Life is complicated. Cloud-based business mapping software is convenient, but sometimes it gets complicated too. Saving map files can be more complex than just saving your work, especially if you share your map projects with others.
MapBusinessOnline enables any map user with a paid subscription to create compelling and accurate digital maps that visualize business systems geographically. Users utilize location data importation capabilities and graphic tools to generate sales territories, market analysis, and business planning maps. Safely saving and storing that map work is critical to business viability and growth strategies.
At this time, MapBusinessOnline does not autosave to the cloud. To save a map, MapBusinessOnline has a Save button located two buttons from the left on the master Toolbar. Use this button to:
- Save your new map projects with a unique name.
- Save any changes you’ve made to an existing map.
Because MapBusinessOnline is a cloud-based service, your most recent map work will be displayed when you open the application. This is not necessarily a saved map. It is a held web cache view, just like when you return to CNN.com in the afternoon and see this morning’s news still presented on your screen.
Do not be fooled by a cached web map image. Make sure you save your work using the Save button on the Master Toolbar.
The Save Dialogue in MapBusinessOnline.
Saving Your Map Work
The Save map dialogue offers two dropdown options – My Map or My Template. Save all major map projects in the My Templates folder. This is the place to save sales territory map work, map-based market analysis, and franchise map analysis.
Use the My Map folder for light mapwork and one-off maps created from templates.
When creating a new map project, think about its level of importance. At first, your map may be a simple geographic scratchpad, not an entire business mapping project. Save such light map work as a My Map. But as your map work develops and your investment in time increases, especially if your business depends on the integrity of the map data applied, save your map as a My Template map.
My Template maps are stored protection for these common types of map work:
- Sales Territory Maps – Consider saving a template map every December or January that supports the year’s baseline territory map(s).
- Market Analysis Maps – Set up management reviews of market analysis maps and save parent copies as map templates, which can be valuable starting points for ongoing analysis.
- Strategic Planning Maps – Always a good idea to save strategic planning maps by year or period.
- Complex Map Visualizations – Map visualizations can be basic easy to rebuild maps or more advanced thematic and demographic map projects. If they take hours to make, save them as template maps.
Template maps protect existing work. Use templates as a starting place for additional map work. This saves time when creating new maps that add just a few layers to existing maps. Templates help prevent inadvertent overwriting of shared maps.
Here’s a link to the MapBusinessOnline Help documentation for creating and saving business maps.
Tip: I do a lot of map work for the website and custom maps for clients. When I start a new map, I often look through the My Maps and My Template map folders, scanning the map preview for similar maps. I then open the map and save it with a new name. This habit can be a real time saver.
If you create similar maps over and over, open one with relevant work and save it as a template for future maps.
You will notice a third folder in the Save dialogue dropdown – Maps Shared with Me. This folder records all the maps shared privately with you for collaboration, usually through Team subscription membership. This is where a user would go to find maps shared for collaborative editing work.
Overwriting Map Work
We do get emails and calls from clients who have lost their saved work. For the eleven years, I’ve worked with MapBusinessOnline business mapping software; I have yet to run across a situation where the mapping application is overwriting map work. It’s always user error.
Here are the significant reasons why clients discover inadvertent overwrites of their map work:
- Shared Login Credentials – Each single-user MapBusinessOnline Standard and Pro subscription is licensed for single-user access. Shared login credentials violate the Terms of Use and lead to overwritten maps. This is by far the most common reason for map overwriting. Share credentials make the rounds, and extra users overwrite the map.
- Team Mapping – Shared maps for collaborative editing require that user teams manage their map updates. Only one editing user should be updating MapBusinessOnline at a time. Updating privileges must be carefully assigned for critical business maps, and editing sessions should be planned. Make sure shared maps for editing have clear policies for access and updating changes.
Team Map Editing
Team Edition subscriptions allow maps to be shared among subscribing constituents for collaborative editing. Owners of original map work can assign editing rights to specific and invited users.
Because MapBusinessOnline does not support concurrent editing (multiple seat access simultaneously), the originating map owner must set the terms for editing privileges. Each shared map can be shared with a constituent user with a valid subscription to MapBusinessOnline. The map owner can assign shared status to any users:
- View only status
- Data editor only
- Map editor only.
- Full map and data editor.
Invoking Map Lock
Make sure every invited user understands the rules for collaborative editing:
- Set an editing schedule.
- Assign a third participant to review editing work for errors.
Map owners sharing maps for editing can also invoke Map Lock. Map Lock controls the editing privileges, preventing accidental overwriting of map work. Only the originating map owner can edit a map once Map Lock is selected in the Share Map dialogue.
Once your team understands the rules, Map Lock may not be necessary. But if a new team member joins your shared map editing team, Map Lock might be a good idea for a week or two.
Business maps are edited and shared. These editing processes generate more valuable maps for planning and analysis. Protect and expand your use of business mapping by developing solid save map protocols.
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Discover why over 25,000 business users log into www.MapBusinessOnline.com for their business mapping software and advanced sales territory mapping solution. The best replacement for Microsoft MapPoint happens to be the most affordable.
To access MapBusinessOnline, please register and download the Map App from the website – https://www.mapbusinessonline.com/App-Download.aspx.
After installing the Map App, the MapBusinessOnline launch button will be in the Windows Start Menu or Mac Application folder. Find the MapBusinessOnline folder in the Start Menu scrollbar. Click the folder’s dropdown arrow and choose the MapBusinessOnline option.
The Map App includes the Map Viewer app for free non-subscriber map sharing.
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Contact: Geoffrey Ives at geoffives@spatialteq.com or Jason Henderson at jhenderson@spatialteq.com.
