Deleting old backups automatically – no it does not work well. Here is how to do it manually.

Links so far in my research worth keeping (no solution yet)
a) recovering a runtime solution – hold down Ctrl-Shift while double clicking application icon and hold them down til you see the dialog
http://www.filemaker.com/help/html/fmpa_tools.24.19.html
b) importing data into upgraded runtime
http://www.filemaker.com/help/html/fmpa_tools.24.17.html#1028635
c) starting runtime solutions
http://www.filemaker.com/help/html/fmpa_tools.24.18.html#1028687
d) naming a filemaker solution and this mysterious file extension
http://www.filemaker.com/help/html/fmpa_tools.24.15.html

Q’s for self: in the docs above, there is

• a runtime app file and
• a solution file – so what is this “solution file extension” and where is this file with this extension?

Sure enough – look for this renamed .fmp12 file or solution file – this is the database file. In fact – the person who “packages it up” using the Filemaker advanced designer tool was prompted to make this extension change so write it down along with the special password or packaging code.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/555159

It works. Now, I have to have this workbook work when others do not have this “other workbook” so I use late binding and am not using “Tool->References” to ensure any of this works. Hard coding the path is also what I did – but since it is string you use to reference the other workbook – this too could be abstracted to bypass the other workbook if it is not opened already or prompt them to load it.

Lets say you have an XML data source and you access it with VBA or thorugh a sheet with a data source already preset once and it worked. Note that this assumes that the link is behind a popup to enter your username/password (Basic Authentication) The next time you go into that sheet or run the macro to refetch the information – you will get an error or no data.

Microsoft in short, has disallowed basic authentication for non-SLL urls. In my case Report Services (SSRS) is an intranet url that does not have SSL or does not begin with HTTPS nor has it been set up that way by IT – so … Office 2010+ products will not work unless you do a registry tweak or enable SSL on the source computer’s SSRS. So do ONE of the following

• Client side adjustment (not ideal)
• SSRS Server computer adjustment