The purpose of this website is to be an information resource and peer-support portal for users of MapMate, the *Windows-based biological recording software. MapMate is a well-known software package in the UK for biological recording and mapping, particularly among amateur naturalists and local recording groups.
* MapMate will run on a Mac with a Windows emulator.
If you enjoy this website, please consider making a small donation to support the running costs.
MapMate uses Microsoft's Access 97 relational database, which was known for its stability. For thirty years it has remained an integral part of MapMate.
The Access 97 MDB filesize limit is 2Gb; however, it is recommended that the size of Records database doesn't exceed 1Gb as performance can suffer.
MapMate can reduce the size of the Records table by clicking Dataset, Tools, Compact. For example, one of the MapMate databases I manage contains ~2.5 million records and has a compacted file size of ~420Mb. The Compact process takes a temporary backup of the Records table.
It is strongly recommended that users regularly compact their database to maintain performance, and perform a backup after every update of the database in case of a disaster!
For the technically-minded who like to play (at your own risk, no warranty!), it is still possible to download a copy of Office 97 Professional from WinworldPC and comes complete with a valid serial key! There's also a Freeware utility that works quite well with Access 97 tables called MDB Viewer Plus.
For users who wish to link/open Access 97 MDB files and run SELECT queries only, it is possible to do so via OpenOffice and LibreOffice. However, I suspect some investigations need to be carried out into its usefulness.
The last option, not for the technophobe, is to install Microsoft SQLExpress and SQL Server Management System v20.2 (the last version to the support Microsoft Jet Engine Database ODBC driver), create a database, import all of the MapMate tables into the new database, and then use SQL Server Management Studio to run advanced SQL queries against the database, then export the tables back into MapMate. An example of this is to import the Records, Sites and Recorders tables into SQLExpress to run a query that removes TAB characters which corrupt TAB-delimted TXT exports from MapMate.
Much was made of the demise of MapMate on the retirement of product support during November 2024. There were unfounded rumours on the Internet that MapMate was now a dead product and that would just stop working once all subscriptions expired late 2025. These were debunked; MapMate will continue to run on all Microsoft Windows platforms up to the current version.
In the event a future version of Windows makes it impossible to run MapMate, it may be possible to run MapMate on a Windows Virtual machine such as Oracle VirtualBox.
Some MapMate users have made the decision to move their database to online systems such as iRecord.
Click here for more information on Windows 11 support status.
Due to technical reasons beyond our control, it is no longer possible to support sequential patch updates of the Taxa Library; however, the Taxa Library is a standalone file which makes it possible to update and distribute as a downloadable file. The latest version of the Taxa Library can be downloaded from here.
If you currently manage a taxa group checklist and wish to help keep the MapMate Taxa Library updated, please contact us for more information.
The User database is the most important aspect of MapMate as this is where tables are stored or external tables are linked, and where all standard and user-created queries are stored.
Terms tables, such as Methods and Filters, can be patched to insert new or update existing methods and filters; however, many of the tables can't be patched. In such cases where a table in the User database can't be patched, the table must be manually updated. This would mean a new User database would need to be downloaded which would not include user-created queries. Thankfully, performing a backup will save user-created queries and these are reinstated during a restore from a backup.
The excellent resource hosted by the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland is available here.
There is an active Facebook group which is open to membership to anyone.
A requestI maintain this website as a free resource for MapMate users, including managing essential updates to keep MapMate a viable biological recording tool. If you value the updates and information here and would like to help support the hosting and upkeep costs, please consider making a small donation - hosting costs are currently £200 per year. Please indicate in the "Add a note to your donation" dialogue box that your donation is for the MapMate Info website.Your support is sincerely appreciated. |