Forum Discussion
Excel map does not recognize regions
I have an issue with the map feature of excel.
I am creating a map of Colombia where I want to mark out in which regions and municipalities a company has presence with offices (i.e how many offices are present in each municipality). I have managed to create a map of Colombia in which all municipalities where there's an office is visualized. That part is working perfectly.
Then I wanted to visualize through a drop-down list with a corresponding map the presence in each department and municipality, to be able to select one department and see how presence looks in that specific department and its municipalities.
I have created a drop-down list of all regions and a corresponding map. However, the map is only available in some departments. For example, when visualizing the department of Risalda the map is shown exactly how I want, in what municipalities the company has their offices.
But when choosing for example the department of Sucre i get the message "map charts work best with geographical data such as state/province and country/region in separate columns. Please try again", and when choosing Valle del Cauca, I get a world map visualized.
Why can it only read certain municipalities? What am I doing wrong?
5 Replies
That's better to discuss with the sample file. Tool is quite sensitive to column names and data layout. Sure to geographical names as well.
In opposite to common recommendations usually it better works with plain texts.
It works OK when visualizing it on a country level-map, then its only missing data in some regions I hope can be adjusted. The problem is only in drop-down list, when trying to visualize only one department at a time.
More content the tool have the better, I agree that with only one department the answer could be not reliable. At least set to show only regions with data
it won't shift on world map when
There are several reasons why your Excel map might not be recognizing all regions and displaying the corresponding map correctly:
1. Data Format:
- Geographical Data: As the error message suggests, Excel map charts work best with specific geographical data structures. Ensure your data is organized in separate columns for country/region and state/province (or department in your case). Currently, it seems the data might be inconsistent for some regions.
2. Region Names:
- Standardization: Make sure the region names you use in your map chart data match the standard names recognized by Excel. Check the available regions list within Excel's map settings and ensure your names are consistent.
- Regional Variations: Consider any regional variations in spelling or abbreviation that might be causing issues. Try using the full name of the region as designated by Excel.
3. Custom Regions:
- Limited Support: Although you can create custom regions with specific shapes and boundaries, this feature might not work perfectly with all functionalities, including drop-down selection. Consider sticking to standard regions if possible.
4. Data Integrity:
- Missing or Incorrect Values: Double-check your data for any missing or incorrect values in the department or municipality columns. Even a single entry with an error can cause unexpected behavior in the map chart.
Solutions:
- Review Data Structure: Ensure your data is organized with separate columns for "country" (Colombia), "department," and "municipality."
- Standardize Region Names: Check consistency between your data entries and the standard names recognized by Excel's map feature.
- Avoid Custom Regions: If possible, stick to the built-in regions for better compatibility.
- Data Validation: Implement data validation rules in your spreadsheet to ensure entries adhere to the expected format and prevent typos or errors.
By addressing these potential issues, you should be able to get your map chart working consistently across all Colombian departments and municipalities. If the issue persists after trying these solutions, consider searching online forums or seeking help from Microsoft support for further assistance specific to your data and setup.
- Thank you so much for the response. Since the data works seamlessly in all other aspects except for when the drop-down list is created, I think it is not missing values, names etc., but rather a problem with the specific drop-down list and map.... But then I know there's no clear answer to this. How would I go about seeking help from Microsoft support? I tried but had no success of finding a good way to contact
