Re: Search across multiple Filemaker 6 database files on Mac 10.4

"Here's what I hear you saying...you have a bunch of different files
with the SAME information. Clearly searching across unlike information
makes no sense. "

Thanks for the response. The information is generally the same, but of
course fields change slightly over the years. Actually, It makes
perfect sense to search across unlike information. I am simply looking
for a certain "statistically improbable phrase". If I can search the
raw text, then I should be able to identify which File contains it
(unless the characters would be in some encoded form and thereby un-
recognizable???), and then from there I can guess which field it would
be in. This is something I will be doing only once, or very
irregularly. I'm not necessarily looking to "open the files in another
program", but simply want a program that scans the files' pure data
strings and return a list of file matches. I think I've heard of
programs that do this on PC, but don't know about Mac. Such a program,
it seems, would be looking at the files in a "read-only" way, and so
one would hope there'd be no risk of damage...

So, I pose again my question to the world...

And by the way...

"as it should have been done from the first. Separating types of data by
making new files is a very bad data structure, as you now observe."

....whether or not it was a good idea to break the data into different
files or not would perhaps require a closer knowledge of its usage. As
is, the current search needed is an unusual one. Though I am perfectly
aware of the simplicity and benefits of one gigantic database, I am
not about to go thru the trouble of creating one for this, and
changing the operating procedures of the company.)

.