Bento 2 is, well it is, (and I dont like to use the word) but a type of database application. Stop don't run, I know what you thinking, databases means programming in some weird language whilst wearing a baseball cap with a spinning propeller. It is not what you thinking and in fact IT REALLY IS NOT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING so stick around and enjoy the revelation.

Firstly a little about FileMaker. FileMaker is a company owned/acquired by Apple and writes some very powerful database engines and is multi-platform so it can run on Mac or Windows etc. In fact FileMaker is a database suite of products and is the leader for multi platform desktop databases and has been around for decades and they really know their stuff. If you write database applications for Apple hardware then you are likely using FileMaker - it is that simple. It also has a strong following in the Windows community as well where developers dont want to be tied to a particular operating system. Enough said about FileMaker though I did say they were wonderful and well, they kept the Apple community alive with database capabilities even when its competitors flocked to Microsoft and Windows and for that, we thank you.

So what is all the hype about databases you ask. Your didnt think you needed to learn a new craft or skill and so why would you bother thinking about databases? The simple fact is we use databases every second of every day. For instance if I asked you to remember the first time a Windows PC gave you the 'blue screen general protection fault crash screen' you mind will spin through countless memories....this action is essentially a database function. Searching through a large collection of memories (records) and looking for a particular attribute (search criteria) and then announcing (reporting) the result.

Okay so databases are a fact of life at a subliminal level but we dont use them very much on our computers...do we? Actually we uses databases without realising it and an example would be an address book with contact details, a spreadsheet tracking the progress of our xBox clan for online tournaments, a document containing recipes, a project plan for the upcoming renovation with jobs allocated to tradesperson etc etc. This is where things start to get interesting. If you think about what we do on a day to day basis  you realise that we in fact interact with lots of different databases everyday. Wouldn't it be cool if we could somehow bring these databases together without having to know anything about programming databases...in fact in such a way that wedont even hear the word database??? Introducing Bento 2....sorry it took so long.

What the clever people at FileMaker have done is created an application that is simple to use, easy to navigate, loaded with numerous templates to help you bring together your digital world in such a way that is, well, just too easy. One of the keys is the ability to use common data to avoid duplication and maintenance e.g. contacts. Most of ourpersonal databases have contacts as a common thread so what Bento does is simply use the contacts data from the Apple Contacts application. It is not taking a copy as such, it simply uses the data which means if you edit a phone number in Bento it will appear edited in the Apple Contacts application too and vice versa. This way there is only one true set of contacts.

Bento has a very simple hierarchy of which the highest level is 'Libraries'. The sample templates reveals Contacts, Projects, Event Management, File Management, Billing, Inventory Management, Expenses, Exercise Log, Vehicle Maintenance, Membership lists, Customers, Equipment just to name a few.

As an example, a library could be created for an event such as a wedding which would entail a guest list, itinerary, numerous tasks with due dates and task owners. The contact details for the guests would be available from the Apple Contact application and all 'to-do's and calendar dates would flow into Apple iCal calendar application. Thetemplate would give you a standard pre-defined view as both an overview and a detailed view which can be copied and modified to suit your needs. There is a comprehensive set of fields available to add to the form by drag and drop.....and not once have I used the word database or mentioned the need for programming because  there is none.

The next level down from libraries is 'collections' which is best described as like an iTunes Playlist i.e. you collect what you want as a subset of a much larger data pool. For example, if we had a library of student contact details, collections could be used to make up all the names for the particular classrooms. If our library was for the inventory of goods, collections could be used to group similar type items or items grouped by location or color etc etc...it is endless.

The fundamental thing to remember with Bento 2 is that the data only exists once and only ONCE....if you have ever worked with multiple data sources you will understand how powerful this is. I like to refer to this approach to data integrity as 'One Version of the Truth'.

Now if any of you have worked with databases you may think sure that all sounds good but I reckon I could achieve a tailored solution by myself using FileMaker and not worry about an off the shelf solution...in fact I was that person which is evidenced by my lack of knowledge of the first Bento release and that I have previously written databases in FilkeMaker Pro.

Now here is the hook.....I can write databases in FileMaker Pro but only done a few that I really really needed. I have done so much more with Bento 2 because it so easy and all the while I am thinking of the end result and rapidly working towards a solution not bogged in the technical detail of database design. So from a productivity point of view, Bento 2 is by far superior....it really rocks and looks cool too.

So Bento 2 brings lots of data sources together to allow for easy integration and simplified maintenance and puts an end to multiple entries of the same data like names and addresses etc etc. Of course prior to Bento we had to use other means organise our data - using spreadsheets for instance. Well Bento allows us to import these spreadsheets to build libraries from. Say we had a DVD library on a spreadsheet. Once imported, we can take the drab table view (typically columns and rows found in a spreadsheet) and either use the default form view or create our own enriched view. This allows the screen to display one record at a time and include other data not normally seen in column /row table view such as movie clips (which can be played within Bento 2), images, music and other relevant data.

The folks at FileMaker really wanted to make using Bento 2 not just  easy but enriched also...they have definitely achieved that. At their website there are additional templates such as the holidays template which includes holiday planning, gift cards etc.

Another feature which I haven't touched on is themes which is essentially stationary or colour schemes that affect how your forms are displayed. A very nice and as always, easy to use feature.

Now before we all get to excited, there are some major issues with Bento 2 which have to be aired.

This is an Apple Mac OS X ONLY product................it will only run on your Apple Macs running OS X and nowhere else.

This is the only real criticism I have of the product. Having done all these great things with Bento 2, I just wanted to transfer them onto my iPhone but alas they haven't provided for that yet.....If you are a WIndows user then Bento 2 is simply off limits. This in itself is the strange thing given FIleMaker made their name from deploying their database engine across multiple platforms yet they have not done this for Bento 2 which is very odd.

There is no mention of whether there is plans for a Windows version andmore importantly for an iPhone client that can use the Bento 2 libraries and collections. The latter being the stand out shortfall given the runaway success of the iPhone. Bento 2 is such an obvious companion for the iPhone that personally having developed so much with Bento 2, it's frustrating to not have it on my iPhone. I should add that applications on the iPhone that shares its data with its desktop equivalent which Bento 2 accesses is synchronised i.e. contacts, to-do's or calendar entries edited using a Bento 2 form will flow through to the iPhone also.

Conceptually, Bento 2 is an awesome product. It leverages the data at your disposal without the need for duplication and without the need to think in terms of database design. Its is extremely intuitive, feature rich and quick to learn. Its only drawback is the limited applicability being for use on Apple Mac computers only albeit with modest hardware requirements (any Intel Mac) and down to the PowerPC G4 867 Mhz processors with at least 512MB of RAM though IGB is recommended.

Its lack of extendability to the iPhone is frustrating though there may be commercial reasons for this. There are a number of applications for the iPhone which are nothing more than simple lists i.e. food additive list which Apple earns commissions from and these applications could be easily replaced by a Bento 2 library. Lets see how this unfolds in time.

For now, I will keep using Bento 2 because it is simply awesome. I cannot wait to see what they have installed for us in the future. It is a must have for the Mac!!
 
The software is modestly price at $79.95 or $129.95 for a family license for up to 5 users.

I rated it 75/100 and only marked it down for the lack of an iPhone extension and Windows availability otherwise full marks!!!