Google Maps for Data Visualization in Quickbase

Knowledge Base

Knowledge Base

Quickbase Outside Of The Box

June 20, 2019

Maps are a very useful way to convey location details in your applications. Quick Base offers a native Map Report option which can be great for doing this, however, it does have some drawbacks.

✓ Limited to 100 locations. Will default to first 100 based on sorting filter.

✓ Only display data from a single table.

✓ Provide limited record details.

✓ Cannot drive workflow.

Using the Google Maps API in a Code Page removes these limitations and allows you to create awesome maps with more detail and workflow power. Including but not limited to the following:

✓ Unlimited number of locations can be displayed (use at your discretion, crowded maps can look UGLY)

✓ Display data from any table.

✓ Display any fields from any record.

✓ Drive workflow by allowing users to add/edit/delete data using the map UI.

EXAMPLE: Custom map using Quick Base data

a map of a large area with a lot of places on it

The map above combines data from an Employees table and a Projects table. Address fields are converted to lat/long values allowing the Quick Base records to become pins on the map. Project Managers can view locations and detailed information and assign Employees to Projects directly from the map interface. This is just one of the many ways custom maps can provide data visualization and drive workflow from a single interface.

BEST PRACTICE: When working with the Google Maps API, you must convert Address Fields to latitudinal/longitudinal values. Although this can be accomplished on the client-side, there are API call limits that can interfere with the loading process. If possible, use a server-side script to geocode your Address Fields and write to lat/long fields in your record. This will dramatically increase your map’s responsiveness. For more on the Google Maps API, check out their documentation.

Quick Base dashboards allow you to add Code Page widgets, meaning you can easily place a custom map on any user’s Home page. Check out our article on Adding Reports to Dashboards to learn how to get started.