Upload Data
Walkthrough
Step 1: Prepare Your Dataset
Before uploading, review your dataset to ensure it is ready for use in Beacon. See best practices below for additional information.
Step 2: Open the Upload Flow
Navigate to the upload data page from the navigation menu or homepage.
Step 3: Select a File
Choose the CSV or Excel file from your file system to upload.
Step 4: Choose a Geography Type
Select the geography type that matches your data from the list below:
Address
Census Tract
ZIP Code / ZCTA
County
Step 5: Map Your Location Fields
Match the columns in your file to required Beacon location fields. For an address-based upload, this may include:
Location name
Street Address
City
State
ZIP Code
Step 6: Validate Your Locations
Click the “Validate Data” button to confirm that Beacon can read and validate your location data. Review any errors or warnings before continuing.
Step 7: Map Your Indicators
Click the “Map Indicators” button to define how your uploaded data should appear in Beacon.
You can either:
Create new indicator(s)
Map uploaded data to existing indicators, if available
Step 8: Create New Indicators
If creating new indicators, enter the required details such as:
Data source name
Data year
Indicator name
Indicator values
Category or domain
Notes or supporting fields
Step 9: Validate Your Indicator Values
Click the “Validate Indicators” button to confirm that your indicator setup is valid. Review and resolve any errors before finishing the upload.
Step 10: Finish the Upload
Click the “Finish Upload” button to complete the upload process. Once successful, your uploaded data will be available in Beacon
Step 11: View Your Data on the Map
Click the “Get Started” button to open the map analysis page with your indicator selected. Navigate to the area on the map where your data should appear, and verify that your uploaded indicators are displaying as expected.
(Optional) Step 12: Share Your Data Indicator(s)
If you’re working within a team, you can make your newly uploaded indicators available to other team members. Navigate to the indicators page from the navigation menu or homepage.
From the columns corresponding to the indicator(s) just uploaded, use the “Shared in Team” column to turn sharing off or on for the team you are currently working within.
Once shared, team members will be able to discover and use these indicators in their own map analyses and workflows.
Best Practices
Start with Clean Data
Before uploading, review your dataset for missing values, duplicate records, inconsistent formatting, and spelling errors. Cleaning data beforehand can significantly reduce validation issues and improve analysis quality.
Minimize Your Dataset
For security, performance, and accuracy purposes, limit your dataset to what you and your team need for Beacon. Avoid adding any additional data columns that are not needed for your analysis and workflows.
Verify Address Quality
For address-based uploads, include complete street addresses, cities, state, and ZIP codes whenever possible. More complete address information generally results in more accurate geocoding and map placement.
Use Clear Indicator Names
Indicator names should be understandable to someone outside your organization. Instead of abbreviations or internal codes, use descriptive names that clearly communicate what the data represents.
Good: Number of Food Pantry Visits
Less Helpful: FP_VISITS_X123
Document Your Data Sources
Use the Data Source and Year fields to provide context about where the data came from and how it should be interpreted.
Validate Early and Often
Run validation checks before completing your upload. Resolving issues during validation is typically much easier than troubleshooting missing or incorrect data later.
Share Intentionally
Only share indicators that are ready for use by your team. Consider reviewing naming conventions, metadata, and data quality before making indicators broadly available.