Hints and Tips for Batch Geocoding

• To ensure good quality and accurate gecoding results, you must use accurate data. If your map's address data is incomplete or out of date, your geocoding will not deliver the results you want.

• You can use generic point data to import points onto a map. However, before you import the points, you must make sure that your address data set contains a variable that is named ID and that has a unique value for each point.

• The following are some useful notes on the Address Data Set.

  The address data set is a SAS data set that contains the addresses that you want to geocode. It should contain variables for the street address, city, state, and ZIP code (and an optional ZIP+4 code) of the addresses to be matched. The address data set can also contain a name that is associated with the address, but the name is not used in the address matching.

  In order for the geocoding facility to accurately parse the addresses, follow these guidelines:

  • Use only street addresses. P.O. boxes, rural routes, grid addresses, and addresses with alphanumeric characters cannot be geocoded. An address containing a post office box or a rural route address in addition to a street address should not cause a problem.

  • The street number portion of the street address should not contain non-numeric characters. For example, an address such as 501-B Kent St will be matched to 501 Kent St., not to the full address containing the non-numeric character. Apartment numbers should be stored in separate variables rather than appended to the street number.

  • Use the following values for directional prefixes and suffixes, with no punctuation or spaces between letters:

    N S E W NE NW SE SW

  • Avoid using abbreviations that conflict with street name abbreviations. For example, do not use St John St. Use Saint John St instead. Spelling out Saint reduces chances for confusion.

  Note:   The results from the geocoding are written back to this data set, so you must have WRITE access to it or make a copy you can write to.  

Copyright © 2007 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.