Deprecation Notice: String Values for Distance Parameters

Effective Date: January 2026
Removal Date: To be announced (minimum 6 months notice)

Summary

We are deprecating the use of string values for distance parameters in the BatchData Property Search API. While string values will continue to work during the transition period, we strongly recommend updating your integrations to use numeric values instead.

Affected Parameters

The following distance parameters are affected:

In searchCriteria.address.geoLocationDistance

Parameter	Current (Deprecated)	Recommended
`distanceMeters`	`"1000"`	`1000`
`distanceKilometers`	`"1.5"`	`1.5`
`distanceFeet`	`"5280"`	`5280`
`distanceYards`	`"1760"`	`1760`
`distanceMiles`	`"1"`	`1`

In options (for comparable property searches)

Parameter	Current (Deprecated)	Recommended
`distanceMeters`	`"1609"`	`1609`
`distanceKilometers`	`"1.6"`	`1.6`
`distanceFeet`	`"5280"`	`5280`
`distanceYards`	`"1760"`	`1760`
`distanceMiles`	`"1"`	`1`

Why This Change?

Distance parameters represent numeric values and should be typed accordingly. Using numeric types:

Improves type safety in your code
Reduces parsing overhead on our servers
Aligns with industry standards for API design
Enables better validation of input values

Migration Guide

Before (Deprecated)

{
  "searchCriteria": {
    "query": "Phoenix, AZ",
    "address": {
      "geoLocationDistance": {
        "geoPoint": {
          "latitude": 33.4484,
          "longitude": -112.0740
        },
        "distanceMiles": "1.5"
      }
    }
  }
}

After (Recommended)

{
  "searchCriteria": {
    "query": "Phoenix, AZ",
    "address": {
      "geoLocationDistance": {
        "geoPoint": {
          "latitude": 33.4484,
          "longitude": -112.0740
        },
        "distanceMiles": 1.5
      }
    }
  }
}

Comparable Property Search Example

Before (Deprecated):

{
  "searchCriteria": {
    "query": "Phoenix, AZ",
    "compAddress": {
      "street": "123 Main St",
      "city": "Phoenix",
      "state": "AZ",
      "zip": "85001"
    }
  },
  "options": {
    "useDistance": true,
    "distanceMiles": "2"
  }
}

After (Recommended):

{
  "searchCriteria": {
    "query": "Phoenix, AZ",
    "compAddress": {
      "street": "123 Main St",
      "city": "Phoenix",
      "state": "AZ",
      "zip": "85001"
    }
  },
  "options": {
    "useDistance": true,
    "distanceMiles": 2
  }
}

Timeline

Phase	Date	Action
Announcement	January 2025	Deprecation notice published
Transition Period	January 2025 - TBD	Both string and numeric values accepted
Removal	TBD (6+ months notice)	String values will return validation errors

How to Check Your Integration

Review your API requests for any distance parameters passed as strings
Update your code to send numeric values instead
Test your updated integration in our sandbox environment

Common Code Changes

JavaScript/TypeScript

// Before
const payload = {
  distanceMiles: "1.5"  // String - deprecated
};// After
const payload = {
  distanceMiles: 1.5    // Number - recommended
};

Python

# Before
payload = {
    "distanceMiles": "1.5"  # String - deprecated
}# After
payload = {
    "distanceMiles": 1.5    # Number - recommended
}

cURL

# Before (deprecated)
curl -X POST https://api.batchdata.com/api/v1/property/search \
  -d '{"searchCriteria":{"query":"Phoenix, AZ","address":{"geoLocationDistance":{"distanceMiles":"1.5"}}}}'# After (recommended)
curl -X POST https://api.batchdata.com/api/v1/property/search \
  -d '{"searchCriteria":{"query":"Phoenix, AZ","address":{"geoLocationDistance":{"distanceMiles":1.5}}}}'