Forum Discussion
Power BI Azure Map
Hi,
I’m trying to create a map in Power BI to display all the machines we have in Australia. We have a column called CompanyAddressLong, which contains the full address, postcode, and city.
However, when I use CompanyAddressLong in the map visual, some locations are appearing in the US instead of Australia.
Did I miss something in the setup, or is there a configuration I need to change to tell Power BI that all these addresses are located in Australia?
Just a follow up to close this forum. I change to ArcGis map and with the address all points went to the right location. So this was the solution in the end.
8 Replies
- krishnakanth240Super User
Hi Beto_Zambom
Split the address into fields
Create separate columns and set Data Category correctly
CompanyCountryCode → Country/Region
CompanyPostalCode → Postal Code
CompanyCity → City
Then place Country + Postal Code + City in the map (not the long address string)or
Use Latitude / Longitude (most reliable)
Pre-geocode addresses (Azure Maps, Google, etc.)
Store Latitude / Longitude = we can get these based on city/country from internet if client won't provide us
Use those fields in the map
Please mark it as a solution with headup if this helps you. Thank You! - cengizhanarslanSuper User
Right now Power BI is trying to interpret CompanyAddressLong as a global address. If parts of the string (city name, street, or postcode) also exist in the US, Azure Maps may resolve them there. To solve:
Create a column:
Country = "Australia"
Set Data Category:
Country → Country/Region
City → City
Postcode → Postal code
Address → Address
In Azure Map visual, place:
Country → Country
Address or City → Location
This forces Azure Maps to resolve everything inside Australia.
- danextianSuper User
Hi Beto_Zambom
Using addresses instead of latitude and longitude isn’t ideal in Power BI maps. Address-based geocoding can be ambiguous, especially when multiple places share the same name. Even with the country defined in the hierarchy, Power BI may still plot the location in a different country if the geocoding service resolves it incorrectly.
Providing latitude and longitude avoids this issue entirely, as coordinates uniquely identify a location and ensure accurate plotting in Azure and Bing Maps.
- Beto_ZambomFrequent Visitor
I understand about the Lat x Long but unfortunatelly that data is not possible to have it
- AshokKunwarContinued Contributor
Hii Beto_Zambom
When using a single string like CompanyAddressLong, Power BI's geocoding engine searches globally. If a street name in Australia also exists in the US, the map may default to the US location if it has a higher "search relevance" in the Bing database
The Solution: 3 Steps to Lock Locations to Australia
Step 1: Set Data Categories
You must tell Power BI exactly what each column represents. This is the most common step users miss.
- In the Data pane, select your CompanyCountryCode column.
- Go to the Column tools tab in the top ribbon.
- Click the Data Category dropdown and select Country/Region.
- Repeat this for CompanyCity (set to City) and CompanyPostalCode (set to Postal Code).
Step 2: Create a Geographic Hierarchy
Creating a hierarchy forces Power BI to look at the address "inside" the city, and the city "inside" the country.
- In the Data pane, right-click CompanyCountryCode and select Create hierarchy.
- Right-click CompanyCity and select Add to hierarchy -> CompanyCountryCode Hierarchy.
- Add CompanyAddressLong as the final level of that hierarchy.
- Use this Hierarchy in the Location field of your Map visual instead of the single address column.
Step 3: Add "Australia" to the Address String (Optional but Highly Effective)
If you still see issues, create a calculated column that explicitly appends the country name to every address.
MapAddress = 'Table'[CompanyAddressLong] & ", Australia"Set the Data Category for this new MapAddress column to Address.
Why this works:
- Contextual Geocoding: By categorizing the Country column as "Country/Region," you provide a global filter for the Bing Maps API.
- Hierarchy Priority: When you use a hierarchy, Power BI passes the country and city context along with the street address, eliminating ambiguity with US street names.
Summary for the Community
The map visual needs geographic context. Always categorize your columns under Column Tools and try to include a "Country" field in your visual's Location bucket to anchor the geocoding to a specific part of the world.
If this configuration fixes your map locations, please mark this as the "Accepted Solution" to help others with similar mapping issues!
- Beto_ZambomFrequent Visitor
Hi AshokKunwar
I did all you asked for:
1. CompanyCountryCode -> Contry/Region
2. CompanyCity -> City
3. CompanyPostalCode -> Postal Code
Create also Geographic Hierarchy
Also the new column MapAddress
MapAddress = 'FactDataTotalSprayers'[CompanyAddressLong] & ", Australia"
The map a little bit better, but now 3 points still on US and 1 in Europe:
The interesting is this data set, with all other countries (I just have a part of the data only australia) do not have that error when they add the CompanyAddressLong.
- Beto_ZambomFrequent Visitor
Just a follow up to close this forum. I change to ArcGis map and with the address all points went to the right location. So this was the solution in the end.
- AshokKunwarContinued Contributor
HII Beto_Zambom
If this configuration fixes your map locations, please mark this as the "Accepted Solution" to help others with similar mapping issues!