FileMaker Inc. on Tuesday announced the release of FileMaker Pro 11, a major new release of its popular database software for Mac OS X and Windows. It’s available beginning today, along with new versions of FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced, FileMaker Server 11 and FileMaker Server 11 Advanced. It costs $299, with upgrades available for registered users of previous versions.

FileMaker Pro undergoes significant usability enhancements in this new release, enabling you to create charts. You no longer have to export data to Excel or use a third-party plug-in to create bar, pie and other kinds of charts – it’s all built right in.

Table View is now the default view for new databases you create with FileMaker Pro 11, displaying the fields in your database like columns in a spreadsheet. You can show and hide fields easily, and summarize information as you go. Also new in version 11 is a “quick find” search field to make it easier to locate records.

The new Snapshot Link feature lets you save the state of a set of records at a specific point in time – helpful for making sure that other FileMaker Pro users are looking at the same data the same way as you are.

If you rely on data from other sources, FileMaker Pro 11 adds a Recurring Import feature that will automatically pull in new data from other sources every time you open your FileMaker database, including Microsoft Excel, CSV and tab files.

FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced adds custom user interface menu enhancements and copy/paste and import functions, while FileMaker Server 11 enhances statistics view, adds backup file clones and more. FileMaker Server 11 Advanced removes limits on the number of simultaneous users.

System requirements for FileMaker Pro 11 include Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later, G4 867MHz or faster, 2GB RAM, DVD drive.