Salesforce Maps Layers
A Salesforce Maps Layer is a saved set of rules that tells Salesforce Maps which records or geographic areas to draw on an interactive map, and how to draw them.
Definition
A Salesforce Maps Layer is a saved set of rules that tells Salesforce Maps which records or geographic areas to draw on an interactive map, and how to draw them. Each layer pulls from a defined source, applies filters, and renders the results as pins, colored regions, or third-party data points so field and sales teams can see their CRM data on a map.
Salesforce Maps supports three layer kinds. Marker layers plot Salesforce records such as accounts, leads, and opportunities. Shape layers outline geographic areas like postal codes, counties, or hand-drawn territories. Data layers overlay non-Salesforce business, property, and demographic data sourced from third-party vendors.
How the three layer types work together
Marker layers: your records as map pins
A marker layer is the workhorse of Salesforce Maps. It takes a Salesforce object, accounts, leads, contacts, opportunities, or a custom object, and plots every matching record that has location data as a pin on the map. You build one in the Marker Layer Builder, which walks you through choosing the source object, applying filters, and deciding how the pins look. Filters keep a layer focused. You can use field filters that read fields on the record and its parent lookups, activity filters that show records with or without recent tasks and events, and cross filters that include or exclude records based on related objects (up to two cross-object filters per layer). A rep planning a week of visits might filter to open opportunities over a certain amount, owned by their user, inside one state. Once filtered, the layer renders. Reps plot it from the Layers tab, and Maps draws each record where its geocoded coordinates fall. Because the layer is a saved definition rather than a static picture, plotting it again always reflects the current data behind it.
Coloring and labeling markers
The Markers tab of the builder controls how each pin looks, and this is where a plain dot map becomes a readable one. Salesforce Maps gives you five marker assignment types, and choosing the right one is most of the work in making a layer useful. Uniform gives every pin the same color and shape, which suits a single, simple data set. Varied Based On 1 Field assigns colors and shapes dynamically from one field value, so you might color accounts by industry or by status. Varied Based On 2 Fields uses one field for color and a second for shape, letting a single layer carry two dimensions at once. Labeled Pins replace the shape with a text label drawn from a field, useful when the account name matters more than the symbol. Ordered by 1 Field numbers the pins by a field value, which helps when sequence matters, such as a ranked call list. You can also switch a marker layer into a heat map. Instead of individual pins, Maps shades the area by density using a configurable radius, opacity, and color gradient, which is handy for spotting clusters of activity across a large region.
Shape layers: drawing the lines on the map
Shape layers map areas rather than points. They outline geographic boundaries so a team can see and act on regions, not just individual records. Salesforce Maps supports boundaries like countries, states, counties, census tracts, and postal codes, and it also lets you draw your own shapes with polygon, rectangle, or circle tools. The common use is territory design. Sales operations teams build a shape layer where each region is its own shape, then use those shapes to define who covers what. A drawn polygon around a metro area becomes a working territory that reps can see on the same map as their accounts. Because the boundaries sit underneath the marker pins, you get an immediate read on which records fall inside which area. Administrators manage shape layers through a dedicated builder. They set which boundaries appear, what details each shape shows, and how the shapes look, using filter, draw, copy, and adjust tools. One caution worth knowing: vendor boundary data updates on its own cadence, and Salesforce notes that boundary changes can take several months to appear in Salesforce Maps.
Data layers: context you did not have to enter
Data layers bring outside information onto the map without anyone keying it into Salesforce. They overlay third-party business, property, and demographic data that vendors supply, so reps can prospect and plan against facts that live beyond the CRM. The available data is broad. Business data covers millions of companies in markets like the US, UK, and Canada, filterable by NAICS and SIC industry codes. Property and infrastructure layers include US property records, auto dealerships, colleges and universities, hospitals, airports, and schools. Demographic layers pull from census data across several countries and years, plus specialty sets like energy rate data for the US. A rep uses these layers to find what is near, not just what is owned. Plotting a business data layer next to existing accounts surfaces companies in the same area that are not yet in the pipeline, turning a coverage map into a prospecting tool. Salesforce updates each data layer on a set cadence that tracks its underlying source, so the overlay stays reasonably current without manual effort.
Folders, sharing, and how layers reach reps
Layers are saved objects, and where they are saved decides who can use them. Salesforce Maps organizes saved layers into folders, with a clear split between personal and shared. A Personal folder holds layers private to one user. A Corporate folder holds layers that an organization shares with teams, so an admin can build a standard layer once and let every rep plot it. From the Layers tab, a rep works from a Recent tab for layers they have plotted lately and a Saved tab for everything available to them. Plotting offers a few modes. A standard plot draws all matching markers, Plot Visible Area limits the draw to the current map view, and a load setting can make a layer plot automatically when Salesforce Maps opens. This folder model is what makes Maps scale past a single power user. Operations defines the layers that matter, places them in shared folders, and reps consume consistent, governed views instead of each building their own. It keeps the map analysis aligned across a team rather than scattered across individual setups.
Stacking layers for real analysis
The point of layers is that you rarely use just one. Each layer is a separate question, and the map answers several at once when you stack them. A territory shape layer on the bottom, a marker layer of owned accounts above it, a second marker layer of open opportunities, and a data layer of nearby businesses together tell a story no single layer could. Worked example: a field team preparing for a quarter starts with a shape layer that draws their assigned regions. On top, they plot a marker layer filtered to accounts with no activity in 90 days, colored by last order value, so neglected high-value accounts stand out. They add a business data layer to spot prospects sitting inside the same territory. In a few clicks, a static account list becomes a route-and-target plan. Because layers are saved definitions, this whole view is repeatable. The team plots the same set next quarter and sees fresh data in the same frame. Good Salesforce Maps practice is to treat layers as a small, reusable library of map questions, each filtered tightly enough to answer one thing well.
Build a Salesforce Maps marker layer
Marker layers are the layer type admins and ops most often build by hand. You create one in the Salesforce Maps Marker Layer Builder, point it at an object, filter it, and choose how the pins look before saving it to a folder.
- Open the Marker Layer Builder
From the Salesforce Maps Layers tab, start a new marker layer. This opens the builder, where each tab handles one part of the layer definition.
- Pick the data source
Choose the Salesforce object the layer plots, such as Account, Lead, Opportunity, or a custom object. The object must have location fields so its records can be geocoded onto the map.
- Filter the records
Add field, activity, or cross filters so the layer shows only the records you want. Keep the filter tight, for example open opportunities above an amount owned by the current user.
- Configure the markers
On the Markers tab, choose an assignment type. Use Varied Based On 1 Field to color by a value, Varied Based On 2 Fields for color plus shape, or Labeled Pins to show text.
- Set popups and save
Choose which fields appear in the marker popup and related tabs, name the layer, and save it to a Personal or Corporate folder so the right people can plot it.
The Salesforce object the layer plots, such as Account or Opportunity. It needs geocoded location data on its records.
A clear label reps see in the Layers tab. Name it for the question it answers, like Open Opps Over 50K.
The Personal or Corporate folder where the layer is saved, which controls whether it stays private or is shared with teams.
- Records without geocoded coordinates will not plot, so confirm address fields are populated and geocoded before expecting pins.
- You can apply at most two cross-object filters per marker layer, so plan related-object logic within that limit.
- Saving a layer to a Personal folder keeps it private. Use a Corporate folder when the whole team needs to plot the same view.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Reference for Shape, Marker, and Data LayersSalesforce
- Salesforce Maps Marker Layer OptionsSalesforce
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Salesforce Maps Layers.
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Salesforce Maps Layers.
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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Q1. What are Maps Layers?
Q2. Can you stack multiple layers?
Q3. What data can layers show?
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