use-case is not allowed and that it's "nuanced".
My client would use a web browser to connect to my FMS. He knows nothing about FileMaker, let alone the proprietary Data API.
Confusion: I thought the five licenses I would be paying nearly $1,000 per year would cover this obvious use-case. Based on my emails with FM "sales" yesterday, I appear to be mistaken.
I have hundreds of clients who access my MariaDB and SQL Server databases. No issues whatsoever. I've only ever run into a brick wall with FMS licensing. Nobody seems to know exactly what the terms are for basic use cases.
It really sounds more like bad recommendations from their staff.
You may better talk to some reseller with better knowledge. I would expect that your client buys the 5 seats pack and you install solution as a consultant for them.
Yes, there are concurrent user licenses, where anyone can connect. But that is a different thing.
The use-case is where my client would connect to my FMS (assuming I had it) and entered some data. The client knows nothing (and shouldn't need to) about FileMaker. The client would only be needing to connect for a couple months.
Unless they change their licensing, I won't be using much FileMaker going forward. I can't find a single use-case in my business where it's "allowed". Schade.
If you are German, you'd better call Klemens Kegebein from the FileMaker Magazin. They know very exactly all the different license schemes.
I would expect your client gets the license to use your database and you don't need a license yourself.
Or maybe the FileMaker Developer Subscription to get a test server.
The client isn't going to buy FileMaker. FileMaker is just the software to get info from the client. He doesn't know anything about FileMaker. This particular project is just getting requirements from the client for another project. The requirements "app" is (was) FileMaker. The client would (would have) connect (connected) to Web Direct to enter data.
Like many (most?) here, I'm a consultant who works with clients.