Synchronise

NOTE: The Data Manager menu is only available in Advanced Mode. If you have not enabled Advanced Mode, these commands will not be visible.

To synchronise a single Data Manager, choose Data Managers > Synchronise. Select the required Data Manager and click on the OK button.

To synchronise all Data Managers, choose Data Managers > Synchronise All Data Managers.

NOTE: A Data Manager can be automatically synchronised every time a publication takes place – ask your Library Administrator to set this up.

What happens during synchronisation?

When an object no longer exists in the Visio file, the corresponding rows in the spreadsheet are deleted. This is the only situation when anything is deleted from an Excel file. In other circumstances, columns and worksheets that relate to removed or deleted Visio properties remain in the file but are ignored.

If you delete anything in Excel, it will be added back to the sheet during the next synchronisation - as long as the corresponding object in Visio is present. Visio always takes precedence during synchronisation.

Shape Text

If a Shape’s text is changed in Excel, the corresponding text of the shape will be changed in Visio during the next synchronisation.

• No conflict is generated if the Shape’s Text is changed in both Visio and Excel. Visio always wins.
• If a drill-down Activity has its text changed in Excel, it becomes disassociated from its Node. Similarly, changing the Node’s text will also break drill-down relationships.

Sorting and AutoNumber

Object sheets have an AutoNumber column. This number represents a top-to-bottom and left-to-right reading of objects in the multi-map, layer by layer. New objects are sorted into the appropriate worksheet row according to their assigned AutoNumber.

Data Type Conflicts

Generally, Visio will convert any cell value into a text string. Data conflicts are therefore unlikely when data is synchronised from Excel to Visio. On the other hand, Excel will not accept data into a cell unless it is in a compatible format. Synchronisation failures can therefore be expected if Visio data is not formatted correctly.