Geography

The geography__aln object enables independently defined geographies. This enables administrators to store information, for example, sales metrics and custom attributes at the geography level, enabling business decisions to be made independently of the geography’s current territory.

Previously, geography records were defined by the geography_territory__aln object, which explicitly tied a geography record to a territory.

Configuration

Existing geography_territory__aln records automatically convert to new geography__aln records as part of the Align 19R1.3 release. Any custom geography_territory__aln fields must be recreated on the geography__aln object, except for any custom relationships to the country object, which are automatically migrated.

Geography_territory__aln records created after 19R1.3 must reference a geography__aln record.

Creating New Records

To create a new geography__aln record:

1. Navigate to the Geographies page in the Entities tab.
2. Select Create.

3. Populate the following information:

   • Name

   • Geography Type – Select either Postal Code or Brick

     Custom values of this picklist are not supported.

   • Map Shape – Enter if using a Map Shape not supported by Align. See Supported Map Shapes for a complete list.
   • Country
4. Select Save.

Align supported shapes display on the map automatically if the Geography's name and country combination match that of a provided shape.

Geography__aln records can be assigned to territories via the geography_territory__aln object. To associate a geography__aln record to a territory:

1. Navigate to the appropriate territory.
2. Navigate to the Geography Territories related list.
3. Select Create.
4. Populate the geography_object__aln field with the appropriate geography__aln record.
5. Select Save.

Additionally, geography__aln records can be uploaded using the Align Data Loader.

Activating Geography Records by Country

Geography records are automatically created for all countries with supported map shapes. The associated country must be activated in order to display the geography__aln records:

1. Navigate to the Countries page in the Entities tab.
2. Select the appropriate country.
3. Select Edit.
4. Select Active in the Status picklist.
5. Select Save.

Align automatically imports all Postal Codes for the newly-activated country into new Geography records.

Geography__aln records are not removed if the associated country is deactivated.

Use

The list of geography records can be viewed in the Geographies page of the Entities tab.

Users can view the list of geographies associated with a territory by navigating to the appropriate territory__aln record. The list of geography__aln records associated with that territory display in the Geography Territories related list.

Users can also view each individual geography as part of the associated territory.