New leads need to be routed to the correct sales person based on the lead address. How should the administrator configure this requirement?

A formula field calculates a value based on other fields but cannot perform actions like assigning record ownership or routing.

Lead assignment rules are specifically designed to automatically assign newly created leads to specific users or queues based on defined criteria, such as geographical location derived from the lead's address, ensuring proper distribution to sales representatives.

Escalation rules are primarily used for case management to reassign cases or notify users if they remain unresolved after a specified time, not for initial lead assignment.

A validation rule enforces data integrity by preventing records from being saved unless they meet specified criteria; it does not assign records or route them.