Marker Grouping Tool

The Map Filter Tool pares heavy spreadsheet data down to only the rows you want plotted on the map, with 5 filter types fitted to how each column was built.

Marker Groups Built From a Column

Pick a column, and Maptive splits your pins into a Primary Group. Layer a Secondary Group on top to read a second column.

Primary Group setup: Pick a column from your data set as the Primary Group, and Maptive splits every pin into a group per unique value across the matching rows on the map.

Secondary Group layer: Add a second column as the Secondary Group on the same view, so each pin carries a pair of group signals without re-running the tool from scratch.

Numeric range groups: Switch a number column to Numeric and the popup lets you pick how many ranges to use, group by percentages or by number ranges, plus a marker style.

Per-group settings panel: Click the small white icon to the right of a group to open the picker and set the marker style for that group across every pin tied to the value.

Legend group toggling: Select or deselect any Primary or Secondary group from the panel to hide or show that slice on the map and isolate the rows you want at a glance.

Group filter on map: Untick a group in the panel and Maptive removes that slice from the map view while the rest of the grouped pins stay across the same data set you ran.

Group Your Pins in 3 Steps

Segments From a Column

A category column carries segments that a row view never surfaces on its own. Point the Grouping Tool at that column and Maptive splits every pin into a group per value across the map, with each slice listed in the panel for review. The map turns into a column-aware view that a planning meeting can read without the spreadsheet open.

Pairing 2 Columns

A single column rarely tells the full story for a planning call. Set a Primary Group on a column like region, then add a Secondary Group on a column like sales for a second signal. Each pin then carries a pair of group ties from 2 columns at the same time, so a category and a magnitude read off a single map view.

Focus on a Slice

A grouped map with every value visible is a lot to read for a single question. Untick every group in the panel except the slice you want, and the map narrows to the rows tied to that value across the data set. Click the group again to bring it back. A pair of clicks isolates a slice and a pair restores the full view.

Settings Per Group

A group rarely fits a default marker for every audience. Click the small white icon to the right of a group to open the picker and set the marker style for that slice, then close to apply. Maptive keeps the choice tied to that group across reloads of the same file, so a custom marker stays attached to each value.

Ranges On Numbers

A number column like sales or headcount runs across hundreds of values that no per-row color scheme covers well. Switch the column to Numeric, set how many ranges you want, and group by percentages or number ranges from the popup. Each range gets its own bucket across the pins, and the legend lists the ranges in a sorted order on the map.

Compare 2 Groups

A side-by-side read on 2 groups can be hard to set up in a row view. Untick the rest of the groups in the panel and Maptive shows only the 2 slices you want to compare across the same map. The footprint of each group sits next to the other, so a coverage gap or an overlap reads off the view without a separate query.

Marker Grouping on a Map

Grouping Splits a Map

A pin map with every row in the same marker style answers a single question across the rows. Where do the rows fall on the map. Adding a second question to the same map, what value each row carries from a column in your file, is what the Grouping Tool does on a Maptive map. The work covers the routine job of turning a flat pin map into a segmented view by any column you choose at run time.

The mechanic is small. Pick a column. Each unique value in the column becomes its own group. Every pin tied to a row with that value joins the group on the map. A panel lists each group with the value it represents and a small white icon next to the group for marker settings. The same map can be re-grouped by switching the Primary Group column inside the panel any time, without a re-upload of the underlying file.

Reading the grouped map is the payoff for the small setup work. Slices that cluster across a part of the map signal a regional pattern by that column. Pins that sit alone in a slice signal an outlier worth a closer look from the team. Empty zones in a slice signal a coverage gap that the planning view has missed across the data. A row column becomes a map column the moment you pick the column.

Primary and Secondary Groups

A single grouping column does the work for a question on the map. Pick the column as the Primary Group inside the Grouping Tool and Maptive splits the pins into a group per value across the map. A category column gives a slice per category value. A number column can switch to Numeric and split into ranges by percentages or by raw number ranges from the popup that opens after the swap.

A second column on the same map adds a second signal to every pin tied to the data set. Pick another column as the Secondary Group inside the same panel of the Grouping Tool, and Maptive layers a second marker tied to that column on each pin. The doc notes that the secondary grouping works well for numeric data, since it uses bubble markers that show the magnitude or range of those values.

Reading 2 groups at the same time is what the pair is built for. The Primary Group answers the category question for each pin while the Secondary Group answers a magnitude question on the same pin. A region column and a sales column together show which regions hold the bigger values without a separate map view. Each group can be selected or deselected from the panel, so you can drop a signal and read the other on its own.

Group Filters and Settings

A grouped map carries every slice on screen by default. Reading a single slice across the map calls for a filter, and the panel inside the Grouping Tool acts as that filter without a separate filter step at all. Each group sits in the panel with a checkbox tied to it, and the checkbox controls the visibility of every pin in the group across the same view on the map you are working with at the time.

Toggling a group off in the panel hides the pins tied to that value across the map view, while the rest of the grouped pins stay in place across the data set the tool runs on. Toggling the group back on returns the pins to the view on the map. Selecting and deselecting any Primary or Secondary group from the panel is a way to read a specific slice for insights, comparisons, and display on the same map.

Per-group settings sit next to each row in the panel through the small white icon to the right of the group. Click the icon to open the picker, set the marker style for that group, and the choice ties to every pin in the slice from then on. The pair of features, the toggle for visibility and the icon for marker settings, runs the per-group work on a grouped map without an extra reload of any file.

Frequently Asked Questions

1What does the Grouping Tool do?
The Grouping Tool, called the Grouping Tool / Colored Pins Tool inside Maptive, splits the pins on your map into a group for each unique value in a column from your data set. Open Map Tools, click the Grouping Tool, and pick a column from your data set as the Primary Group. Maptive splits every pin into a group per value across the rows, lists each group in a panel, and turns a flat pin map into a column-aware view of the data.
2How do I add a Secondary Group?
Inside the Grouping Tool panel, pick another column from your data set as the Secondary Group after the Primary Group is set. Maptive layers a second marker tied to that column on each pin across the same map view, so each pin carries a pair of group signals from 2 columns. The doc notes that the secondary grouping works well for numeric data, since it uses bubble markers that show the magnitude or range of those values across the same data set.
3Can I group a number column by ranges?
Yes. Inside the Grouping Tool select Numeric on the column, and the popup lets you set how many groups you want, group by percentages or by number ranges, and pick a marker style for each range. The marker style options are Standard Blue bubbles, Multi-color bubbles, or Growing pin markers from the popup. Click Group Now to apply the ranges across the pins on the map. The Numeric option is available when the column has over 500 different numbers in your data set.
4How do I hide a group on the map?
Click the group in the panel inside the Grouping Tool to toggle it off. The pins tied to that group disappear from the map view, while the rest of the grouped pins stay across the same view of the data set. Click the group again to bring it back into view on the map. You can select and deselect a Primary or Secondary group from the panel as needed, so a single slice can be isolated for insights, comparisons, and display from the same map you grouped.
5Can I change marker style per group?
Yes. Click the small white icon to the right of a group inside the Grouping Tool to open the picker for that group. Set the marker style for the group, then close the picker to apply the change. Maptive applies the choice across every pin in the group across the same map. The icon sits on each row in the panel, so a custom marker style can be set across every group inside the panel without a reload of any file you uploaded.
6Does the Grouping Tool work on any column?
Yes. The Grouping Tool works on any column in your data set, since it reads the column from your uploaded file and splits the pins by the unique values it finds across the rows. A category column like owner, status, or region splits into a separate group per value. A number column can stay as a category list or switch to Numeric ranges from the popup, so the same tool covers a categorical column and a number column without a separate setting outside the panel.
7Can I compare 2 groups on the same map?
Yes. Untick the rest of the groups in the panel of the Grouping Tool and the map shows only the 2 groups you keep selected across the same view. The footprint of each group sits on the map next to the other, so a coverage gap, an overlap, or a balance comparison reads off the map without a separate query against the data set. Click a group in the panel to bring it back into view on the map whenever you want to widen the comparison.
8How does Numeric grouping handle large columns?
The Numeric option in the Grouping Tool handles a number column with over 500 different numbers in your data set. Instead of a group per value, you switch the column to ranges, set how many groups you want, and Maptive splits the pins into those ranges across the map. The popup lets you group by percentages or by number ranges and set the marker style from Standard Blue bubbles, Multi-color bubbles, or Growing pin markers before you click Group Now to finish the run.
9Does my grouped map stay grouped after a reload?
Yes. The grouping setup sits on the column you picked, so the groups follow the data across a reload of the same file. If a row gets a new value in the grouping column, that pin moves into the matching group on the map automatically. The doc on Customizing Map Markers notes that changes to individual markers can be overwritten when reloading your data, so the recommended path is to set group rules through the Grouping Tool rather than editing pins a row at a time.
10Can I switch the grouping column without re-uploading?
Yes. Inside the Grouping Tool panel, pick a different column from your data set as the Primary Group at any time, and Maptive re-groups the pins on the map across the new column. No re-upload of the file is needed, since the tool reads the columns from the same data set you already loaded. The same approach works for the Secondary Group column, so a pair of grouping columns can be swapped on the fly during a working session or a planning call.

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