Skip to main content
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

The Power BI Data Visualization World Championships is back! Get ahead of the game and start preparing now! Learn more

Reply
Syndicate_Admin
Administrator
Administrator

Map in Power BI using country and city

Hello!

I'm trying to draw several cities around the world on a Power BI map. The problem is that there are several cities that are called the same in different countries, and I do not know how to limit the city with the right country. If I use country and then city as a hierarchy it does not work:

fjcasado_0-1666880388388.png

Could you tell me if it is possible to correctly identify the city in your corresponding country?

Thanks a lot.

Greetings.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
v-easonf-msft
Community Support
Community Support

Hi, @Syndicate_Admin 

You can refer to the tips in the link below to improve the underlying dataset.

Tips and tricks for Power BI map visualizations 

1. Categorize geographic fields in Power BI Desktop

In Power BI Desktop, you can ensure fields are correctly geo-coded by setting the Data Category on the data fields. In Data view, select the desired column. From the ribbon, select the Column tools tab and then set the Data Category to Address, City, Continent, Country, County, Postal Code, State, or Province.

2. Use more than one location column

Sometimes, even setting the data categories for mapping isn't enough for Bing to correctly guess your intent. Some designations are ambiguous because the location exists in multiple countries or regions. For example, there's a Southampton in England, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Power BI uses Bing's unstructured URL template service to get the latitude and longitude coordinates based on a set of address values for any country. If your data doesn't contain enough location data, add those columns and categorize them appropriately.

3. Use specific Latitude and Longitude

Add latitude and longitude values to your dataset. This removes any ambiguity and returns results more quickly. Latitude and Longitude fields must be in Decimal Number format, which you can set in the data model.

4. Use Place category for columns with full location information

While we encourage you to use geo-hierarchies in your maps, if you must use a single location column with full geographical information, you can set the data categorization to Place. For example, if the data in your column is full addresses, such as 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond Washington 98052, this generalized data category will work best with Bing.


Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Eason

View solution in original post

1 REPLY 1
v-easonf-msft
Community Support
Community Support

Hi, @Syndicate_Admin 

You can refer to the tips in the link below to improve the underlying dataset.

Tips and tricks for Power BI map visualizations 

1. Categorize geographic fields in Power BI Desktop

In Power BI Desktop, you can ensure fields are correctly geo-coded by setting the Data Category on the data fields. In Data view, select the desired column. From the ribbon, select the Column tools tab and then set the Data Category to Address, City, Continent, Country, County, Postal Code, State, or Province.

2. Use more than one location column

Sometimes, even setting the data categories for mapping isn't enough for Bing to correctly guess your intent. Some designations are ambiguous because the location exists in multiple countries or regions. For example, there's a Southampton in England, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Power BI uses Bing's unstructured URL template service to get the latitude and longitude coordinates based on a set of address values for any country. If your data doesn't contain enough location data, add those columns and categorize them appropriately.

3. Use specific Latitude and Longitude

Add latitude and longitude values to your dataset. This removes any ambiguity and returns results more quickly. Latitude and Longitude fields must be in Decimal Number format, which you can set in the data model.

4. Use Place category for columns with full location information

While we encourage you to use geo-hierarchies in your maps, if you must use a single location column with full geographical information, you can set the data categorization to Place. For example, if the data in your column is full addresses, such as 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond Washington 98052, this generalized data category will work best with Bing.


Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ Eason

Helpful resources

Announcements
Power BI DataViz World Championships

Power BI Dataviz World Championships

The Power BI Data Visualization World Championships is back! Get ahead of the game and start preparing now!

December 2025 Power BI Update Carousel

Power BI Monthly Update - December 2025

Check out the December 2025 Power BI Holiday Recap!

FabCon Atlanta 2026 carousel

FabCon Atlanta 2026

Join us at FabCon Atlanta, March 16-20, for the ultimate Fabric, Power BI, AI and SQL community-led event. Save $200 with code FABCOMM.