Maps and Location Settings
Maps and Location Settings is the Salesforce Setup page that controls how the platform handles geocoded address fields, route planning, location-based filtering, and the integration with mapping providers used by Sales Cloud features like Maps and Territory Management.
Definition
Maps and Location Settings is the Salesforce Setup page that controls how the platform handles geocoded address fields, route planning, location-based filtering, and the integration with mapping providers used by Sales Cloud features like Maps and Territory Management. The page enables geocoding for standard address fields (Account billing/shipping, Contact mailing, Lead address) so that records gain Latitude and Longitude values used by territory rules, mapping visualizations, and proximity filters. Geocoding runs as a background process; after enabling, the platform processes existing records and continues geocoding new ones automatically.
The settings also configure which mapping provider serves the geocoding and visualization layer (typically Google Maps for most orgs) and any region-specific defaults. The accuracy and coverage of geocoding depends on the input addresses; poorly formatted addresses produce low-confidence geocodes that may not place records in the expected location. Most orgs enable geocoding once and leave the settings; the operational concern is the quality of the underlying address data, not the configuration.
How geocoding works in Salesforce
What geocoding does
Geocoding takes an address (123 Main St, San Francisco, CA) and produces Latitude and Longitude coordinates. The Latitude and Longitude are populated as system-managed fields on Account (BillingLatitude, BillingLongitude, ShippingLatitude, ShippingLongitude), Contact (MailingLatitude, MailingLongitude), Lead, and other address-bearing objects. The fields are read-only but queryable through SOQL for proximity calculations and territory matching.
Enabling the geocoding clean rules
Geocoding is implemented as a Data.com Clean Rule that runs in the background. Setup > Maps and Location Settings > Enable Geocoding for Account Billing Address (and equivalents for other fields). Once enabled, the platform processes existing records over hours to days and geocodes new records on save. The status of each record is visible through the GeocodeAccuracy field.
Geocode accuracy levels
Each geocoded record has a GeocodeAccuracy field indicating confidence: Address (exact match), NearAddress, Block, Street, ExtendedZip, Zip, Neighborhood, City, County, State, Country. Higher accuracy means more useful for proximity and territory rules. Records with City or State accuracy are too coarse for most use cases; clean the underlying address data to improve.
Territory Management integration
Territory Management 2.0 can use geocoded Latitude and Longitude to assign Accounts to territories based on geographic boundaries. Without geocoding, territory rules must use textual fields (Country, State, ZIP), which work but are less flexible. Enabling geocoding unlocks geographic territory logic and supports more sophisticated assignment rules.
Maps visualization
Salesforce Maps (a separate licensed product, formerly MapAnything) uses the geocoded Latitude and Longitude to plot records on interactive maps. Without geocoding, Maps cannot place records correctly. Maps and Location Settings is one of two configuration surfaces; the Maps app has its own deeper configuration for routing, optimization, and visualization preferences.
Address data quality
Geocoding accuracy depends on address quality. Poorly formatted addresses (missing city, abbreviated state, typos) produce low-accuracy geocodes or fail entirely. Invest in address standardization through validation rules, integrations with address validators, or the Data.com Clean Address Standardization. The geocoding feature surfaces address quality issues that may have been invisible before.
Privacy considerations
Geocoded addresses are personal data in some jurisdictions. GDPR and similar regulations may treat precise location as needing user consent for processing. Audit before enabling geocoding for Contact addresses; the regulatory implications differ from B2B Account addresses. Document the geocoding purpose and consent basis for compliance.
Enable geocoding and address quality
Enabling geocoding is a one-time setup. The steps below cover the rollout and the address-quality work that maximizes the value.
- Audit address data quality
Before enabling, check Account and Contact addresses for completeness and formatting. Low-quality addresses produce low-quality geocodes.
- Open Maps and Location Settings
Setup > Maps and Location Settings. The page surfaces the geocoding toggles per address field.
- Enable geocoding per field
Enable Geocoding for Account Billing, Account Shipping, Contact Mailing, Lead Address, etc. Each is independent.
- Monitor processing
Geocoding runs in background. Check Data.com Clean status for processing progress; large orgs take hours to days.
- Audit GeocodeAccuracy
Query records grouped by GeocodeAccuracy. Identify clusters with low accuracy; plan address cleanup for those records.
- Clean addresses iteratively
Standardize addresses through Data.com Address Standardization or an external address validator. Re-geocoding happens automatically on save.
- Build geographic territory rules if applicable
Territory Management 2.0 can now use the geocoded data. Build geographic rules that complement or replace textual territory definitions.
Enable for Account billing addresses.
Enable for Account shipping addresses.
Enable for Contact mailing addresses. Consider GDPR implications first.
Enable for Lead addresses.
Mapping service for geocoding. Typically Google Maps.
- Geocoding accuracy depends on address quality. Enabling alone does not produce useful data if addresses are poor.
- Background processing takes hours to days. Large orgs cannot expect immediate geocoding completion.
- Salesforce Maps is licensed separately. Enabling geocoding does not provide map visualization; only the underlying coordinates.
- Privacy implications differ by jurisdiction. GDPR-aware orgs need consent basis for geocoding Contact addresses.
- Low-accuracy geocodes can place records far from actual locations. Filter on GeocodeAccuracy before relying on proximity calculations.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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