As the server administrator, you are responsible for installing and configuring FileMaker Server as well as managing the FileMaker Pro databases hosted on FileMaker Server. If you work in an organization that has a large number of databases, it may take some time for you to respond to all of the user requests for changes to databases, schedules, or scripts. You can eliminate these delays and reduce your workload by delegating database administration tasks to other users.

For example, suppose your company has several departments such as Sales, Finance, and Marketing. Each department may have users who develop their own FileMaker Pro databases that are hosted on FileMaker Server. You can create an administrator group of the databases for each department and allow certain users called group administrators to manage their group’s databases, schedules, and scripts.

Administrator groups enable you to retain exclusive and complete control of FileMaker Server. Group administrators are not allowed to configure FileMaker Server, and they cannot view the General Settings, Database Server, or Web Publishing tabs in Admin Console. You specify which of the database administration tasks you want to allow group administrators to do by selecting FileMaker Server administrator group privileges. See FileMaker Server administrator group privileges.

FileMaker Server group administrators can manage the databases in their group folder only, as well as the schedules associated with the databases in their group folder. There can be only one group administrator account for each administrator group, but multiple users can log in to the same group administrator account at the same time with certain restrictions to avoid conflicts (see the following note regarding the restrictions).

You can also allow multiple users in the same external authentication group to log in to the same administrator group. External authentication also lets you take advantage of existing groups in a centrally-managed authentication server such as Open Directory or Active Directory. For example, suppose you specify an external Open Directory authentication group called fmsSales for an administrator group called Sales. If the users named Susan and Tom are members of the fmsSales Open Directory group, they can both use their Open Directory user name and password to log in to Admin Console and perform the tasks authorized in the Sales administration group.

To configure an administrator group, you associate a FileMaker Server group folder that contains the group’s database files with the administrator group. The group folder can be associated with only one administrator group. You can also create a group start page that users within the group use to open a FileMaker Pro database. For information about additional rules that apply to the group folder, see FileMaker Server group folders.