nbndata.mdb is an Access database that JNCC provided so that users who were accustomed to using Access with Recorder 2002 could easily do the same in Recorder 6. However, it is not unusual for this not to be created during the installation of Recorder 6 and page 36 of Network Installation Guide v5.1.doc says:

Note that when security of the Recorder 6 database is paramount then this file should be deleted, as it offers un-secure access to the data. Even if password protected the level of security is significantly reduced as tools to extract passwords from Access databases are freely available on the internet.

nbndata.mdb contains links to all the tables in the Recorder 6 SQL Server database. You can tell by its size (1,664 KB in my current system) that it doesn’t contain the actual data, hence you can’t use it to restore the database. In a standard SQL Server Express/Recorder 6 v6.14 installation the database will be a file called NBNData_Data.MDF and it will be installed in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data. Associated with it will be a transaction log file called nbndata_data_log.LDF. Note that at installation NBNData_Data.MDF is 1.3 GB because it contains the dictionaries (taxon, biotope and admin areas) and the associated index files. In Recorder 2002 these are held in separate Access 97 databases: nbndict.mdb, Index_Taxon_Group.mdb, Index_Taxon_Name.mdb and Index_Taxon_Synonym.mdb.

NBNBackup.bak will contain the contents of NBNData_Data.MDF when you do a backup via Tools – Database Tools – Backup Database.

When backing up Recorder 6 remember to backup any things you have created that are stored outside the database, e.g. rucksacks and recording cards. In a standard installation these will be in the User Files folder in your Recorder 6 folder although the locations can be changed via Tools – Options – File Locations. If your mapping files cannot easily be reinstated you may also want to backup the files in the Map Files and Object Sheet folders.