MORE INFORMATION
When you use the Import Data Wizard or the Link Data Wizard in MapPoint or in Streets & Trips to import or to link data, the data that you want to import or link should contain at least one column heading that refers to geographic information to successfully import or to link the data.
The
Import Data Wizard or the Link Data Wizard searches for a column heading in a
database or for the first cell in a spreadsheet column that refers to
geographic information, such as "Street Address," "State," "Province," or "ZIP
Code." When a column heading or first cell of this type is found, the wizard is
able to plot the contents of each record or row on the map.
For
example, if the source from which you want to import or link data contains the
column heading or first cell name, "City Names," the wizard plots the data in
each record or row at the location of each city that is listed in the City
Names column. When this process is finished, you receive the following message:
Matching records to City Names in the country / region
<countryname>
If the wizard does not find a column heading or
first cell that contains a reference to geographic information, it searches the
data for fields or cells that contain five-digit numbers (which it interprets
as postal codes), number and letter combinations (which it interprets as postal
codes), and two-letter sequences (which it interprets as abbreviations for
states or provinces).
If the wizard does not find data that matches
these criteria, it cannot plot any of the data on the map.
Prepare your data for mapping
Organization - Your data must be consistently organized. For example, if you
are importing a set of addresses, make sure that the city name for each record
is always in the same column or field.
Column headings - The more meaningful the headings are for each column or field
in your data, the better. Streets & Trips can recognize certain headings
such as name, address, city, and postal code. If you use headings such as
these, this helps Streets &Trips identify your data correctly.
Location data - If your data contains different kinds of location information
(for example, a mixture of records with complete addresses and records with
only postal codes), Streets & Trips will try to match the mixed records.
However, Microsoft recommends that you create different files for each type of
record (one for records with complete addresses and one for those with only
postal codes), and then import each file separately.
Address format - Instead of having a whole address in a single column or field,
create individual columns or fields for each class of information (such as
street address, city, postal code, state, and country). Clearly define location
information. For example, if you are going to match records to counties or
census districts, include a state column. The same name can exist in multiple
states, so by including the state, you minimize the number of records that must
be "disambiguated" (matched to the map).
Multi-country data - If you include records from more than one country, make sure
that your data contains one column or field that contains all the country names
that pertain to your records.
Separator characters - If your data is a text file (*.txt, *.csv, *.asc, or *.tab
format), use a tab, semicolon, or comma as a separator character (also named
delimiter character) to distinguish each field of your data.
Currency format - When you import data from a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with
currency-formatted cells, make sure that the whole column, not just individual
cells, is formatted as currency.
Hyperlinks - If you want to enable hyperlinks after you create your map,
make sure that you include a column that includes hyperlink information and set
this column to
Other Data.