In the past we’ve mentioned customization services for our Microsoft Excel add-in CDXZipStream, and we’d like to take the opportunity here to discuss some examples of how customization may help better support your business needs around address, zip code, and data analysis in general. 

Do a One-Time Analysis:  

Need to use CDXZipStream functionality just once?  If you are not interested in purchasing the software for continuing use, we can provide the hard data that fills your specific need.  This is often an economically attractive alternative, particularly in lieu of the more expensive demographic versions of CDXZipStream.     

Get a Custom Excel Template:  

We can build pre-formatted templates that perform specific tasks around existing CDXZipStream functions, often combining multiple functions from CDXZipStream and Excel to get the final required answer.  Tasks can usually be fully automated so that after data entry, a simple click of a button is all that’s required of the user.  We currently offer free, downloadable templates that perform basic analyses, such as geocoding (getting latitude/longitude data), route optimization, radius analysis, and more.  But if you have a more complex task, consider a customized template.  This is also a great option if you need to standardize CDXZipStream applications for less experienced Excel users.

Please refer to the following tutorials to see our standard templates in action.  We can modify any of these templates to fit your particular needs:

- Route Optimization with One Click

- Driving Distance and Time Calculations in an Excel Template

- Driving Distance and Time for a Matrix of Addresses

- Zip Code Radius Analsysis in an Excel Template

- Get Latitude and Longitude for Addresses in Excel

- Reverse Geocode Template for Microsoft Excel

Apply CDXZipStream Beyond Excel:  

We’ve reviewed in a past blog post the basic programming code that allows CDXZipStream to be applied to other Office applications beyond Excel.  This code is not proprietary and we invite our clients to use it as they please.   Not into programming?  Let us do it for you, and get CDXZipStream functionality, ranging from route optimization to radius analysis, exactly where you need it.

Use CDXZipStream with a Custom DataBase:

We’ve designed CDXZipStream around the use of address, zip code, and demographic data, but the concept of selectively taking data from a local database and putting it in Excel with custom functions can be applied to a wide variety of data needs.  Whether you have a private database you would like to use more efficiently through a spreadsheet platform, or want to mine a commercially available set of data that we don’t currently include in our own feeds, we can build a version of CDXZipStream that will work for you, using our patented interface.  Some types of custom databases include:

- Commercial address or postal code databases for countries other than the U.S. or Canada

- Census data for specialized demographics not now included in CDXZipStream

- Proprietary customer data

- Demographics by other geographies, such as voting districts, school districts, urban growth areas, etc.

For more information about CDXZipStream customization, or to request a free quote, contact us at 1-877-CDX-TEC1 (239-8312) or customsolutions@CDXTech.com.

In a blog post two weeks ago we talked about how you can customize some of our CDXZipStream Excel templates to meet your specific needs.  However, when it comes to more complex calculations, especially for very large data sets, do-it-yourself customization may not be enough.  When you need an Excel template for zip code, address, and other location-based analysis, and our CDXZipStream free templates don’t fit the bill, consider contacting us for a free quote on a custom template built just for you.  In many cases we can build on our past experience, allowing for very quick (less than 5 business days) turn-around time on your project.   Here are a few examples of the kinds of analyses a custom template can perform:

Multiple Route Optimization:  When managing sales call schedules or customer service visits, it may be necessary to perform repeated route optimizations on a frequent basis.   In some cases, the number of stops on a route can be fairly large, up to 50 or more addresses that need to be included in the optimization process.  Although we do offer a free template that performs optimization for a single route, running this multiple time may not an efficient use of your time.   A customized template can be specifically designed to manage multiple routes, and also be customized to make input of multiple address groups quick and easy.  

Radius Analysis or Route Optimization with additional data:  Address records usually include a lot of other associated data, such as name, telephone number, and other identifying numbers or historical information important for your organization.  When radius analysis or route optimization re-orders a long list of addresses, you can retain all associated data using a customized CDXZipStream template.  Field column headings can be custom-designed for your particular set of data, or left blank so you fill them in yourself.   

Multiple Radius Analyses with sorting:  Need to assign all customers to all your sales staff based on geographic proximity?  When doing multiple radius analyses involving a large x by y matrix of locations, it may be important to sort the results for each analysis based on some other variable.  For example, it may be necessary to find all customers within a 50 mile radius of each salesperson, then sort the customers for each based on account size, distance, product type, or any other data that may be helpful in deciding sales staff assignment.  Even without sorting this process can involve literally millions of calculations.  A customized template can handle the multiple radius analyses as well as automate the multiple sorting involved. 

Driving Distance Radius Analysis for very large data sets:   Some radius analyses require driving distance calculations for added accuracy.  Driving distance calculations are inherently slower than straight-line calculations, so when performing radius analyses for a large x by y matrix of locations, it’s best to take a two-pronged approach.  First, perform straight-line calculations for a wider radius than desired to narrow down the choices; for instance, if you need to find locations within a 25 mile driving radius, calculate the straight-line distance to all possible locations within a 50 mile radius.  Then from these results, perform driving calculations to determine which fall within the 25 mile radius.  Again, this technique involves many iterative calculations, including the use of mapping software like Microsoft MapPoint, that can best be handled in an automated, customized template.  

Think a customized template could work for you?  Contact us for a free quote at customsolutions@cdxtech.com or call 1-877-CDX-TEC1 (1-877-239-8321).