When you get started with new software it is so easy to jump in without thinking too much about how you are going to be using it on a regular basis.

To avoid this, we want to help you get your eSpatial experience off to the right start with a few preparation and organization tips

1. Organize your workspaces, datasets and maps

Organize your eSpatial workspace

We all know the pain of not being able to find that one file or document that you really need within the mess that is our documents folder on our computers. A little organization goes a long way towards ensuring that rarely happens. So when you get started with eSpatial, don’t just think about what you’re doing right now, but have a quick think about how you want your eSpatial Library to look in 6 months. Give your workspaces, datasets, territories and maps names and descriptions that will allow you to easily find them when you need them. If you don’t need a dataset in a particular map anymore hover your mouse over the dataset name and click the trash can icon that appears. This will remove it from the map. You can still find it in the library to use on another map.

2. Personalize your maps

Personalize your eSpatial map

When you get started with eSpatial, you may find that the default style and color don’t match your brand or organization so dive into the Style and Color menu to customize the look and feel of the map to suit the purpose, whether it is for data visualization or sales territory mapping. Try increasing contrast for better visibility on a PowerPoint presentation or to use labels to help others understand what you are trying to tell them through an interactive shared map.

Once you’ve set the base style for your locations and if you have compatible data (columns with integer /decimal values or text values of up to 50 unique categories, i.e. a 10,000 row sheet with a column of up to 50 sales rep names) you can check out the “By Color” and “By Size” options for coordinated data visualization. If you don’t have either of these, you can still create a very nifty “Heat Map” in just a few seconds.

3. Tell eSpatial what your data represents when uploading

Fix Your Data

When you upload your spreadsheet to our software, it does lots of clever stuff to help you get started with eSpatial. It looks for keywords such as Street, City, State etc. which it interprets as address data. It then uses that to make sure your pins plot in the correct location. It also looks at the other columns you have in your file; Sales, Territory, Owner, ID Number etc. and make a best guess as to what type of data this is. For example, in a sales column it expect to see integer or decimal values. This affects how your data appears in eSpatial and the methods of color coding and filtering available to you later on. So, it’s pretty important!

4. Learn about data filters

It’s great being able to visualize thousands of spreadsheet rows on a map when you get started with eSpatial, however sometimes you want to pick out the locations that are really performing or identify those that are not. eSpatial allows you to filter your data on any or all of your columns at once. Just click on the table of data at the base of the screen, select the dataset you want to filter and hit the function button present on each column. Depending on the type of data in each column (see no.3 above) a different type of filter is available.

• Integer or decimal data : a mathematical filter allows you to set a range of values you want to filter by.   i.e. Sales values between 500 – 1000
• Text up to 50 unique values: a checkbox filter allows you to select multiple text values to include or exclude from your search. i.e. All accounts owned by Don, Roger and Joan.
• Text above 50 unique values: a free text search filter. i.e. show all accounts containing / not containing the word “Chemical”.

5. Try out territories

Territory Management

Visualizing your data as points on a map is the perfect way to get started with eSpatial. You can map out sales data, your network of leads and prospects, stores and warehouses, medical facilities or any other locations that your business or organisation needs to see on a map. You might also want to visually represent your sales or operational territories on a map and answer questions such as which territory has the most value/location or which territory can be expanded.The great news is that all of this takes just minutes with eSpatial. Setting up and balancing your territories is as simple as picking your territory building blocks (states, counties, zips etc.)  and joining them together like jigsaw pieces. Moving your territories from another system? No problem, just export the data to an excel file and import to eSpatial.

6. Share some interactive maps

Now that you have set up your map in exactly the way you want it by completing steps 1-5 above, its time to share your beautiful masterpiece. You can include your map in reports, presentations, downloadable pdfs or even embed it on a website. Adding that extra interactive element always impresses as it allows the viewer to explore the data on its own. There are three ways of sharing:

Public: Share or embed your map with anyone, on any device without them having to be an eSpatial user. Include or exclude the table of data. Including it means they can filter your data. Exports and printing are not possible with a publicly shared or embedded map.

Share within Team: eSpatial Team, Team Plus, Enterprise and Custom accounts all come with multiple user logins so you can set up your Sales, Marketing, Finance and Management teams with their very own accounts. Group permissions can be enabled so that some can edit, export, upload etc. whereas others can just view the maps and data. Maps can then be shared securely into these accounts, only accessible after the user logs in with their email address and password.

Static Sharing: Save your map or various views of a map in PDF or JPEG format to email as attachments, include in presentations or print out large scale for your office wall. In our latest release of eSpatial, we launched our mapBook which allows you to convert all your territories into a PowerPoint presentation that can then be distributed amongst your team in a handy PDF booklet.

So there you have it, our top tips for a quick and easy start to your eSpatial experience. Should you have any other questions, you can get in touch with your sales representative or customer success manager by email or live chat.