About mapping data
Mapping data with Microsoft MapPoint allows you to look at information in a different way, using the power of geographic and spatial analysis to help you make business decisions. For instance, you can:
Display customer locations on the map
Use demographic data to identify market opportunities
Compare sales data by location or area to see quickly where your business is doing well and where it can be improved
Map your data to territories that you define on the map
When displaying data, you can use any information in the data as long as it is associated with a location on the map: an address, ZIP Code or postal code, census tract, city, metropolitan statistical area (MSA), state or province, or country. You can aggregate data by importing or linking data at one level (for example, ZIP Code) and displaying at a higher level (for example, State). Additionally, you can associate data to territories that have been defined on the map.
You can choose from a variety of map types to best display the data.
Once you have mapped data, you can change how it appears on the map and customize the map legend to communicate the meaning of your data. You can also select an area of the map and export data from that selection to Microsoft Excel. You can even select an area containing a mapped Pushpin set and create a route that includes those Pushpins. Additionally, you can add hyperlinks to Pushpin or data set balloons and then access those hyperlinks from the map, from an open Pushpin balloon, and from a Web page saved from the map.
For quick identification of mapped data, MapPoint provides data tips, which are concise on-screen descriptions that appear on maps when you rest the mouse pointer over areas where data is mapped.
For hands-on experience, see the MapPoint Tutorial, which steps you through the process of mapping data using sample files that come with MapPoint.