canonical: https://jentic.com/apis/help.claris.com/filemaker-odata-api

# Help Claris Claris FileMaker OData API

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Claris FileMaker OData API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The FileMaker OData API exposes hosted FileMaker databases through the Open Data Protocol 4.01 standard, so OData-aware tools such as Power BI, Excel, and Tableau can query records without a FileMaker-specific connector. It supports a service document, an EDM metadata document, entity set queries with $filter and $select, and standard CRUD on individual entities by primary key. This is the right surface when the consuming application already speaks OData.

## For AI agents

Query FileMaker tables as OData entity sets - list, filter, and update records using the OData 4.01 standard.

## Scope

Does not administer FileMaker Server, run FileMaker scripts, or upload container data - use the Admin API for server ops and the Data API for FileMaker-native record work; this OData API is for OData-shaped record queries and CRUD only.

## Capabilities

- Discover available FileMaker tables via the OData service document
- Retrieve the EDM $metadata document so OData clients can introspect the schema
- Query records from a table using OData $filter, $select, and $orderby
- Fetch a single record by primary key using OData entity-set syntax
- Create new records on a FileMaker table through OData POST
- Update or delete records by primary key using OData PATCH and DELETE

## Use cases

### Power BI Reporting on FileMaker Data

Analysts can connect Power BI directly to a FileMaker database through the OData service document and pull tables as datasets without a custom gateway. The OData $filter and $select query options let dashboards request only the rows and columns they need, keeping refresh times short. This avoids exporting CSVs by hand and keeps Power BI reports current with the live FileMaker solution.

Example prompt: GET /{database} for the service document, then GET /{database}/{tableName}?$filter={query} to load a filtered slice into the BI tool.

### Excel Live Refresh of FileMaker Tables

Operations users who live in Excel can use Get Data from OData to point at a FileMaker database and refresh on demand or on a schedule. Each FileMaker table appears as an entity set, and Excel handles the OData query negotiation. This pattern keeps spreadsheets in sync with the source without an Excel macro reaching into FileMaker directly.

Example prompt: Configure Excel to GET /{database}/{tableName} on the OData endpoint and refresh the workbook on a schedule.

### Standardised CRUD from External Systems

Integration teams that already have OData clients for other systems can reuse them against FileMaker without writing FileMaker-specific code. POST creates a new entity, PATCH updates, and DELETE removes a record, all keyed by the FileMaker primary key. This reduces integration code and keeps a consistent OData mental model across data sources.

Example prompt: POST /{database}/{tableName} with the new row, then PATCH /{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey}) to apply later updates.

### AI Agent Querying FileMaker via OData

An AI agent that already supports OData can call FileMaker through Jentic without learning the FileMaker Data API's find syntax. Jentic exposes the OData operations with their schemas, isolates the FileMaker credentials in its vault, and lets the agent translate a question into an OData $filter expression. This is the simplest path when the agent's other tools are also OData-shaped.

Example prompt: Search Jentic for 'query a filemaker table via odata', load the GET /{database}/{tableName} schema, and execute with the appropriate $filter.

## Key endpoints

| Method | Path | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| GET | `/{database}` | Get the OData service document |
| GET | `/{database}/$metadata` | Get the OData EDM metadata document |
| GET | `/{database}/{tableName}` | List records from a table with OData query options |
| POST | `/{database}/{tableName}` | Create a record on a table |
| GET | `/{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey})` | Get a single record by primary key |
| PATCH | `/{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey})` | Update a record by primary key |
| DELETE | `/{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey})` | Delete a record by primary key |

## Key resources

- **Service** — Service document and metadata for the OData endpoint
- **Entity Sets** — Collections that map to FileMaker tables
- **Entities** — Individual records keyed by FileMaker primary key

## Why Jentic

- **Setup:** Wiring the FileMaker OData API by hand means learning its basic or FMID auth, understanding OData query options, and pointing every request at your own FileMaker Server host. Through Jentic you install once, import the FileMaker OData API from the API Directory, store the credentials once, and your agent calls it.
- **Permission scoping:** The OData API puts the database, table, and primary key in the URL path (/{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey})), so a rule can pin your agent to one database and table. You choose the operations it may call, so deleting or patching a row is only included if you add it, while metadata and read queries stay separate.
- **Credential handling:** Your FileMaker database credentials and FMID token are stored once, encrypted, by your own Jentic One instance and injected at execution time. They never enter the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
- **Discovery method:** Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'query a FileMaker table via OData' or 'read a row by primary key', and Jentic returns the matching OData operation with its input schema including the query option parameters, so the agent calls the right endpoint without reading the reference docs.

## Related APIs

- **Claris FileMaker Data API** — FileMaker-native JSON record API with find requests and container uploads
- **Claris FileMaker Admin API** — Server-level administration of FileMaker databases
- **Airtable API** — Hosted database with REST API

## FAQ

### Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Claris FileMaker OData API?

Claris does not publish an OpenAPI specification for the OData endpoint - the official documentation describes OData 4.01 conformance instead. Jentic generates and maintains an OpenAPI-shaped description so AI agents and developers can call Claris FileMaker OData API via structured tooling. Get started with Jentic One, the self-hosted execution layer.

### What authentication does the FileMaker OData API use?

The OData endpoint accepts HTTP Basic authentication and Claris ID (FMID) token authentication via the Authorization header. There is no separate session-token exchange - credentials are sent on each request. Jentic stores the credentials in its vault and signs each call without exposing them to the agent.

### Can I use OData $filter against FileMaker tables?

Yes. GET /{database}/{tableName} accepts standard OData query options including $filter, $select, $orderby, $top, and $skip. The FileMaker OData server translates these into FileMaker query operations against the underlying table.

### What are the rate limits for the FileMaker OData API?

Claris does not publish a public rate limit table for OData. Effective throughput is bounded by the FileMaker Server's CPU and licensed concurrent connection count. Use $select to fetch only needed columns and $top with paging instead of pulling whole tables.

### How do I update a FileMaker record by primary key through Jentic?

Search Jentic for 'update a filemaker odata record', load the PATCH /{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey}) schema, and execute with the primary key and the changed fields. Jentic handles authentication via the vault.

### Does the OData API support container fields?

Container fields are not exposed through the OData endpoint in the same way as scalar fields - for upload and binary retrieval, use the FileMaker Data API's container endpoint. The OData API is best for tabular data access by OData-aware clients.

### Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the FileMaker OData API?

Yes. Because Jentic One is self-hosted, you set the rules that decide which FileMaker OData operations and credentials your agent may use. Since the database, table, and primary key sit in the URL path (/{database}/{tableName}({primaryKey})), you can pin the agent to one database and table and grant only the read and query operations, keeping the create, PATCH, and DELETE operations excluded unless you add them. The stored FileMaker and FMID credentials are injected only for the calls you have allowed, so the agent never sees them.