Extend FileMaker to the Web: Dashboards and Portals with Claris Studio

Transform how you share FileMaker data, with Claris Studio, securely, visually, and from any browser.

Companies that rely on FileMaker already understand the power of keeping data, processes, and workflows integrated in one environment. Yet as teams become more distributed and clients expect real-time access, a new challenge emerges. 

How do you efficiently handle external vendors needing status updates, or executives who demand quick, interactive dashboards, or clients asking for secure self-service access? The core problem remains: how to bring FileMaker’s intelligence to the web without sacrificing data security or governance.

Now, you’ll explore why and how to extend FileMaker to the web with Claris Studio. Claris Studio is the web and cloud layer of the Claris platform, designed to create dashboards, forms, and portals securely connected to your FileMaker data. 

It is the platform that expands the possibilities of the Claris ecosystem by combining usability, security, and seamless cloud integration.

New Possibilities: Bringing FileMaker to the Web

Picture this: your company already uses FileMaker to manage customers, orders, reports, and internal metrics. But when it’s time to share that information across departments or with external partners, things get complicated. Manual exports, PDF attachments, and limited database access quickly become bottlenecks.

This challenge is more common than you’d think. 64% of organizations cite data quality as their biggest obstacle to data integrity, a problem often rooted in fragmented systems and insecure integrations with the web. When teams export FileMaker data to spreadsheets, email, or unstructured tools to ‘get it on the web,’ data quality degrades quickly and this common problem is exacerbated.

That’s where Claris Studio becomes the natural bridge from your secure FileMaker core system directly to the web. It lets you create dynamic dashboards, forms, and secure web portals connected to your FileMaker data, eliminating the high cost and complexity of building and maintaining custom web applications. Crucially, it does all this while maintaining the same standards of data security and governance you expect.

The result is a new layer of flexibility and reach. Centralized data, accessible anytime, anywhere, without compromising integrity through browser-based FileMaker solutions that drive collaboration and transparency.

Why Extend FileMaker to the Web

If you’re already invested in FileMaker, extending it to the web lets you maximize that investment instead of bolting on separate, fragmented tools.

Bringing FileMaker to the web isn’t just a technical decision; it’s a strategic one. Companies that expand access to their data gain agility, collaboration, and transparency. Instead of confining valuable information to a local environment, integrating with Claris Studio turns FileMaker into a connected business platform that adapts to the hybrid, global reality of modern operations.

Key reasons to extend FileMaker to the web:

• Full Accessibility: Teams and clients can access data in real time, from any device, moving valuable information out of the desktop environment and onto the web;
• Unified Data Flow: Avoid data silos and the errors associated with manually exporting and importing information between FileMaker and external web tools (like spreadsheets or generic cloud forms);
• Strategic Visualization: Web-based dashboards simplify analysis and decision-making by providing highly visual, dynamic summaries of your FileMaker data;
• Integrated Governance: Maintain precise control over who accesses what, securely and traceably. Permissions in the web environment can mirror or seamlessly extend your existing FileMaker security model, eliminating the need to manage two completely different security systems.

Read more: How Custom FileMaker Apps Optimize Manufacturing Workflows

The Role of Claris Studio in Modern FileMaker Solutions

Think of Claris Studio as the missing web layer for FileMaker. It adds a modern, collaborative, cloud-based interface that transforms data into secure, interactive digital experiences.

With Claris Studio, dashboards become accessible through any browser, forms capture information from clients and partners, and personalized portals connect different audiences to the same data source, all without having to build complex web apps from scratch. For example, sales managers can see a live pipeline dashboard on their mobile device, while clients can log in securely to track the status of their order.

Core advantages of Claris Studio:

• Cloud-based dashboards that make reporting dynamic and accessible.
  
  
• Secure portals with granular user and permission control, especially for external users who don’t require full FileMaker access.
• Centralized data collection through integrated forms, tables, and reports.
  
  
• Seamless FileMaker connection that preserves your existing structure and security while supporting low-code business automation. You skip the need for building a custom API and maintaining a separate web framework because Claris Studio is designed to integrate with and speak to FileMaker data natively.

Read more: How Claris FileMaker Drives True Workplace Innovation

How to Extend FileMaker to the Web with Claris Studio

Here’s how you can start expanding your FileMaker solution today. The process is straightforward but requires a structured approach, beginning with a clear understanding of your current environment and progressing toward secure, integrated web experiences.

• Assess and Define: First, assess your FileMaker environment and identify which datasets are critical and which should be available to different audiences. Define the web interface goal -is it an executive dashboard, a client-facing order form, or a vendor portal? Then, define access levels as public, restricted, internal, or external;
• Build the Web Layer: Next, use Claris Studio’s low-code interface to build the required web dashboards and portals. Connect them directly to the specified tables in your FileMaker solution. The key is combining functional, intuitive design with robust permission control, leveraging the power of Claris cloud solutions;
• Secure and Deploy: Finally, implement your defined security model. For example, when creating a client portal, ensure the client login only exposes their specific project status and related data. Test and validate access to ensure that each user sees the right data and that the experience remains fast, stable, and intuitive.

Practical steps:

• Assess your current FileMaker solution: Start by reviewing your FileMaker tables, layouts, and scripts to understand data dependencies and processes.
• Define web data requirements: Identify precisely which tables and fields should be surfaced in Claris Studio views, dashboards, or forms for the target audience.
• Build web interfaces in Claris Studio: Use the low-code environment to create your secure dashboards and portals, connecting them directly to the specified FileMaker data sources.
• Configure integrated security: Set up permissions and access controls in Claris Studio, leveraging or extending your existing FileMaker security model (accounts, privileges, and external authentication).
• Deploy and Scale: Deploy your solution via Claris Cloud (which includes FileMaker Server hosting) for maximum scalability, performance, and security.

Read more: How to Improve Financial Reporting Processes?

Security and Scalability: What Sets Claris Studio Apart

When it comes to corporate data, security and scalability aren’t optional; they’re essential. That’s exactly where Claris Studio stands out. The platform blends the trusted security and governance of the Claris ecosystem with the flexibility of modern cloud infrastructure, directly addressing common IT administrator concerns.

Why Claris Studio is the secure choice for Web Access:

• Security by Design: You can extend access to the web without opening direct database access or exposing internal schema to external users, significantly reducing security risks often associated with custom web solutions;
• Low-Code, Low-Maintenance: Claris Studio provides a durable and supported framework. This means no more fragile DIY web gateways or brittle custom PHP/JavaScript integrations that require constant maintenance and frequent security patches;
• Integrated Governance: Permissions in Claris Studio can mirror or seamlessly extend your existing FileMaker security model, giving administrators granular control over web access without the need to manage entirely separate user directories;
• Cloud Scalability: Built on a modern cloud architecture, Claris Studio ensures high availability and can effortlessly scale to handle thousands of simultaneous web users accessing your FileMaker data.

Key Technical Benefits:

• End-to-end encryption, protecting data in transit and at rest;
• Cloud redundancy and high availability for consistent uptime;
• Scalable components that evolve with your organization and support modern app development with FileMaker;
• When it comes to corporate data, security and scalability aren’t optional; they’re essential. That’s exactly where Claris Studio stands out.

When Extending FileMaker to the Web Makes an Impact

To see the impact in action, consider a consulting firm that uses FileMaker to manage contracts and financial reports. As the client portfolio grew, emailing reports became unsustainable. Clients demanded real-time access and visibility into deliverables.

By adopting Claris Studio, the firm built secure, personalized FileMaker portals online for each client, allowing them to view invoices, project status, and payment history with confidence. Instead of commissioning a custom web app, they configured these portals in Claris Studio, which connected directly and natively to their existing FileMaker solution.

Internally, the finance team began working from connected data visualization dashboards, cutting reconciliation time by 40 percent and improving decision accuracy.

Practical tools behind this kind of solution include:

• Client portals for secure data sharing.
  
  
• Internal dashboards for finance and accounting teams.
  
  
• Remote-access reports with secure authentication.
  
  
• Analytics integrations powered by Claris Studio.

Through this approach, Codence has helped multiple real-world clients achieve measurable gains in efficiency, governance, and agility using the FileMaker Claris ecosystem.

Ready to Unlock FileMaker’s Full Potential?

Extending FileMaker to the web with Claris Studio isn’t just a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic evolution. It’s about turning data into collaboration, security into a competitive edge, and insights into action.

Ready to see it in action?

 and start designing your personalized web solution today, secure, integrated, and future-ready.