What is Bento? When I began reviewing Bento, I was very wary. I have been a Microsoft user for many years and know how tough a database program can be. I had to configure databases in Access, (Microsoft’s personal database solution.) Then I downloaded the demo of Bento with all of these fears in my mind. But I figured that I liked the other Mac applications that I have been using, I gave Bento a shot.

Once installed I realized that Bento is the missing application for iWork. Bento is a very simple, easy to use database program that was created for the Mac. The interface is extremely intuitive, as most of the best Mac applications are. In gearing this article for new Mac owners, being one myself, The first thing that you learn is that Mac applications are built to be terribly user friendly.

Back to the issue at hand, Bento. Bento is a personal, easily configureable database application. Why is Bento so great? The power of Bento comes from being on the Mac in the first place, Bento can manipulate data that is already on your Mac, such as your address book, or iCal. The database for is created by the user, (There are plenty of templates to start out) with the drag and drop functionality of the interface make it a pure joy to use. Additionally, Bento can use data in the address book, but can also create sub folders within Address Book as well as tasks in iCal.

You will be amazed at all the things that you will be able to use a database for, such as: Projects, Event Planning, Exercise Log, Home Inventory, and much more. Creating any additional fields does not require any knowledge of database fields, Bento does that on it’s own. All you have to know is what kind of data you will be adding to the database. By that I mean will it be text? A number? Or a Date. The
possibilities are endless.

Bento also offers the ability to export the data to a CSV file, that can be used in Numbers or in Microsoft Excel.

The bottom line:

With a single user license costing $49.00 US, built by the makers of Filemaker, (a company that KNOWS databases) Bento is a can’t miss.