Visio has always had the ability to link a diagram to a Data Source, but in 2007 the options are expanded considerably.  Previous versions, and the Standard edition of Visio 2007 can only be linked where the diagram type has the facility.  Examples include the Organization chart, Project diagrams like Timelines and Gantt charts and Brainstorming diagrams, but where the facility does exist it is in the form of an automatic connection via a Wizard that constructs a diagram from the entire data.

The new features in Visio 2007 Professional allow selective connection of individual shapes to a data source and the ability to:

• Add graphical formats to shapes depending on the data they contain
• Create specific graphics in addition to the defaults supplied
• Illustrate differences in data e.g. Work Flow diagram shapes that represent people or processes belonging to different departments
• Refresh diagrams to reflect changes in the underlying data

The ability to link data at a diagram has a tremendous impact when the diagram is viewed.  Even an audience completely unconnected with the data displayed can very quickly see bottlenecks, problem areas and other performance issues and can identify where improvements can be made.  With the ability to update, the effectiveness of any changes can also be monitored.

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