A space for news, notes and introductions
Recently active
If you were an FME action figure, what would you look like? Inspired by βspatial data wranglerβ β@mmccartΒ LinkedIn post, this weekβs Question of the Week is to create your own AI-generated action figure and share a photo below!Hereβs one prompt ChatGPT suggested to create your action figure. Customize as you like!Β "Please createΒ an image of a highly detailed action figure of a professional data integration specialist, posed heroically in front of computer screens with complex workspace diagrams. The figure wears a utility belt filled with FME icons like transformers, readers, and writers. Includes miniature certification badges, a laptop accessory, and a background of a futuristic tech lab. Realistic lighting, action figure packaging style, cinematic detail."
Earlier this year, we asked the FME Community to get creative and submit name ideas for a surprise appearance of the FME Lizard.Β In case you missed it, an incredible LEGO sculpture of the FME Lizard - created by artist Sean Kenney - made its debut at the Peak in Seattle! π¦You delivered some amazing suggestions. We rounded the names up and asked both the FME Community and Peak attendees to vote on their favourite.Weβre excited to announce that the winning name isβ¦ Daryl! π (Shoutout to βFME Lizardβ for coming in a very close second.)Extra shoutout to β@todd_davisΒ for suggesting the winning name - expect a lizard-themed prize coming your way soon!Soβ¦ what do we think? Are we officially calling the FME Lizard Daryl now? Or maybe thatβs just its middle name?Β
β@david_rΒ and I took an FME trip on the Monorail then went up the Seattle Sky Needle
In the spirit of April Fools Dayβ¦Β Hereβs our Question of the Week: If FME had a secret βEaster eggβ feature that no one knew about, what would it be?Would it be a hidden game? Secret functionality? A 'feature' like Connection Shapes? Or...?Β Letβs hear your most creative (or wishful) ideas!PS. If youβre looking for a laugh today, check out this video from β@mark2atsafe.Β Β New to the Question of the Week?Β Every week, weβll post a simple but thought-provoking question that could be about your FME journey, the power of spatial data, FME innovation, or the future of FME.Each weekly question you answer earns you an entry in our monthly draw for exclusive Safe swag ($50 value)Β and points toward badges!Β Answer our March Questions of the Week by April 30, 2025 at 5:00 pm PDT to be entered in this monthβs draw.Answer your first question and youβll get the Socializer (Ice Breaker) badge. Answer five questions and youβll get the Socializer (Talker) badge.
Welcome to our May FME Community User Spotlight! Every month, weβll be spotlighting a user in the community whoseΒ active participation and helpful contributions have been invaluable to the community. Weβre excited to highlight their experiences and insights!In anticipation of theΒ Peak of Data & AI 2025Β coming up on May 6-8, weβll be featuring speakers from the Peak over the next three months in our spotlights.User Spotlight:Β Jelle De Zwaef β@jelleΒ What company do you currently work for?Β NordendWhatβs your current job role and title?Β Founder, General ManagerTell us more about what you do and how you use FME?Β I work as a data and process consultant with a strong focus on spatial information. FME is my platform of choice to bring structure to complex data, automate repetitive tasks, and design clear, reliable workflows.I often work at the intersection of technical teams and decision-makers. FME helps me translate between those worlds by making data tangible and workflows transparent.
We're trying something new - a monthly community leaderboard recap! This will not only celebrate the users on the leaderboard but also highlight those who are active and contributing to the FME Community. Your engagement is what makes this community thrive, and we want to recognize everyone who plays a part.Top Contributors on the FME Community LeaderboardΒ March 2025 Points LeaderboardΒ We're excited to recognize the top 10 contributors from our March leaderboard, earning the most points last month:β@crutledge: 1175 points β@j.botterill: 904 points β@nielsgerrits: 835 points β@danilo_fme: 745 points β@ebygomm: 653 points β@redgeographics: 651 points β@fmelizard: 550 points β@geomancer: 502 points β@hkingsbury: 447 points β@david_r: 322 pointsWhen you ask questions, engage in conversations, and provide answers, you help strengthen our community knowledge base - and earn points. Learn more here.March 2025 Answers LeaderboardThese users provided the most answers to Forum questions in March
In the spirit of our recently announced FME Breakfast of Champions 2025 meetup series, we want to know: What is your breakfast of champions or favourite breakfast food? ππ³In case you missed it, the FME Breakfast of Champions 2025 is an in-person event series hosted by Safe, bringing together industry professionals to discuss the latest FME features, industry trends, and real-world solutions - all over a delicious breakfast!Check out the event dates and join us.We canβt wait to hear about your breakfast favourites and hopefully see you at one of our events!
Earlier this year, we asked the FME Community to put their creativity to the test in aΒ Question of the WeekΒ and name the FME Lizard!Β Weβve rounded up the name suggestions from the community, and now itβs time to cast your voteΒ (and yes, FME Lizard is one of the options!).The winning name will be revealed in the coming weeks, and the user behind it will receive a special prize from Safe - plus the honour of naming the lizard.VOTE HERE.New to the Question of the Week?Β Every week, weβll post a simple but thought-provoking question that could be about your FME journey, the power of spatial data, FME innovation, or the future of FME.Each weekly question you answer earns you an entry in our monthly draw for exclusive Safe swag ($50 value)Β and points toward badges!Β Answer our April Questions of the Week by April 30, 2025 at 5:00 pm PDT to be entered in this monthβs draw.Answer your first question and youβll get the Socializer (Ice Breaker) badge. Answer five questions and youβll get the Socia
The FME Lizard makes a return! π¦ With the launch of our new AI-powered chatbot, we want to know - what do you think the FME Lizardβs name is? Drop your best name ideas in the comments!New to the Question of the Week?Β Every week, weβll post a simple but thought-provoking question that could be about your FME journey, the power of spatial data, FME innovation, or the future of FME.Each weekly question you answer earns you an entry in our monthly draw for exclusive Safe swag ($50 value)Β and points toward badges!Β Answer our March Questions of the Week by March 31, 2025 at 5:00 pm PDT to be entered in this monthβs draw.Answer your first question and youβll get the Socializer (Ice Breaker) badge. Answer five questions and youβll get the Socializer (Talker) badge.Curious about the new FME AI Chatbot?Weβre excited to introduce a new support feature to your toolbox for getting help with FM - our AI-powered chatbot! The FME Lizard is now active and ready to answer your questions in theΒ FME Supp
Last week, we hosted our fourth FME Breakfast of Champions meetup in Phoenix, Arizona. Thank you to users β@boΒ β@jklattΒ β@bobwΒ β@jmjanzenΒ β@sean_worksΒ β@gregrothwellΒ and many others who joined us for a morning of connecting on all things data!Β A special shoutout to β@boΒ (Gistic Research) and β@jmjanzenΒ (Ak-Chin Indian Community) for sharing their FME user stories with us.Β Weβre looking forward to our next FME Breakfast of Champions in Houston, Texas on April 10. Find the full 2025 schedule here. See you there!Β
Safe Software invites you to our FME Breakfast of Champions inΒ London, England on Thursday, May 15Β from 8:30 am to 11:00 am.Β Connect with fellow data enthusiasts, learn from industry experts, and discover the latest possibilities with FME.Hereβs what you can expect:Breakfast and Networking:Β Kickstart your day with a delicious light breakfast while connecting with other FME users and data professionals.Get the Latest on FME:Β Our team will share the latest updates, enhancements, and give you a sneak peek into the future direction of Safe Software and FME.Share Knowledge and Insights:Β After the presentations, weβll have additional time to mingle and discuss your data challenges and opportunities with other attendees and Safe staff. This is your chance to gain new inspiration for your data journey!Learn from Customer Stories:Β Hear directly from a local FME user about how theyβre driving their business forward using FME. Plus, get an exclusive look at our Winner's Circle featuring success s
Welcome to our April FME Community User Spotlight! Every month, weβll be spotlighting a user in the community whoseΒ active participation and helpful contributions have been invaluable to the community. Weβre excited to highlight their experiences and insights!In anticipation of theΒ Peak of Data & AI 2025Β coming up this May, weβll be featuring speakers from the Peak over the next three months in our spotlights.User Spotlight: Christoph Dittmann β@chdittΒ Whatβs your name?Christoph DittmannWhat company do you currently work for?Β Deutsche Telekom IT GmbHWhatβs your current job role and title?Β Data EngineerTell us more about what you do and how you use FME?Β I started to work with FME some 10 years ago. At the beginning, the tasks were about simple format transformation and some customized end user data ingestion workflows.Today, additionally to the good old ETL workflows, the tasks also involve job orchestration within our SDI, as well as data integration of various systems via cloud se
Congratulations to β@davidmooneyΒ - the winner of our FME Community Peak of Data & AI Contest!Β David has scored two tickets to the Peak in Seattle, Washington this May 6 to 8.Β A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and shared your favourite memories from past events and reasons for wanting to attend this year. We loved reading your responses and sharing them with the rest of the Safe team!Β Your stories and excitement are what make the FME Community so unique.We look forward to seeing you in Seattle! Conference passes are still available here.Β
Does the shape of connection lines in FME Workbench have an effect on the performance of the workspace? You bet!ALL PROOF IS in thisΒ video.Β With square corners, the data is slowed when it reaches the corner. It can become bunched up and affect the performance of each transformer it passes through.Curved lines have a similar effect, although not as severe because their corners aren't as sharp. However, they are longer lines, and so the data takes more time to pass through.Straight lines have the benefit of being the shortest line and having no corners. As you'll see in the video, they are by far the best way to speed up your workspaces.It's not mentioned, but also be careful not to cross connections. Features can collide at the crossing, knocking off some of their vertices or attributes.
In February, we launched a new monthly addition to the Question of the Week: Ask Me Anything (AMA) with the FME Evangelist β@mark2atsafe.Β Have questions about whatβs new in FME 2025.0? This monthβs AMA is your chance to get insights straight from the team.Weβre especially excited to answer your questions about:Compound Parameters - conditional parameters were updated in 2025.0, with new condition types and the ability to build complex, multiple conditions. Heartbeat Functionality - features that are emitted by streaming transformers to indicate periods of inactivity.Of course, if you have other questions about FME 2025.0, feel free to ask - though weβd love to keep the spotlight on these two key features!Β Submit your questions by the end of the week in the comments below. Mark and our team will post a video response the week of March 17, 2025.
Weβre thrilled to announce some important changes to the Ideas Board in the FME Community that will bring more transparency, ease of use, and a clearer view of how your ideas are progressing.As we continue to grow, weβre committed to making sure your input has a direct impact on the development of FME, and we want to ensure you have a simple, effective way to track your ideas and feedback.Whatβs New?Β Weβve made several key improvements, making it easier to stay engaged and informed about the ideas youβve submitted and those shared by users.Β Hereβs a breakdown of the changes:Β Revised Filtering and Improved NavigationWeβve added tabs at the top for more relevant idea statuses: Open, Gathering Interest, In Development, Released, and All Ideas. Each tab now clearly describes its status. The βNewβ and βArchivedβ statuses are now included in the All Ideas tab, streamlining your search experience. (Note: βNewβ ideas awaiting moderation will appear in the All Ideas tab, but once reviewed can b
We're trying something new - a monthly community leaderboard recap! This will not only celebrate the users on the leaderboard but also highlight those who are active and contributing to the FME Community. Your engagement is what makes this community thrive, and we want to recognize everyone who plays a part.Top Contributors on the FME Community LeaderboardΒ February 2025 Points LeadersWe're excited to recognize the top 10 contributors from our February leaderboard, earning the most points last month:β@danilo_fmeΒ β@bwnΒ β@crutledgeΒ β@geomancerΒ β@nielsgerritsΒ β@david_rΒ β@ebygommΒ β@liamfezΒ β@virtualcitymattΒ β@j.botterillΒ When you ask questions, engage in conversations, and provide answers, you help strengthen our community knowledge base - and earn points. Learn more here.February 2025 Answers LeaderboardThese users provided the most Answers to Forum questions in February:β@bwnΒ β@ebygommΒ β@liamfezΒ β@j.botterillΒ β@redgeographicsΒ β@worjakΒ β@crutledgeΒ β@nielsgerritsΒ β@david_rΒ
Safe Software invites you to our FME Breakfast of Champions in Houston on Thursday, April 10 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.Β Connect with fellow data enthusiasts, learn from industry experts, and discover the latest possibilities with FME.Hereβs what you can expect:Breakfast and Networking:Β Kickstart your day with a delicious light breakfast while connecting with other FME users and data professionals.Get the Latest on FME:Β Our team will share the latest updates, enhancements, and give you a sneak peek into the future direction of Safe Software and FME.Share Knowledge and Insights:Β After the presentations, weβll have additional time to mingle and discuss your data challenges and opportunities with other attendees and Safe staff. This is your chance to gain new inspiration for your data journey!Learn from Customer Stories:Β Hear directly from a local FME user about how theyβre driving their business forward using FME. Plus, get an exclusive look at our Winner's Circle featuring success stories
Win 2 Tickets to The Peak of Data & AI 2025!Β Do you have a favourite memory from a past Safe Software conference? Whether it was an inspiring session, a great conversation, or a fun moment with the community - we want to hear about it!Havenβt attended before? No problem! Tell us why youβd love to experience The Peak 2025 in Seattle, WA (May 6-8) for the first time.Share your story in the comments for a chance to win 2 tickets -Β a prize valued at $2,780!Β Bonus: Add a photo with your comment for an extra entry!π Enter byΒ Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Timeπ Winner will be contactedΒ by Wednesday, March 12, 2025.Read the full contest guidelines here.Β
Next stop: Phoenix, Arizona!Β Safe Software invites you to our FME Breakfast of Champions in Phoenix:Β Thursday, March 27, 2025 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.Β Connect with fellow data enthusiasts, learn from industry experts, and discover the latest possibilities with FME.Hereβs what you can expect:Breakfast and Networking: Kickstart your day with a delicious light breakfast while connecting with other FME users and data professionals.Get the Latest on FME: Our team will share the latest updates, enhancements, and give you a sneak peek into the future direction of Safe Software and FME.Share Knowledge and Insights: After the presentations, weβll have additional time to mingle and discuss your data challenges and opportunities with other attendees and Safe staff. This is your chance to gain new inspiration for your data journey!Learn from Customer Stories: Hear directly from a local FME user about how theyβre driving their business forward using FME. Plus, get an exclusive look at our Winner's
Welcome to our March FME Community User Spotlight! Every month, weβll be spotlighting a user in the community whoseΒ active participation and helpful contributions have been invaluable to the community. Weβre excited to highlight their experiences and insights!In anticipation of the Peak of Data & AI 2025 coming up this May, weβll be featuring speakers from the Peak over the next three months in our spotlights.User Spotlight: Margot DβhaemerΒ β@margotdhΒ Whatβs your name?Margot DβhaemerWhat company do you currently work for?Β NordendWhatβs your current job role and title?Β BIM/FME ConsultantTell us more about what you do and how you use FME?Β Since 2022, Iβve worked for Nordend (a Belgian company). I use FME (Form/Flow) on a daily basis to create data workflows for clients in different fields (government, utilities, and AEC). The assignments range from easy ETL tools to complex geometrical transformations.Why did you join the FME Community?The main reason I joined the community was to as
The Integrate Spatial Data learning pathΒ is now available for FME 2024.2 on the FME Academy.Β Unlock the power of your spatial data with FME. Learn the basics of spatial data and conducting basic spatial analysis.Feedback is welcome.
Hello FME friends.Here is a video recording of Dan and I answering your recent questions about dynamic workflows. I hope you find it useful and/or interesting.Β I apologize for the poor video quality of my side of the conversation. Itβs my first time recording a meeting like this. I hope to sort it out for future recordings.
Explore Whatβs Possible with FME!Join us for the 2025 FME Breakfast of Champions meetup series - where data enthusiasts come together to connect, learn, and share ideas over a delicious breakfast.Hosted by Safe Software, this series brings together industry professionals and FME users across Canada, the U.S., and the UK to explore the latest FME features, industry developments, and real-world solutions.2025 Meetup Dates & LocationsWeβre excited to announce the confirmed dates and cities for this yearβs series! Find us at:Surrey, BCΒ - February 27 Phoenix, AZΒ - March 27 Houston, TXΒ - April 10 London, EnglandΒ - May 15 Denver, COΒ - June 12 Washington, DCΒ - June 27 Calgary, ABΒ - September 11 Toronto, ONΒ - October 17 Kansas City, MIΒ - November 6 Vancouver, BCΒ - November 20Learn more and register here.Why Attend?Buffet Breakfast & Networking: Eat, greet, and meet fellow data professionals! Get the Latest on FME: Hear directly from CEO Don Murray and the Safe team and learn about the n
Hi FME Community,Gartner has opened nominations for the 2025 Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards -Β a prestigious opportunity for organizations to gain industry-wide recognition for their most impactful innovations.If youβve been involved in building innovative solutions with your organization in any of the industries below, we encourage you to submit for this award:Government Advanced Manufacturing Banking & Investing Communication Service Providers Education Healthcare & Life Sciences Power & Utilities Oil & Gas Mid-size Enterprises, and moreπ Submissions are due by May 30π Judging takes place in June/Julyπ Winners are announced in September/OctoberThis is a great opportunity to showcase the innovative work youβve done, gain global industry recognition, and learn from other pioneering initiatives.Find full details and submit here.