How to Calculate Straight-line Distances Between Locations
Get exact distance calculations for any of your datasets with location data.
1. OPEN YOUR DATASET
You can open your data by single clicking the name, double clicking anywhere on the row, or by single clicking on the row and clicking the “Open” button. If you don’t have a dataset created, click on the “Add New Items” button. Then select, “New Dataset” and follow the prompts.
2. Click “Add Automated Column”
You can find the “Add Automated Column” button in the dataset banner.
3. SELECT “Datasets in my library”
Once the add automated column menu is open, select “datasets in my library”.
4. Select the dataset you would like to calculate driving distances from
You can select any dataset that has location data, including the dataset you are currently working on. The dataset you select will be the dataset referenced for any distance calculations you perform.
5. SELECT “Distance to locations…”
The “Distance to locations in…” option will return the exact distance from the dataset you are working in to the target dataset. If you need to find a specific cell value (such as name) rather than a distance, get instructions on how to lookup a cell value instead.
6. Select “Straight-line distance” from the first drop-down
The first drop-down allows you to choose if you would like to calculate the straight-line distance or the driving distance between locations. Select “straight-line distance” if you would like to know the distance between locations as the crow flies.
7. Select the unit you would like to use for your calculation
From the second drop-down, select which unit you would like your distance calculation to be returned as.
8. Select which position you would like to use for the calculation
Distance calculations can be set to pull the absolute closest location (1st), the second closest location (2nd), etc. Choose whichever position you need for your calculation.
9. Click the plus icon to add additional criteria
If you have addition criteria for which location from your target dataset is used, such as a specific qualification or sales amount, you can specify that here. After clicking the plus icon, you will see similar options to the filter UI where you can specify column values, distance requirements, or territory requirements that are needed.
10. Enter a name for your new column
Enter the name you would like to appear at the top of the added column, such as “Distance From Dataset 2”.
11. Click “Done”
You will see an additional column added to your dataset immediately. It may take a moment for the calculations to finish and populate.
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