Why FileMaker I

"As for a small, simple [integrated database with telephony] program, I am afraid to say that Filemaker Plus from 1985 has served me so well over the years that I have not explored every new gadget software that has come out since. I bought one such gadget program from New Zealand more than a decade ago and was disappointed when it did less than Filemaker with more trouble, not less.   Filemaker 2.1 has 98% of the features I ever use. If you take a screen shot, paste it into a Filemaker layout and then draw text fields over the top, you get WYSIWYG capabilities. You can select the picture and designate it as a non-printing item so that you see the form on the screen but do not print a screen form onto an actual preprinted form.  There are a few OCR programs that let you scan a form and then create text fields over the top for converting forms into a database. The form is essentially the same as a screen shot at that point. Those programs are good for quick formatting while scanning into text but Filemaker is still faster for me because I was fortunate enough to start using it 21 years ago." 

Source: https://discussions.apple.com/message/2296483#2296483

Is FileMaker Pro a Flat File Database or a Relational Database?
See: 

http://www.filemakertoday.com/com/showthread.php/28841-Flat-File-Import-many-rows-per-client-report-to-show-one-per?highlight=body