Tool Mastery | Create Points

[JordanB]

This article is part of the Tool Mastery Series, a compilation of Knowledge Base contributions to introduce diverse working examples for Designer Tools. Here we’ll delve into uses of the Create Points Tool on our way to mastering the Alteryx Designer:

The Create Points Toolis the ‘Bonnie’ to your Clyde of any spatial analyses. The Create Points Tool allows you to take your latitude and longitude, often the spatial fields included in datasets, and convert them to a format that can play with Alteryx Spatial toolset. If your dataset lacks the latitude and longitude fields needed there are numerous free websites, geocoders, or geocoding APIs where this information is available.

Within the Create Points Tool you will also have the flexibility of choosing the geographic or projected coordinate system of your choice. If you have custom projections you can also select those:

Use Cases

• Using the Create Points Tools can enable you to utilizea lot of the spatial tools. A common use case within retail is to look at customer and store locations. Often when these two points have been created, you can blend these datasets using the Join Tool (master it here), and then use the Distance Tool to calculatethe distance between your customers and the stores.
• Before creating any greater spatial objects (polygons, lines, etc.) you must first create their constituent points using the Create Points Tool.
• As you build out the process you have the option to visualize the dataset. To do this you will need to add a browse tool which will render the spatial points in the configuration window. As default, you will have access to Cloudmade Map layers which uses aninternetconnection. However, if you have the spatial data you will have access to DigitalGlobe, TomTom and USGS. First, these points need to be generated using the Create Points Tool.

By now, you should have expert-level proficiency with the Create Points Tool! If you can think of a use case we left out, feel free to use the comments section below! Consider yourself a Tool Master already? Let us know at community@alteryx.com if you’d like your creative tool uses to be featured in the Tool Mastery Series.

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[JORGE4900]

Hello @JordanB,

How are spatial points created based on an address that includes the city, state, and zip code?

[JordanB]

Hi @JORGE4900

If you choose to use the address, city, state & zip code using the Geo-coding tools within the Alteryx designer they will reach out to the Tom Tom Geocoding API which has a repository of the addresses etc. Address interpolation is then used by converting a multi-line address into a normalized form, with latitude and longitude, spatial object, and additional fields specific to the coding process. More info above the more accurate the result and this is used to create a spatial object in Alteryx.

[JORGE4900]

Hi @JordanB

Thanks for that answer; that was pretty detailed.

[choward]

We use Alteryx in a closed environment, not accessible to an internet connection. This prevents the use of Cloudmade Map layers. DigitalGlobe, TomTom, and USGS base maps for geospatial mapping. Is there an import function for shape files to be used as base map layers? I need to map demographic groups for marketing.