When you have linked a Visio drawing to a data source and applied Data Graphics to the shapes, the graphics are stored within the drawing in which they were created.
Therefore, where you have created several new Data Graphics in a diagram, if you attempt to use these in successive diagrams you won't be able to.
One solution to this is to copy a shape that already has the graphic applied to a new diagram.
When the shape is being copied across to the new diagram it can safely be deleted but the Data Graphic that was applied to the original will now have become part of the new diagram and can be used to format any number of new shapes.
To modify an existing data graphic simply right click until Edit Data Graphic appears on the shortcut menu.
The dialog box that opens will let you edit a number of elements, including:
Where a diagram has been linked to more than one data source the data from each source is displayed on a separate tab in the Ecternal Data window.
A data source can be removed from the diagram by right-clicking the External Data window and selecting Remove when pointing at a specific data source.
To see the data that is connected, choose Properties from the short cut menu.
There are a number of formatting modifications possible, but it is also easy to change a shape depending on content or according to a specific condition.
In this way it is not dissimilar to the conditional formatting features found in Microsoft Excel, but in Visio's case it gives a new dimension to visualising data by applying different graphical formatting to shapes depending on their values.
The professional version of Visio includes some default data graphics which can be modified to suit your purposes, although in many cases it is better to create a new data graphic specifically for that diagram you wish to link the data to.
You can use as many graphics as you need in a diagram, and there is an endless range of new graphic shapes that can be created.
There is a degree of caution to be used here, however, as diagrams can easily become disorderly and when several different graphical formats are applied it might be harder to see the true patterns.
As with many things simplicity is often the most reliable course to follow for effective communication.
Therefore, where you have created several new Data Graphics in a diagram, if you attempt to use these in successive diagrams you won't be able to.
One solution to this is to copy a shape that already has the graphic applied to a new diagram.
When the shape is being copied across to the new diagram it can safely be deleted but the Data Graphic that was applied to the original will now have become part of the new diagram and can be used to format any number of new shapes.
To modify an existing data graphic simply right click until Edit Data Graphic appears on the shortcut menu.
The dialog box that opens will let you edit a number of elements, including:
- Colour by value
- Data bars
- Icon sets
- Functions and formulae
Where a diagram has been linked to more than one data source the data from each source is displayed on a separate tab in the Ecternal Data window.
A data source can be removed from the diagram by right-clicking the External Data window and selecting Remove when pointing at a specific data source.
To see the data that is connected, choose Properties from the short cut menu.
There are a number of formatting modifications possible, but it is also easy to change a shape depending on content or according to a specific condition.
In this way it is not dissimilar to the conditional formatting features found in Microsoft Excel, but in Visio's case it gives a new dimension to visualising data by applying different graphical formatting to shapes depending on their values.
The professional version of Visio includes some default data graphics which can be modified to suit your purposes, although in many cases it is better to create a new data graphic specifically for that diagram you wish to link the data to.
You can use as many graphics as you need in a diagram, and there is an endless range of new graphic shapes that can be created.
There is a degree of caution to be used here, however, as diagrams can easily become disorderly and when several different graphical formats are applied it might be harder to see the true patterns.
As with many things simplicity is often the most reliable course to follow for effective communication.