2023 is a big year for Safe Software. Safe Software founders have been keeping it classic for close to 30 years with a consistent and standardized brand image, but at long last, they’re ready to unveil new logos for their products and some exciting changes for FME.
A revamped image for a new era
Don Murray and Dale Lutz, Safe Software’s co‑founders and co-CEOs, are well aware that the classic Safe Software and FME logos have long been beloved touchstones for users. Nonetheless, it had become clear to them that those visuals were no longer a good fit for the scope and orientation of their products.
And so, they’ve chosen a simple and unified set of logos that better reflect the clear, intuitive connections between their platform’s various tools. “Connecting the dots” is a phrase that sums up the thought process behind these new, spherical logos and the connections they represent.
But that’s not all! Safe Software hasn’t just reworked its image; they’ve also renamed their flagship products.
FME Desktop is now FME Form
Where data validation, integration, transformation, and delivery happen!
FME Server is now FME Flow
Where you automate what you’ve created.
FME Cloud is now FME Flow Hosted
The same features as FME Flow, but entirely within the cloud.
As always, our team of experts will be happy to guide you through this new environment.
Now that you’ve got all the details of Safe Software’s new image, let’s take a look at the magic FME’s been working!
FME:23 – Our 5 top picks
In 2023, FME is going far beyond a simple annual update. The wide array of changes and improvements the new version brings will delight new users and old hands alike. Which ones stood out to us? Our team of experts is diving into FME:23 to give you a sneak peek at five must‑haves for this year.
1. Deployment Parameters
This new type of parameter is the continuation of the range of public and private parameters that FME Server offered, but the difference is that deployment parameters are saved directly in the new FME Flow. This way, you can use the same parameters in multiple workspaces simultaneously without needing to copy them individually.
This new feature also lets you share your parameters with other FME Flow users according to their access level. No more need to share them one by one with every member of your team! Now your precise file path can be accessed directly in the platform.
If you’re part of a large team that uses the FME platform, you’ll be thrilled to hear about this change!
2. New and improved Merge and Compare
This feature, introduced in FME 2022, lets you compare different versions of a workspace to easily see changes.
And now, in 2023, FME Form’s (formerly FME Desktop) developers have taken this idea a little further. The new version of the interface makes it much easier to visualize and choose changes between two versions. So useful when multiple team members are working in the same workspace!
3. Transformer Designer
This new designer enhances FME Form. With this standalone software, you can create your own transformer and modify the connectors as you see fit to create tools that do whatever your organization and your clients need them to.
Transformer Designer will be aligned with Package Python SDK. A beta version will be available in FME 2023.
4. New Webhook feature in FME Flow
If you’re already a fan of the automation features on FME Server, you’ll be excited to hear that FME Flow has an even broader variety of automation triggers to run a workspace using webhook calls. They’re much more flexible, especially when the source is a third‑party app.
5. Better all-around performance
In addition to adding plenty of new features to FME:23, the Safe Software team has improved the performance of most of its transformers. Bulk Mode has also been improved: it now produces results up to twice as fast as the previous version. Plus, Data Inspector’s increased efficiency means it can display more elements at a time.
And if that wasn’t enough, FME 2023 not only gets results faster, it also uses less memory to do so.
As you can see, FME:23 is all about two key words: performance and flexibility. Did this quick overview leave you hungry for more? Don’t worry, this new release is expected to be available around mid-May.