Introduction of Visio2007 new function

introduction of Visio2007 new function

Tip: With existing data, you can generate many kinds of Visio standard diagrams, including organization charts, schedules, calendars, and Gantt charts. However, the new data features and enhanced data features discussed in this article are available only in Office Visio Professional 2007, and are not available in Office Visio Standard 2007.

Visio2007

Quick Start

You can find the template you want by using the new Getting Started window in Office Visio 2007.

Simpler template categories now, by simplifying the template categories, such as business, flowcharts, networks, plans, and so on, you can easily find only the templates you need.

Large template previews of large thumbnail previews and descriptions of each template help you quickly identify the template that best fits your chart.

Featured templates The most commonly used Visio templates in each category are now displayed at the top of each category view so you can quickly find them.

Recent Templates list Visio now contains a new shortcut to open a recently used template so you can find your favorite template faster.

Sample diagrams (you need to use Office Visio Professional 2007) You can now browse through new sample charts and data sources to get ideas for creating your own data-driven charts.

Easily create professionally-looking charts

The new "theme" feature in Office Visio 2007 eliminates the need to choose colors and effects. Now you can give your chart a professional look with just one click of the mouse.

Theme colors Choose from a set of professionally designed built-in theme colors, or create your own color scheme to match your company logo and logo. Visio's own theme colors match the theme colors in other Office 2007 programs, such as PowerPoint and Word.

Theme effects make your drawing look more uniform and appealing by applying a uniform set of design elements to fonts, fills, shadows, lines, and connectors.

New templates and shapes quickly create a broader range of charts by using new templates, such as PivotDiagram, value stream, and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) templates. (All of these require the use of Office Visio Professional 2007.) You can also create more dynamic workflows by using the new workflow shapes in the Workflow flowchart template. The workflow shape has a new, isometric three-dimensional style that makes the chart look better.

Connect shapes in a chart by using automatic connections

The new auto Connect feature in Office Visio 2007 eliminates the need to manually connect shapes. With just a few clicks, this new feature automatically connects, evenly distributes, and aligns the shapes exactly.

When you drag shapes onto the drawing page to connect them when you rest the pointer on a shape on the drawing page, you see a blue arrow around the shape. When you drag another shape onto one of the blue connection arrows, Visio automatically connects the two shapes, distributes them evenly, and aligns them.

Connecting shapes after you click a shape on a stencil now has a way to connect shapes more quickly. Select a shape in the Shapes window, rest the pointer on a shape on the drawing page, and then click the blue connection arrow on one side of the target shape you want to connect to. Visio automatically adds and joins shapes, distributes them evenly, and aligns them. In this way, you can quickly connect the entire series of shapes, such as each shape in a flowchart.

Connect shapes that already exist on the drawing page you can even automatically connect two shapes that already exist on the drawing page. Just click the blue connection arrow on the shape closest to the destination shape you want to connect to.

Integrate data into a diagram (you need to use Office Visio Professional 2007)

Office Visio 2007 now has a deeper data connection: it's easier and quicker to connect a data source to any diagram you create using any version of Visio-flowcharts, organization charts, network diagrams, space plans, and more. You can automatically connect charts to multiple external data sources. The new Data menu and Data toolbar give you access to whatever you need.

Easily connect a chart to a common data source use the New Data Selector Wizard to direct you to Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and other commonly used external data sources. Integrate the data into your diagram. You can choose to customize the range of data, filter the data you want to import, and even link the chart to multiple data sources.

View data from within Visio after you connect the data to the diagram, you can view the data using the new External Data window.

Create a chart by dragging data rows onto a blank drawing page Select a shape in the Shapes window, and then drag a row of data from the new External Data window onto the drawing page. Visio adds shapes to the page at the same time and associates data with shapes.

Link data to a single shape in an existing chart drag a row of data from the new External Data window onto a shape in the diagram to manually link the data to the shape. After you link the data to a shape, you can see the data in the newly named Shape Data window (formerly known as the Custom Properties window).

Automatically link data to shapes saves time by using the New Auto Link Wizard to link shapes in a Visio diagram to rows of data in an external data source.

Easily refresh all the data in the chart use the new Refresh Data feature to automatically refresh the data in the chart without having to re-enter it manually. Easily handle any conflicts in the new Refresh Conflicts task pane. You can even schedule the refresh to be done automatically at the desired frequency.

Show data in a data graphic (you need to use Office Visio Professional 2007)

Integrating data into a diagram is just the first step in converting a chart into a powerful tracking tool. Now, with Office Visio 2007, you can more easily display and customize the appearance of your data in a chart to help you deliver your information.

In the New Data Graphics task pane, just click the format you want the data to appear in the chart the way you expect it to. You can use the progress bar for variable data, use arrows for increased or reduced data, and use asterisks for graded data. You don't have to set any formatting yourself-Visio automatically handles formatting.

In addition, data values can now control the color and appearance of shapes. You do not need to format them, just specify the conditions in which the format appears.

Visualize complex information by using a pivotdiagram (you need to use Office Visio Professional 2007)

Office Visio 2007 provides a new type of chart-PivotDiagram. A pivotdiagram displays data as a collection of shapes arranged in a tree structure to help you analyze and summarize data in a visual, Easy-to-understand format. With a pivotdiagram, you can visually browse business data, analyze it, delve into it, and create multiple views of the data to uncover deeper information. By using a shape library that is designed to track data, you can easily identify key issues, track trends, and Mark exceptions. You can even insert a pivotdiagram into any other Visio diagram to provide a complementary view of the data.

To create a pivotdiagram, open the PivotDiagram template, and the Data Selector Wizard starts immediately. The wizard will guide you through the process of connecting the chart to the data source, and then creating a pivot node that links to all the data in the data source. You can expand the pivot node to show each level corresponding to the data you want to analyze.

Build and view Visio diagrams from other 2007 Office release programs

You can collaborate with your colleagues in new ways by generating visual reports in the form of pivotdiagram directly from Microsoft SharePoint sites and Microsoft Office Project 2007. Share your charts with people who don't have Visio, and have them preview your chart in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.

Generate Visio PivotDiagram from Microsoft Office project Now you can report information about resources and task data from project. (You need to use Microsoft Office Project 2007)

To build a Visio pivotdiagram from the Microsoft Office sharepoints list Now, you can report information about issues and tasks from the SharePoint list, and you can track the workflow. (You need to use a Microsoft SharePoint site)

View Visio diagrams attached to e-mail now, you can preview Visio diagrams attached to e-mail messages in Outlook, even if you don't have Visio installed. (You need to use Microsoft Office Outlook 2007)

For a wider audience

Now, with Office Visio 2007, you can communicate more effectively with a broader audience through charts.

Save a Visio diagram as a PDF and XPS file format you can easily share your Visio diagrams with everyone, including those who do not have Microsoft Office, by saving the chart in the following format:

Portable Document Format (PDF) PDF is a fixed-layout electronic file format that preserves document formatting and allows file sharing. When you view or print a PDF file online, the file retains the exact same format as the original, and the data in the file cannot be easily copied or changed. The PDF format is also useful for documents that you want to copy using commercial printing methods.

XML Paper Specification (XPS) XPS is an electronic file format that preserves document formatting and allows file sharing. When you view or print an XPS-formatted file online, the file retains the exact same format as the original, and the data in the file cannot be easily copied or changed.

Tip: You can save a file as a PDF or XPS file in an Office 2007 program only after you have installed the add-in.

Prevent people from seeing sensitive information in your Visio diagrams delete comments, reviewer tags, and other types of personal information.

Minimize the size of the Visio drawing file Delete information that you no longer need, such as drawing previews, unused masters, and unused themes.