MICROSOFT VISIO

INTRODUCTION:
A drawing and diagramming program for Windows from Microsoft that includes a variety of pre-
drawn shapes and picture elements that can be dragged and dropped onto the illustration. Users can
define their own elements and place them onto the Visio palette. The Visio package is part of the
Microsoft Office brand. Standard and professional editions are available.
Visio was introduced in 1992 by Seattle-based Shapeware, which coined its name from the pre-
drawn shapes. It changed its name to Visio Corporation in 1995 when it went public and was
acquired by Microsoft in 1999

What is Visio?
Visio 2010 is a graphical and drawing application that helps you to visualize, explore, and
communicate complex information. With Visio, you can transform complicated text and tables that
are hard to understand into Visio diagrams that communicate information at a glance.
Visio provides modern shapes and templates for a diverse set of diagramming needs, including IT
management, process modeling, building and architecture, UI design, human-resource management,
project management, and more.
Microsoft Visio (pronounced /ˈvɪzi.oʊ/ VIZ-zee-oh), (formerly known as Microsoft Office Visio), is
a commercial diagramming program for Microsoft Windows that uses vector graphics to create
diagrams. It is currently available in three editions: Standard, Professional and Premium. The
current version is Microsoft Office Visio 2010 for Windows. In late 2009, Microsoft released the
beta version of Microsoft Visio 2010. Unlike the core Office 2007 applications, Microsoft Visio
2007 does not feature the Ribbon user interface, but Microsoft Visio 2010 does. Visio is not
developed for the Mac OS X or Linux operating systems; other developers offer diagramming
programs for those systems. Due to proprietary Visio file format, few Mac OS X or Linux programs
can read Visio files. Omnigraffe Pro on the Mac can read and write Visio files.
Visio 2010 is a graphical and drawing application that helps you to visualize, explore, and
communicate complex information. With Visio, you can transform complicated text and tables that
are hard to understand into Visio diagrams that communicate information at a glance.
Visio provides modern shapes and templates for a diverse set of diagramming needs, including IT
management, process modeling, building and architecture, UI design, human-resource management,
project management, and more.

Data Modeling in Microsoft Visio

Somewhat surprisingly Microsoft Visio is a true Rapid Application Development tool as envisioned
by James Martin. While Visio can perform many Rapid Application Development tasks (including
Code Generation from UML diagrams), this article provides an in-depth view of how to use
Microsoft Visio for data modeling.

Data-connected Visio diagrams

Instead of static pictures, you can create data-connected Visio Professional 2010 and Visio Premium
2010 diagrams that display data, are easy to refresh, and dramatically increase your productivity.
You can use the wide variety of diagram templates and stencils in Visio to understand, act on, and
share information about organizational systems, resources, and processes throughout your
enterprise.
You can integrate data to shapes from a variety of real-time data sources, including Excel, Access,
SQL, SharePoint lists, or any OLEDB or ODBC data source, with just a few clicks in a Data
Wizard.

Web drawings with Visio Services

Beyond basic sharing via e-mail or static web pages, the latest innovations in Visio 2010 allow
users the ability to see rich, compelling visuals, shapes, and processes via their browser – even if
they don’t have Visio. You can publish Visio Professional 2010 and Visio Premium 2010 web
drawings using Visio Services, a feature of SharePoint Server 2010 that renders interactive and
data-connected diagrams. Your Visio Web drawings can display data from a variety of sources,
including Excel, SQL, SharePoint lists, or any OLEDB or ODBC data source.
In addition, by connecting your web diagrams to a refreshable source file, viewers can see real-time
data within the shapes, giving them an accurate and up-to-date picture.

SPECIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:

Visio 2010 (Standard, Professional, Premium)

Component Requirement
Computer and 500 MHz or faster processor
processor
Memory 256 MB RAM; 512 MB recommended for certain advanced functionality
Hard disk 2.0 GB available disk space
Display 1024x768 or higher resolution monitor
Operating system Windows XP (must have SP3) (32-bit), Windows 7, Windows Vista with Service Pack (SP) 1
Windows Server 2003 R2 with MSXML 6.0 (32-bit Office only), Windows Server 2008, or la
32- or 64-bit OS.
Additional Certain advanced collaboration functionality requires connectivity to Windows Server 2003 w
Requirements SP1 or later running Windows SharePoint Services.
Multi-Touch features require Windows 7 and a touch enabled device.
Certain inking features require Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or later.
Speech recognition functionality requires a close-talk microphone and audio output device.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, 32 bit browser only. Internet functionality requires an
Internet connection.
Visual Reports require Visio Professional 2010 or Visio Premium 2010, as well as Project 201
Excel 2007, or Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 200
later.
Internet Fax not available on Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic, or Window
Vista Home Premium
Certain online functionality requires a Windows LiveTM ID.
Other Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration.  Some featu
may require additional or advanced hardware or server connectivity; www.office.com/produc

RETAIL RATES:

Visio Premium 2010

Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 offers the most advanced and efficient diagramming tools for
managing IT, process, quality, and compliance scenarios. With intelligent, rule-based templates such
as SharePoint Workflow, BPMN, and Six Sigma, driving consistency and accuracy across your
organization is easier than ever.

Suggested retail price: $999.99

Visio Standard 2010

Microsoft Visio Standard helps you quickly create visually appealing documents. With a diverse set
of intuitive diagramming tools — including pre-drawn shapes, templates, and automatic drawing
features — you can effectively and efficiently improve your communication with others.

Suggested retail price: $249.99

Visio Professional 2010

Microsoft Visio Professional 2010 provides real-time data connections that allow you to create
dynamic, data-driven diagrams easily shared through a browser. It also provides more templates and
shapes for engineering, finance, operations, sales, and human resources professionals.

Suggested retail price: $559.99

WORKING:

Find and apply a template:

Visio 2010 allows you to apply built-in templates, to apply your own custom templates, and to
search from a variety of templates available on Office.com. Office.com provides a wide selection of
popular Excel templates, including process diagrams, network diagrams, and floorplans.
To find and apply a template in Visio, do the following:
1. On the File tab, click New.
2. Under Choose a Template, do one of the following:
 To use one of the built-in templates, under Template Categories, click the category that you
want, and then click the template that you want and click Create.
 To reuse a template that you’ve recently used, under Recently Used Templates, click the
template that you want and then click Create.
 To use your own template that you previously created, under Other Ways to Get Started,
click New from existing, navigate to the file that you want and click Create New.
 To find a template on Office.com, under Other Ways to Get Started, click Office.com
templates, select the template that you want, and then click Download to download the
template from Office.com to your computer.
 Create a new diagram:
1. Click the File tab. This opens up the Backstage view.
 
2. Click New.
3. Under Choose a Template, below Other Ways to Get Started, click Blank drawing.
4. Click Create.
When the diagram template opens, most of the space is taken up with a blank diagramming page.
Along the side is the Shapes window, which contains several stencils full of shapes.
The stencils are identified by title bars at the top of the Shapes window; you might need to scroll the
title bar pane to see them all. When you click a stencil title bar, the shapes appear in the pane below.
Open a diagram:
1. Click the File tab, and then click Open.
2. In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click the drive or folder that contains the drawing.
3. In the right pane of the Open dialog box, open the folder that contains the drawing that you
want.
4. Click the drawing and then click Open.

Save a diagram:
You can save your diagram as a standard Visio file that you can share with other people who have
Visio. In addition, there are many different formats that you can save your diagram in directly from
the Save As dialog box.
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Save As, and then select a format in the Save as type list.
The different formats are useful for different ways of using or sharing your diagram.
 Standard image file    including JPG, PNG, and BMP formats.
 Web page    in HTM format. Image files and other resource files are saved in a subfolder of
the location where you save the HTM file.
 PDF or XPS file   
 AutoCAD drawing     in DWG or DXF format.

Add a shape:
1. From the Shapes window, click and hold the shape that you want.
2. Drag the shape onto the diagram page.

Add a connector between two shapes:

To add a shape to the drawing page so that it is automatically connected when it is added to the
page, do the following:
1. Drag a first shape onto the drawing page.
2. Hold your pointer over the shape that is already on the page. Notice that small blue arrows
appear on the four sides of the shape. These are AutoConnect arrows that you can use to
connect shapes.
3. Move the pointer to cover one of the arrows.
A mini toolbar that contains four shapes appears, and a preview shape might also appear on the
page. As you move the pointer over the shapes in the mini toolbar, previews of the shapes appear.
The shapes on the toolbar are the top four shapes from the Quick Shapes area.
4. Click one of the shapes in the mini toolbar to add it to the page.
To automatically connect two shapes when you drag the second shape onto the page, do the
following:
1. Drag one shape onto the drawing page.
2. Drag a second shape onto the drawing page and hold it so it covers the first shape, but do not
drop it yet. Notice that the AutoConnect arrows appear.
The Analyze shape is placed on the bottom AutoConnect arrow on the Service Request shape.
3. Move the second shape down over the AutoConnect arrow that points in the direction that
you want, and drop it on the arrow.
The Analyze shape is spaced a standard distance from the Service Request shape, and is connected
automatically.
To connect two shapes that are already on the page, do the following:
1. Hold the pointer over one of the shapes that you want to connect.
2. When the AutoConnect arrows appear, move the pointer over an arrow that is pointing
toward the other shape that you want to connect to.
3. Click and hold the AutoConnect arrow, and then drag a connector from it to the center of the
other shape.
When the arrow is over the center of the other shape, a red border appears around the shape. Drop
the connector to attach it, or "glue" it, to the shape.

Add text to a shape:

1. Select the shape that you want to add text to.
2. Type the text that you want.
When you start typing, Visio switches the selected shape to text editing mode. To add another line
of text, press ENTER.
3. Click an empty area of the page, or press ESC when you are finished.
4. Select the shape again. A small yellow control handle appears in the text area. Drag the
yellow control handle to move the text.

Add text to the page:

1. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click the Text tool.
2. Click an empty area of the page. A text box appears.
3. Type the text that you want.
4. On the Home tab, in the Tools group, click Pointer Tool to stop using the Text tool.
The text box now has the characteristics of other shapes. You can select it and type to change the
text, you can drag it to another part of the page, and you can format the text by using the Font and
Paragraph groups on the Home tab. In addition, when you hold the pointer over the text,
AutoConnect arrows appear so you can connect the text to other shapes.

Add data to a shape:

To enter data into a data property or field that a shape already has, do the following:
1. Select a shape on the drawing page.
2. Right-click the shape and click Shape Data.
3. In the Shape Data window, in the property row that you want, enter the data that you want.
To define a new data property or field for a shape, do the following:
1. Select a shape on the drawing page.
2. Right-click the shape and click Define Shape Data.
3. In the Define Shape Data dialog box, click New
4. In the Label box, delete the default text and type a name for the property.
5. In the Type list, select the type of data that you want to be entered into that property.
6. In the Value box, type the value of the data that you want.
7. Click OK.
8. Right-click the shape again, point to Data, and this time click Shape Data.
The Shape Data window opens and displays all the data that has been defined for the shape. If all of
the shapes have specific information, you can leave the Shape Data window open and click the
shapes you are interested in to see the data that they contain.

Connect data sources to shapes:

Adding shape data manually can add a lot of value to your diagram, but if your data is in a database
or an Excel workbook, you can pull that data into your diagram automatically and connect the rows
of data with specific shapes.
Use the Data Selector wizard to import your data into the External Data window.
The data that appears in the External Data window is a snapshot of your source data at the time of
import. You can update the data in your drawing to match the changes in your source data by
clicking Refresh All on the Data tab.
1. On the Data tab, in the External Data group, click Link Data to Shapes.
2. On the first page of the Data Selector wizard, choose which of the following types of data
sources have the data you're using:
 Microsoft Office Excel workbook
 Microsoft Office Access database
 Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services list
 Microsoft SQL Server database
 Other OLEDB or ODBC data source
3. Complete the remainder of the wizard.
After you click Finish on the last page of the Data Connection wizard, the External Data window
appears with your imported data shown in a grid. Drag a row of data onto a shape to add
automatically the data to the Shape Data for that shape. Or, in the Shapes window, select a shape
that you want to hold the data, and then drag a row of data and drop it on an empty area of the page.
The selected shape is added to the page, connected to the data.

Format your diagram:

To apply a background to your drawing, do the following:
1. Click the Design tab.
2. In the Backgrounds group, click Backgrounds.
3. Click the background that you want. A new background page is added to the diagram, which
you can see in the page tabs along the bottom of the diagramming area.
To apply a border or title to your drawing, do the following:
1. On the Design tab, click Borders & Titles.
2. Click the title that you want.
The title and border are added to the background page (named VBackground-1 by default). To
change the title and other text, you must make the changes on the background page; you can't
change the title on any other pages.
3. At the bottom of the diagramming area, click the VBackground-1 tab.
4. Click the title text. The entire border is selected, but if you start typing it changes the default
title text.
5. Enter the title that you want.
6. To edit other text in the border, first select the entire border, and then click the text you want
to change and start typing.
To apply a unified color scheme and other formatting effects, do the following:
 1. On the Design tab, in the Themes group, hold your pointer over the various themes. A
preview of the theme shows up on the page.
To see other available themes, click More .
2. Click the theme you want to apply to the diagram.

Print your diagram:

1. Click the File tab and then click Print.
2. To print the diagram, click Print.
3. In the Print dialog box, do the following:
 In the Name box, select the printer that you want (if it is not already selected).
 Under Page range, specify the pages in the drawing that you want to print.
 Under Copies, specify the number of copies that you want to print.
4. Click OK when you are ready to print.
There are many kinds of Visio diagrams, but you can use the same three basic steps to create nearly
all of them:
1. Choose and open a template.
2. Drag and connect shapes.
3. Add text to shapes.

Create a simple flowchart:

Step 1: Choose and open a template

1. Start Visio.
2. Under Template Categories, click Flowchart.
3. In the Flowchart window, double-click Basic Flowchart.
Step 2: Drag and connect shapes
To create your diagram, drag shapes from the stencil onto the blank page and connect them to one
another. There are several ways to connect shapes, but for now use AutoConnect.
1. Drag the Start/End shape from the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil onto the drawing page,
and then release the mouse button.

2. Hold the pointer over the shape so that the blue arrows show.

3. Move your pointer on top of the blue arrow that points toward where you want to place the
second shape.
A mini toolbar appears that contains shapes from the top of the stencil.

4. Click the square Process shape.

The Process shape is added to the diagram, automatically connected to the Start/End shape.
If the shape you want to add isn’t on the mini toolbar, you can drag the shape you want from the
Shapes window and drop it on a blue arrow. The new shape is connected to the first shape as if you
had clicked it on the mini toolbar.
Step 3: Add text to shapes
1. Click the shape and start typing.

2. When you finish typing, click on a blank area of the drawing page or press ESC.

What are Visio shapes, stencils, and templates?

Shapes
Visio shapes are ready-made images that you drag onto your drawing page — they are the building
blocks of your diagram.
When you drag a shape from a stencil onto your drawing page, the original shape remains on the
stencil. That original is called a master shape. The shape that you put on your drawing is a copy —
also called an instance — of that master. You can drag as many instances of the same shape onto
your drawing as you want.

Rotating and resizing shapes

The most common things that people do with shapes involve features that are built right into the
shapes. Visual cues help you find and use those features quickly.
 Rotation handles
The round handle located above a shape is called a rotation handle. Drag a rotation handle right or
left to rotate the shape.
 Blue connection arrows for AutoConnect
The light blue connection arrows help you easily connect shapes to one another, as you saw in the
previous section.
 Selection handles for resizing shapes
You can use the square selection handles to change the height and width of your shape. Click and
drag a selection handle on the corner of a shape to enlarge the shape without changing its
proportions, or click and drag a selection handle on the side of a shape to make the shape taller or
wider.

Special features of Visio shapes

Visio shapes are much more than simple images or symbols.

Shapes can hold data

You can add data to each shape by typing it in the Shape Data window – on the View tab, in the
Show group, click Task Panes, and then click Shape Data. You can also import data from an
external data source.
Data is not displayed in the drawing by default. You can see the data for an individual shape by
opening the Shape Data window and selecting the shape.
If you want to display the data for lots of shapes at once, you can use a feature called data graphics.
The following illustration shows the data for two trees at once.
Shapes with special behavior
Many Visio shapes have special behavior that you can find by stretching, right-clicking, or moving
the yellow control handle on the shape.
For example, you can stretch a People shape to show more people, or stretch the Grwing flower
shape to indicate growth.
 Stencils
Visio stencils hold collections of shapes. The shapes in each stencil have something in common.
The shapes can be a collection of shapes that you need to create a particular kind of diagram, or
several different versions of the same shape.
For example, the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil contains only common flowchart shapes. More
specialized flowchart shapes are in other stencils, such as the BPMN and TQM stencils.
Stencils appear in the Shapes window. To see the shapes on a particular stencil, click its title bar.

Open any Visio stencil

Each template opens with the stencils that you need to create a particular kind of drawing, but you
can open other stencils any time you want.
 In the Shapes windows, click More Shapes, point to the category that you want, and then
click the name of the stencil that you want to use.

Templates
When you want to create a diagram, start with a template for that type of diagram (or the nearest
type if there isn’t an exact match). Visio templates help you start with the right settings:
 Stencils full of the shapes that are needed to create a particular kind of drawing
The Home Plan template, for example, opens with stencils full of shapes such as walls, furniture,
appliances, cabinets, and so on.
 Appropriate grid size and ruler measurements
Some drawings require a special scale. For example, the Site Plan template opens with an
engineering scale, where 1 inch represents 10 feet.
 Special tabs
Some templates have unique features that you can find on special tabs on the Ribbon. For example,
when you open the Timeline template, a Timeline tab appears on the Ribbon. You can use the
Timeline tab to configure your timeline and to import and export data between Visio and Microsoft
Project.
 Wizards to help you with special types of drawings
In some cases when you open a Visio template, a wizard helps you get started. For example, the
Space Plan template opens with a wizard that helps you set up your space and room information.

View examples of templates

To find out what templates are available:
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click New.
3. Click the various template categories, and then click the template thumbnails to see short
descriptions of the templates.
Why Use a Modeling Tool?
I know numerous developers that build databases by hand, but of all my software development tools
I believe a data modeler is by far the most important. A data model is like the foundation to a house;
the better the data model the less custom development work in business rules and exceptions. The
use of any Rapid Application Development tool or Code Generation tool requires a solid
foundation, and a data modeling tool helps provide that by eliminating errors that are easy to make
without a visual representation of your foundation. Visual modeling tools provide many secondary
benefits beyond decreasing data model defects including the ability to keep multiple data models in
sync, make on-the-fly data model changes (without loosing data), and validate models (enforce
primary key requirements, warn against duplicate indexes, etc).

New Models

Creating a New Model

Create a new model by simply selecting File -> New -> Database -> Database Model Diagram. It is
important when creating a diagram to set the Database Management System from the Drivers tab in
Database -> Options -> Drivers.

Reverse Engineering
Reverse engineering an existing database involves creating a new model from File -> New ->
Database -> Database Model Diagram. Next select the type of Database Management System
(DBMS) you want to connect to from the Drivers tab in Database -> Options -> Drivers. Next select
Database -> Reverse Engineer and follow the wizard by selecting an ODBC data source or creating
a new one. Clicking next allows you to select which elements of the database to retrieve, and the
following screen allows you to select which tables to retrieve (you probably want all of them). The
last screen allows you to automatically add the tables to the page or not. If you don’t automatically
add them you can manually add them from the Tables and Views pane (that can be displayed via
Database -> View -> Tables and Views).

Options
There are a few options I recommend setting for a new diagram. I prefer to view crow’s feed to
indicate one-to-many relationships instead of the default arrow. This can be set by selecting the
"Show Crows Feet" checkbox on the Relationship tab from Database -> Options -> Document.
Setting the page area for the purposes of printing is another useful but non-intuitive process. Start
by going to File -> Page Setup. Select the Page Size tab. Here you can select Portrait or Landscape
at the bottom. If you want multiple pages the best way I’ve found to do it is by selecting Custom
size and entering multiples of 8 inches and 10.5 inches (giving a quarter inch border around all
pages). For instance three pages width-wise by two pages height-wise done landscape would be 24"
X 21".
I also like to have the font smaller for tables and columns, but unfortunately I haven’t figured out
how to set the default, so when adding a new table I select it and select 8 point from the toolbar.
Finally (for what it’s worth) I personally don’t like the default Window Pane setup. I like to have
the Database Properties pane at the bottom of the screen with the Entity Relationship screen small
and to the left of it. You may find the following setup more productive than the default:

CONCLUSION:
Top 10 Reasons to Try Visio 2010
 1. Jump-start diagramming with templates
 2. Find and access the tools you need quickly
 3. Draw diagrams faster with improved automatic features
 4. Simplify large and complex diagrams
 5. Make your diagrams professional-looking and appealing in seconds
 6. Bring your diagrams to life with real-time data
 7. Share diagrams with others on the Web
 8. Ensure consistency and accuracy with diagram validation
 9. Model and monitor SharePoint workflows
 10. Create visual mash ups using Visio Services