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Address

A semantic Value Type representing a structured postal, billing or delivery address with optional geocoding metadata.

type: data-model · status: draft · abstraction: instance

What it is​

Address is a semantic Value Type for a structured postal, billing or delivery destination. It stores internationally meaningful address components such as address lines, locality, administrative area, postal code and country. An Address remains valid without latitude and longitude: users must be able to save new developments, private estates, PO boxes and addresses absent from an external provider.

The preferred input uses provider-backed autocomplete. Selecting a suggestion captures structured components and, when supplied, geocoding metadata such as latitude, longitude, provider identifier and precision. Manual entry is always available and never requires successful geocoding. Coordinates-only is not a valid Address.

Optional coordinates let eligible Addresses support map display, proximity filtering, radius search and routing inputs. They describe the provider's geocoding of the address and may be approximate; they are not an operational point by default. Where an exact physical point has independent meaning — such as an HGV gate, asset position or inspection point — the Object uses a separate Location Property.

Why it exists​

Addresses are foundational ERP data used for suppliers, customers, billing, remittance, correspondence and deliveries. Treating them as loose text produces inconsistent formats and weak integrations; requiring coordinates blocks ordinary data entry and incorrectly makes a third-party provider the authority on whether an address exists.

Address gives Properties, interfaces, integrations, Business Flows and AI Agents a stable postal semantic contract while preserving a simple autocomplete-first, manual-fallback experience. Optional geocoding progressively enables spatial behaviour without changing what the value means. Separating Address from Location also prevents approximate provider geocodes from being mistaken for exact operational points and allows the platform to validate, format and exchange addresses consistently across tenants.

Relationships​

Outgoing

  • is an instance of → Value Type (many-to-one)
  • is distinct from → Location — Address represents a postal destination and may be geocoded; Location represents an explicit geographic point.

Neighbourhood​

Stakeholder summaries​

  • Product — Provides an autocomplete-first address control with a manual fallback. Addresses remain valid without coordinates, while geocoded values gain mapping and proximity behaviour.
  • Investor — Creates a canonical, provider-independent address primitive for ERP data exchange while retaining optional geospatial enrichment for supply-chain analysis.
  • Marketing — Capture every business address, including ones a map provider cannot find. Recognised addresses can also support mapping, distance and routing features.
  • Engineering — Stores structured international address components with optional provider-neutral geocoding metadata and a spatial point. Address validation never requires coordinates, and coordinates-only values are invalid.