Portal User Guide (Bulk Analysis)

Overview

The Urban Cortex Portal enables secure, bulk analysis of property data via Excel uploads. It is designed for brokers, account managers, and analysts who need to process large volumes of addresses and receive actionable planning intelligence.

What the Portal does

• Processes Excel files containing property addresses
• Matches addresses to planning applications
• Returns enriched Excel outputs with project details
• Supports bulk uploads and long-running jobs
• Keeps all processing and file handling outside your CRM

What the Portal does not do

• Does not modify your CRM data
• Does not require CRM access
• Does not store uploaded files permanently
• Does not share data with third parties

Requirements (before first use)

You will need:

• Portal account (provided by Urban Cortex)
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enabled
• Excel file with address and postcode columns

Step 1 — Activate your account

1. Receive activation email from Urban Cortex
2. Follow the link to set up MFA
3. Log in to the portal

If your activation link expires, request a new one from support.

Step 2 — Upload your Excel file

• Login to the portal
• Click the Upload button
• Select your Excel file (must include address and postcode columns)
• Confirm upload

You’ll receive a confirmation message and a Job ID for tracking.

Step 3 — Processing & runtime expectations

• Processing time depends on file size and platform load
• All files processed within 7 days

Step 4 — Downloading results

• Receive email notification when processing completes
• Log in to the portal and download your analysed Excel file

Output structure

• Project type
• Project description
• URL link to planning application
• Planning application status
• Planning received date

If no matches are found, the file will still download with headers only.

Common issues & troubleshooting

Login issues

• Ensure phone signal for SMS
• Check authenticator app time sync
• Request a new login link if needed

Upload errors

• Missing address columns
• Password-protected Excel files
• Incorrect file format

Fix: re-save as .xlsx and retry.

Security & data handling

• Portal protected by MFA
• Jobs run in isolated environments
• Outputs accessible only to authorised users
• No automatic data sharing with CRM systems

Enterprise customers can request:

• Audit logs
• Custom retention periods
• Dedicated environments

Support

• Contact support via the portal for help
• Provide your company name and Job ID for faster resolution