Fire alarm at the FileMaker Conference 2025 - a curious evening among developers

Three days of intensive exchange, specialist knowledge and personal encounters characterized this year's FileMaker Conference at the JUFA Hotel Hamburg HafenCity. Independent developer and publisher Markus Schall looks back on an event that will be remembered not only for its technology, but also for its people.

Already on Sunday evening - the unofficial start of the conference - a hard core of the FileMaker community met for a relaxed exchange. Monday started with a varied program of presentations that made it clear that artificial intelligence has long since arrived in the world of FileMaker.

AI models, performance and JavaScript: Technological focal points

Numerous sessions discussed how AI models can be efficiently integrated into FileMaker processes. Particularly noteworthy was the presentation by Honza Sládek from the Czech Republic, who showed how modern models can be integrated with high performance via Apple MLX and other platforms - including concrete benchmarks.
The focus was also on topics such as JavaScript integration, performance optimization and interaction with web services and JSON interfaces. The community was open, keen to experiment - and enthusiastic about technology.

Focus on the generation of electronic invoices

Another key topic was the introduction of electronic invoices in accordance with the ZUGFeRD and XRechnung standards, which will also become increasingly mandatory for smaller companies from 2025. In this context, Markus Schall's gFM-Business Professional ERP software was also mentioned, which already supports the creation of e-invoices in both formats - fully integrated into a flexible, FileMaker-based system.

More and more companies - including SMEs - are recognizing the benefits of digitized accounting processes. gFM-Business offers a sophisticated solution that can be seamlessly adapted to existing processes.

gFM-Business for developers: Open license with documentation

Of particular interest to FileMaker developers: gFM-Business ERP software, which is based on the FileMaker platform and can be extended, is also available as an open license. This means that individual adaptations for customer projects can be made on a tried and tested basis - including an integrated developer module with complete internal documentation of all tables, fields, scripts and functions. A real tool for professionals who want to build or expand their own solutions efficiently.

Fire alarm in a hotel: an incident that connects

A completely different chapter of the conference was written on Tuesday evening: while many participants had already gathered in the hotel bar, a fire alarm was triggered at around 10 pm. While the fire department arrived, all guests had to leave the hotel - including the distribution of blankets in the fresh Hamburg breeze.

What initially caused confusion quickly developed into one of the most unifying moments of the conference. "The reaction was calm, professional and supportive - from the fire department, police and hotel staff alike," said Markus Schall, who documented the event in a detailed blog article.

Personal conclusion: Small scene, big impact

"I'm glad I came," summarizes Schall. "The FileMaker scene has become smaller, but at the same time very valuable. It always feels like family".

In addition to the "old hands", there were also some new faces - young developers who contribute new ideas and enrich the community's wealth of experience.
Schall has already been invited to give two talks in Salzburg in 2026 - one on the transformation of the writing profession through AI, and one on the effective use of local AI systems with FileMaker.

About Markus Schall

Markus Schall is an independent software developer and specialist author. He has been developing FileMaker-based ERP systems for over 15 years, including the gFM-Business product line. As a publisher, he writes specialist books on topics such as process optimization, AI usage and software development. His books appear in several languages and are published under the M. Schall Verlag label.

gofilemaker.de - MSITS
Hackenweg 97
26127 Oldenburg
Germany

https://markus-schall.de/en/

Herr Markus Schall
+49 (0) 4 41-30 43 76 40
+49 (0) 4 41-30 42 51 32
info@gofilemaker.de

Development of customizable ERP software with CRM, billing and inventory management for macOS, Windows and iOS based on the Claris FileMaker platform. Conception of local AI systems for connecting databases to local LLM language models. Development and distribution of database systems, ERP software and merchandise management systems based on the FileMaker platform. Experience with FileMaker databases since 1994, winner of an FMM Award 2011, awarded by FileMaker Magazine.

The focus is on topics such as personal development, crisis management, social dynamics, technological transformation and critical thinking. All books are written out of genuine conviction, not market analysis - and are aimed at readers who are looking for orientation, insight and new perspectives.

The publishing house is deliberately designed to be compact, independent and with high standards in terms of language, content and design. Schall-Verlag is based in Oldenburg (Lower Saxony) and plans multilingual publications.

This release was published on openPR.