Overview

Location Linkage assigns a unique identifier to a group of places or individuals that share a common address or landmark address. The Location Linkage assignment process occurs weekly to qualifying in_business: yes, maybe, no values for US, Canadian, and US Territory records. Linkage is assigned when a minimum of two places exist at a location and at least one of the places is categorized as in_business: yes.

• location_linkage.landmark_id - A unique ID assigned to a group of places at the same location.

Location Parent & Relationship

When multiple places reside at the same location, at least one place is designated as the primary location (or "parent"). The parent is picked based on in_business and place_type values. The remaining, non-primary locations (if any) reference the parent infogroup_id in the location_linkage.parent_id field:

• location_linkage.parent_id - The primary business at a location with multiple places.

All locations are assigned one of the following six (6) parent relationships based on location details, such as place_type, pimary_sic_code, and corporate linkage

• location_linkage.parent_relationship - The relationship to the primary business at a location.

Relationships are:

• primary - This is the primary business the location. location parent is always blank for these records.

• department - This place is a department of the location parent.

• separate - This place is a separate, unaffiliated business on the same premises as the location parent.

• professional - This place is an individual. The location parent is a main office.

• affiliated - This place is affiliated with the location parent.

• kiosk - This place is a kiosk at the location parent.

Example

A group of places located inside a Walmart:

Primary

The primary value indicates the place is the primary business at the location. The location_parent_id is always blank on primary records.

Example

A Walmart is a standalone store that is not affiliated with another business.

name	infogroup_id	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
Walmart	123456789		Primary	1234-5678-9012

Department

The department value indicates that the place is a department of the location parent. It suggests a corporate or structural relationship within the same entity.

Example

Walmart Garden Center and Walmart Pharmacy are departments of Walmart.

name	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
Walmart		Primary	1234-5678-9012
Walmart Garden Center	123456789	Department	1234-5678-9012
Walmart Pharmacy	123456789	Department	1234-5678-9012

Separate

The separate value indicates that the place is a separate, unaffiliated business operating on the same premises as the location parent.

Example

Subway is located inside Walmart, but it's not affiliated with Walmart.

name	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
Walmart		Primary	1234-5678-9012
Subway	123456789	Separate	1234-5678-9012

Affiliated

The affiliated value indicates a business association between the current location and its parent that may involve shared branding or ownership.

Example 1

Walmart Fuel Center is located near or adjacent to Walmart.

name	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
Walmart		Primary	1234-5678-9012
Walmart Fuel Center	123456789	Affiliated	1234-5678-9012

Example 2

The combination of KFC and Taco Bell creates a hybrid chain location with two brands.

name	infogroup_id	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
KFC	999888777		Primary	2323-9876-3330
Taco Bell	222333444	999888777	Affiliated	2323-9876-3330

Professional

The professional value indicates that the place is an individual or professional, and the Location Parent is a main office.

Example

The professionals outlined below work within a main medical office located inside Walmart.

name	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
Walmart		Primary	1234-5678-9012
Dental Care	123456789	Separate	1234-5678-9012
Jennifer Pichler, DDS	123456789	Professional	1234-5678-9012
Jennifer Ward, DMD	123456789	Professional	1234-5678-9012

Kiosk

A kiosk is typically a self-contained and compact structure designed for specific purposes such as sales, information, or services.

Example

Coinstar is a kiosk located inside Walmart.

name	parent_id	parent_relationship	landmark_id
Walmart		Primary	1234-5678-9012
Coinstar	12345678	Kiosk	1234-5678-9012

Multi-Tenant Linkage

Multi-Tenant Linkage links businesses within a larger complex or building such as an office hi-rise, shopping center, or plaza.

Multi-Tenant Linkage is structured using four (4) attributes:

• landmark_address - The name of the complex, building, or mall where the place resides.
• location_linkage.landmark_id - A unique ID assigned to a group of places at the same location.
• location_linkage.place_count - The number of places at a location.
• location_linkage.professional_count - The number of professionals at a location.
• location_linkage.tenant_count - The number of verified places at a location that are not kiosks, professionals or departments.

Example

A group of places inside Mall of America: