Region

Overview

The Region field specifies subdivisions or areas within a country where your business operates or collects data. These can be geographically defined (e.g., states, provinces) or internally structured regions (e.g., sales territories, business units). Regions enable granular analysis, allowing filtering in dashboards like Effect and Activities, and form part of the Modeling Combination for segmented modeling.

Unlike the strict ISO standards for Country, regions offer flexibility to align with your business needs. This supports custom hierarchies while maintaining data integrity for geographic-specific insights, such as regional performance trends or localized optimizations.

Data Requirements

• Type: String (free text; no major restrictions on format or length).
• Required: In most data files (e.g., Sales, Media) for geographic segmentation; optional if nationwide (use "all" or blank).
• Validation: Only the following characters are allowed: 0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZåäöüøæÆÄÅÖÜßØ()_+-

For non-applicable or nationwide data:

• Use "all" to indicate aggregated scope.

Examples

• "North America East": Custom business region.
• "California": Free-text geographic name.
• "US-CA": ISO 3166-2 format for California, USA (optional, but recommended for integrations).
• "Sales District 1": Internal territory.
• "all": Nationwide or non-segmented.

Best Practices

• Flexibility with Structure: Define regions based on your operations (e.g., mix geographic and custom). Keep names consistent (e.g., always "US-CA" or "California") to avoid duplication.
• Validation and Consistency: While free text is allowed, use tools or scripts to standardize entries before upload. Align with business hierarchies for meaningful Filtering.
• Integration Benefits: Opt for ISO 3166-2 (e.g., "SE-AB" for Stockholm County, Sweden) when possible, especially for Weather or external data linkages, to unlock automated features.
• Nationwide Data: Default to "all" for simplicity; avoid blanks to prevent parsing issues.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

• Inconsistencies: Mismatched spellings (e.g., "Calif" vs. "California") can fragment data—standardize upfront.
• No Restrictions Leading to Errors: Overly complex names may cause display issues in dashboards; keep concise.
• ISO Integration: If using ISO for weather but free text elsewhere, map them during data prep to avoid conflicts.

For related fields, see Country or Grouping. For the ISO 3166-2 list, consult Wikipedia or official ISO sources.