# Welcome to the Highcharts Maps JS (highmaps) Options Reference

These pages outline the chart configuration options, and the methods and properties of Highcharts objects.

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# plotOptions.heatmap.dataMapping

The mapping between the data table and the series data points. This is used in conjunction with the `dataTable` option (on chart or series level) to map columns from the data table to the properties of the data points. The keys of the `dataMapping` object correspond to the properties of the data points (e.g. `x`, `y`, `name`), and the values are objects that specify which column from which data table to use for that property.

The keys can also be nested paths, for example `dataLabel.format`, to map to nested properties of the data points.

The values can also be strings, in which case they are interpreted as column id's from the first data table.

A typical use case is that multiple series share a common column, like `name` or `x`. In this case, to avoid repetition, the common column can be applied in `plotOptions.series.dataMapping` and the individual series can specify only the columns that are unique to them.

The series name defaults to the column ID of the main data column in the mapping. The main data column is typically the `y` data for cartesian series, or `value` for map series. For example, if the mapping is `{ y: 'Cost' }`, the series name will be `Cost`.

    // Shorthand mapping with string
    dataMapping: {
        y: 'Cost'
    }

    // Full mapping with object
    dataMapping: {
       y: {
          // Optional, defaults to the first data table. Can be either a data
          // table index or id.
          dataTable: 'dataTable1',
          // Can be either a column index or id.
          column: 'Cost'
       }
    }

If the columns of the DataTable have keys matching the series keys, the data mapping is not necessary. For example, this DataTable will connect directly to the series' `x` and `y` keys:

    const dataTable = new Highcharts.DataTable({
        columns: {
            x: ['2026-05-04', '2026-05-05', '2026-05-06'],
            y: [1, 4, 2]
        }
     });