About choosing whether to import or link your data
There are two ways you can bring your source data into MapPoint: importing data and linking to data.
Importing data means that MapPoint uses the selected data fields to add data to the map without maintaining any ties to the data source. If the data source changes and you want to reflect those changes on the map, you can import the data again. You can import it to the same map as the original data set, in order to show changes over time, or to a new map. You should choose to import data if your data is relatively static or if you want to track changes over time.
Linking data means that MapPoint associates the map with the data source and you can use MapPoint to update your map with any changes made to your data source. You should choose to link to your data if your data changes frequently and you want a data map that reflects the latest information.
For example, if you have data that contains store locations, you can import the data since this will not change frequently. Whereas you may want to link to data that contains the weekly sales figures for your stores so you can keep the map updated with the latest sales information.
Notes
.gif)
You cannot edit or delete records on the map if the data is linked to the source.
If you choose to link your data, one column must contain unique values to use as the primary key.
Tip It is recommended that you structure your data source to have the primary key be the first column or data field.