When Family Tree Maker 2008 first launches you are offered the choice of creating a new file or opening/importing an existing file.
The “Get Started” screen for beginning a new family tree is simple, asking you to enter your name, birth date, and location, as well as that information for each of your parents. There is no specific guidance for beginners, however, on how to enter names and dates, such as to enter women under their maiden names. It allowed me to enter my name as Kimberly Powell and my father’s name as Larry Thomas without any type of warning or error. I’d like to see a little more “forced” guidance for beginners, since so many people neglect to read the “Getting Started” guide or watch the included DVD tutorials.

Importing a Family Tree File
I began by trying a GEDCOM import of my personal family tree. Family Tree Maker 2008 offers direct import from previous versions of FTM, as well as The Master Genealogist (TMG), Personal Ancestral File (PAF), and Legacy Family Tree. The software I generally use most isn’t in the list, however, so I had to opt for GEDCOM import. FTM took just a little over 2 minutes to read and import my file, not too bad for a family tree with 8300+ names. Many users report that the program bogs down when importing extremely large files, however. FTM 2008 also runs very sluggishly with larger files (50,000+) – a known issue that the tech team is working to improve.
I got a little frantic when FTM said it had imported over 12,000 sources, but it turned out to be only because FTM identified sources with the same source title, but different citation text/detail as different sources, which is different than it was handled in my primary software program (more about this later). I would also have expected FTM to comply with the GEDCOM standard by now, but the program still doesn’t recognize certain standard fields such as NICK (nickname). As with previous versions, FTM imported the NICK field into AKA (also known as) which, in my opinion, should only be used for legal name changes, not nicknames. Some of these nicknames were lost in my initial testing, but was fixed in the first (August 2007) FTM 2008 patch.
Data Layout & Entry
Data layout and entry in Family Tree Maker 2008 was surprisingly intuitive once I took some time to get used to the new layout. I personally really like the data entry screen which allows me to see a family index, pedigree view, and family view, as well as enter an individual’s data, all on one screen. If you’re running FTM 2008 on a small monitor with the minimum suggested 800×600 resolution, you will probably find all of this information on one screen to be a little cramped, however. You can arrange the sizes of each area to fit your needs by dragging the bars between sections; for example, you can increase the size of your family view to allow you to view all of your grandparents thirteen children by decreasing the pedigree view to only show 3-4 generations. Family Tree Maker 2008 will remember these settings the next time you open your family tree.
The “People Index” in the left hand pane allows you to sort by family name, given name, birth date, marriage date, or death date. The dates don’t actually appear in the index in the default view, but if you click on the little grey bars icon at the top of the index, you’ll find the option to expand the index to include this information. For some reason you can’t resize the index pane (unlike others on the main screen), but you can you can “hide” it to free up more room on your display.
Data Entry & Layout (continued)
The “Data Entry” pane on the right-hand side can be customized to allow data to be added for a range of facts. I supplemented the default facts with a few that I frequently use for individuals in my family tree such as baptism/christening, burial, occupation and residence. I also added a custom fact for Nickname as FTM only offers AKA (Also Known As) and I only use that field for legal name changes. I really appreciate being able to see these often used fields at a glance whenever I view a specific individual.
Sources
There is both good news and bad news in the source arena. As mentioned previously, FTM 2008 counts multiple citations to the same master source as multiple sources upon import. Don’t let that throw you, however. Once you go the the sources screen, you’ll see the master sources listed in the left-hand screen. In other panes you can also view the individual citations to this source that exist in your database, along with the people, facts and events to which the source citation is attached. I did have some import problems with some of my sources, however. Italics and bold text did not import correctly (I was importing from a RootsMagic gedcom file and not a previous version of FTM), and I have many errant spaces in my source text. This is something I plan to investigate further to determine whether the fault lies with my original program, the GEDCOM import, or FTM 2008.
Overall, I applaud the direction that The Generations Network has taken with the data entry and layout in this latest version of Family Tree Maker, although many longtime FTM users do not like the departure from what they are used to. Source entry is also acceptable, although not much different than that what was available in FTM v. 16 (the previous version). For entering and organizing data the program really shines. But that’s where the usefulness ends. Charts and reports and inadequate, and the lack of a standalone book feature will also not meet the needs of many genealogists. If you’re considering upgrading from a previous version or moving from your current program, I suggest that you wait a bit.

Buy Family Tree Maker 2008 – 23$