Maps Geocoding FAQ

The following frequently asked questions cover the end-to-end geocoding process in Salesforce Maps. Each section addresses a distinct aspect of geocoding behavior to help administrators and users understand and troubleshoot coordinate accuracy:

• What is geocoding and how does it work?
• How are Salesforce Standard Address Fields and Custom Address Fields Geocoded?
• Which geocoding standards does Salesforce Maps follow?
• What’s the frequency of updates?
• What are the best practices for getting accurate geocoding?
• When are the Latitude and Longitude fields updated?
• What if I have Verified Latitude/Longitude fields?

Note: GeoCode service is Asynchronous and there might be a slight delay in updating Geo Fields. 

What is geocoding and how does it work?

Geocoding is the process of taking input text, such as a street address and returning a latitude and longitude, which can be used to plot the location on the Earth's surface.

Salesforce Maps relies on interacting with a geocoding service through an API. Addresses are sent to the geocoder, which determines the most accurate latitude and longitude for the given address, and then returns a response.

Salesforce Maps handles unstructured partial and full-address information. When geocoding custom address fields, Maps utilizes the free-text query parameters in our requests to the geocoding service. The requests are unstructured, meaning that we send a list of strings without designating which string represents which address component.

Requests are sent to the geocoder service in the below format:

In the above example, the URL is decoded to show whitespaces. The search text parameters are string values and are components of the address.

• 200 = street number
• S Mathilda = street name
• Sunnyvale = city
• CA = State

It should be noted that the strings passed in the geocoder request are constructed in one of two ways.

For example:
When geocoding a layer plotted in the product the string is constructed using commas.

• 200, S Mathilda, Sunnyvale, CA 94086

When geocoding is done in batches, the address is constructed and sent without commas.

• 200 S Mathilda Sunnyvale CA 94086

In general, the more text parameters passed in the request (i.e. “CA”, “94086”) the higher the confidence in match quality.

Note: In rare cases, Street Addresses that contain the word "and" may lead to inaccurate geocodes. Please remove that from the street address or use the Set Verified Location feature.

How are Salesforce Standard Address Fields and Custom Address Fields Geocoded?

Standard Address Fields
If you are using Salesforce’s standard Account Billing Address or Account Shipping Addresses you should use the standard data integration rules to geocode your records to update their coordinates anytime there is an update to the address fields.

If the org has data integration rules active, data.com will geocode records for certain standard objects.
Data integration rules apply only to:

• Account Billing Address
• Account Shipping Address
• Contact Mailing Address
• Lead Address

For more information on activating Data Integration Rules, Please check the article on Activating Data Integration Rules

Custom Address Fields
Custom address fields are geocoded by Salesforce Maps. If you are using custom address fields for any base objects, you should create automation to clear a record’s latitude and longitude and re-geocode it if you update any address fields for that record.
 

Which geocoding standards does Salesforce Maps follow?

Salesforce Maps uses different coverage levels for different countries. For information on geocoder coverage, see Salesforce Maps Geocoder Coverage. This coverage is based on geocoding custom address fields only.

In general, the more detailed the address you provide, the higher the potential for match accuracy. Behind every geocoder is a parsing engine that determines the correct syntax of the parameters passed to it so that it can correctly query the database. In this case, it’s a series of text strings.

Because we send unstructured geocoding requests, the accuracy of the result can heavily depend on the number of parameters sent and the quality of those parameters.

We use the free-text query parameters in our requests to the geocoding service. This means that the parsing engine of the geocoder takes the unstructured string parameters and determines what is the correct syntax of the address and queries appropriately. The geocoder must take into account the correct address formats for different countries. The default address format for Salesforce is the American address format.

Review these examples of free-text query parameters.

• 2, first ave, Australia
• 2, First Avenue, Belfield NSW, Australia
• 200, S Mathilda, Sunnyvale, CA
• 360, Pharr Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30305

The geocoder uses the information to determine the latitude and longitude. The more parameters in the request, the higher degree of accuracy of the result.

For example:

• 2, first ave, Australia
• 2, First Avenue, Belfield NSW, Australia

The second example ensures a more accurate result because of the addition of Belfield and Avenue. Without those additions, the geocoder can’t give accurate results, because of numerous addresses in Australia including 2 First Ave.

It’s understandable that for unfamiliar addresses, it may be difficult to know if the format is correct for a given country, or determine the level of quality of the address. The geocoder also determines what level it can match, based on the parameters given. So in this example, there can be n number of 2 First Avenues in Australia, but in different cities. This can result in incorrect matching.

Different countries have different levels of coverage and this can correlate with matching an address to coordinates. Consult the Salesforce Maps Geocoder Coverage article for more details on coverage. There is a possibility of inaccurate lat/long results, especially if the coverage for the country/area is not Full coverage.

What’s the frequency of updates? 

• The geocoder updates on a quarterly basis.

• Submitted changes can take months to take effect, depending on the date of the next quarterly release. Addresses for new construction can also take months to reflect in production. This is due to our geocoding service being self-hosted, and our vendor provides updates that we consume on a quarterly basis.

What are the best practices for getting accurate geocoding?

1. If you enter a common city name without a state or country, the geocoder can return inaccurate results.

For example, without knowing the state or country, the geocoder can deliver inaccurate results for the city of Monterrey. That’s because California (USA), Colombia, and Spain all have cities named Monterrey.

2. Avoid entering unnecessary information in the address fields.

If you import address data into Salesforce, some of your records might include additional details that confuse the geocoder. For example:

Attn Finance Director
77 Center Drive
Charlotte, NC 28217

3. Enter the correct country for an address.

For example, the incorrect country in this address prevents the geocoder from delivering accurate results.

Salesforce Maps
77 Center Drive
Charlotte, NC 28217
Canada

4. Avoid entering the country or the state multiple times.

For example, multiple entries for state prevent the geocoder from delivering accurate results.

Salesforce Maps
77 Center Drive
Charlotte, NC 28217
North Carolina, USA, US NC 28217

5. For the most accurate geocoding results, use the local address. Avoid translating addresses into American English unless the language uses Cyrillic, Logographic, or Ideographic writing systems. Characters outside of ‘A-Z’ and ‘0-9’ may return a response but are not supported.

Porscheplatz 1
70435 Stuttgart
Deutschland

6. Avoid including apartment, suite, and unit numbers in street addresses.

Adding that information to your street address field can cause plotting issues in Salesforce Maps. Instead, we recommend adding an apartment, unit, or suite number to a separate field in your records. For example:

77 Center Drive,
Suite 400,
Charlotte, NC 28217
 

When are the Latitude and Longitude fields updated?

• The first time a record is geocoded (This is done when you plot a layer or run a batch), Salesforce Maps will populate the empty Latitude and Longitude fields and save them on the record page, thus modifying the record.
• If the address on the record changes, Setup flows in your org to clear the Latitude/Longitude values of the records so that the Maps geocoding engine can re-geocode the records.
• Empty or “Null” Latitude/Longitude fields will be geocoded unless filtered out specifically in a query.
• When plotting a query, all records in that query will be geocoded, if the record doesn’t already have latitude and longitude coordinates.
• If a new record is added to SFDC, that record will not be updated with Latitude and Longitude fields until the record is plotted on the map or the geocoding batch is executed against the record.
• Any automation on the object that wouldn't allow the coordinates to be saved on the record or invoke a process or trigger should be re-considered.

What if I have Verified Latitude/Longitude fields?

• If you have Verified Latitude/Longitude fields populated, Salesforce Maps will use those over the standard latitude/longitude fields to place the pin on the map.
• When clearing coordinates using Mass Actions you will be prompted to clear Verified fields or not.