Microsoft Office Visio 2007 version comparison

Compare the features of Microsoft Office Visio 2007 drawing and diagramming software with previous versions of Visio to see how upgrading can benefit you and your business.

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• General features and tools

• IT professional and developer tools

• Diagram and data integration tools

• Facilities management tools

• Project management tools

• Business process management (BPM) tools

• Programmability and extensibility tools Installation tools

• Installation tools

• Training resources and product assistance

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General features and tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
AutoConnect Let Office Visio automatically connect, distribute, and align shapes in diagrams for you—all in one action. View demo.
Insert text box Easily add text fields to diagrams by choosing this new menu command.
Remove hidden information Remove information hidden in Office Visio files or information you don’t want others to see, such as comments, thumbnail previews, personal information in document properties, and unused data and shapes from diagrams, while also reducing the size of the drawing file.
Sample diagrams with integrated data Open sample diagrams that have data integrated with them to get ideas for creating and designing your own diagrams.
Theme feature Design professional-looking Office Visio diagrams by choosing a color or an effect for an entire page or diagram, or multiple diagrams—all with only one click. View demo.
Clip art integration Get built-in access to Microsoft Office clip art, plus thousands of online resources, including images, sounds, and videos.
Connector splitting Let Office Visio automatically reestablish the connection between shapes for you when you drag a shape on top of a connector.
Document recovery Choose to save files when a program error occurs.
Dynamic connector Connect shapes and move them while retaining the connection.
Dynamic grid Automatically align and distribute shapes by snapping them into place on the dynamic grid.
Hyperlink support Connect shapes to other pages, files, or Web pages.
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server site integration Share diagrams and collaborate using Document Workspaces. Check Office Visio diagrams and Office Visio XML files in and out from SharePoint sites.
Multiple language and Unicode support Communicate and deal with character sets in 21 languages. Fully Unicode-compliant and includes support for Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, and Russian.
Review mode Capture reviews and annotations from multiple users.
Save as Web page Save drawings as Web pages with a custom properties viewer and built-in navigation.
Scanner and digital camera support Insert pictures directly from scanners or digital cameras.
Shape customization Create and manage your own shapes.
Shape search Search for available shapes in Office Visio and on the Web.
Tablet PC support Create Office Visio drawings on a Tablet PC using digital ink and pen input devices.
Templates and shapes Create diagrams by using templates and predefined shapes.
Workspace organization Easily navigate using tabbed pages; pan and zoom with anchoring windows; store data using custom properties; work with shapes using size and position tools; choose tools from consolidated toolbars; and view pop-up tips that tell you how to use shapes.

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IT professional and developer tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Database modeling Reverse-engineer and diagram schemes for Microsoft Office Access, Microsoft SQL Server, and other databases that are compliant with Open Database Connectivity (ODBC).
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) template Diagram IT service processes that conform to ITIL standards.
Microsoft Visual Studio support, including Microsoft .NET Create and import diagrams using reverse engineering and other tools in Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Visual Basic 6, Microsoft Visual C++, and Microsoft Visual C#.
Network Diagram templates Document existing network structure and design improvements using templates and enhanced shapes.
Rack Diagram templates Document and design rack layouts using templates and predefined shapes.
Web Site Map templates Generate site maps of existing Web sites using templates and predefined shapes.
Web Site Report templates Generate reports of site links, including broken links, or use reporting tools to identify changes in a site since it was last diagrammed.

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Diagram and data integration tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Data Graphics Visualize, explore, and communicate complex information by showing data with shapes in a diagram. Display data fields as callouts next to a shape, position fields in boxes below a shape, or show symbols that represent data. View demo.
Data Link Integrate data with diagrams to combine disparate sources of complex visual, textual, and numeric information in order to provide visual context for data, and create a complete picture of a system or process. More easily link diagrams to data from more than one data source, or a variety of data sources, by using the new Data Selector Wizard. Associate all the shapes in a diagram with data by using the new Automatic Link Wizard. View demo.
Data Refresh Easily refresh data in diagrams by using the new Data Refresh feature, or schedule Visio to automatically refresh the data in the diagram at fixed intervals for you.
External Data window View data linked to diagrams in spreadsheet format by viewing the External Data window.
PivotDiagram template Visualize and explore your business data in hierarchical form showing data groups and subtotals. Identify the key messages in your data and visually communicate them with others in your organization. View demo.
Refresh Conflicts task pane Easily deal with data conflicts that may arise when data changes by using the new Refresh Conflicts task pane.

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Facilities management tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Autodesk AutoCAD capabilities Import, save, and work with computer-aided design (CAD) files.
Floor plan functions Import data to populate space plans and format shapes based on custom property values.

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Project management tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Project 2007 visual reporting More effectively track and report on projects managed with Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Office Project 2007 by generating visual reports from those programs in PivotDiagram form—a new diagram type included with Office Visio Professional 2007.
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 integrationMicrosoft Office Outlook integration Easily create, format, and share calendars from Office Outlook. View Office Visio diagram attachments directly in an Office Outlook e-mail message.
Office Project integration Export tasks and dates to Office Project, and import timelines and Gantt charts.

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Business process management (BPM) tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Value Stream Mapping template Create diagrams based on Lean Methodology and visualize manufacturing processes to facilitate efficiency gains.
Predefined reports Generate reports in Microsoft Office Excel, HTML, or XML from shape properties.
BPM templates and shapes Work with fault-tree analysis tools, Enterprise Process Center (EPC) templates, cross-functional flowcharting templates, and other tools.
Work Flow (3-D) Shapes Design more dynamic workflows with enhanced 3-D shapes.

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Programmability and extensibility tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Data-driven solution support Create custom solutions that take advantage of the new Office Visio Professional 2007 data visualization features by using the related application programming interfaces (APIs).
Trust Center support Help protect users from unsafe content by default.
COM add-ins and add-ons Use Component Object Model (COM) add-ins and add-ons to programmatically extend and enhance Office Visio.
COM objects Get COM objects and even more properties, methods, and keyboard and mouse events.
Microsoft .NET Framework support Access primary interop assemblies (PIAs) for programming Office Visio on the .NET Framework.
Microsoft ActiveX Controls technology Embed Office Visio functionality in other programs that can act as ActiveX containers by using the Visio Drawing Control.
Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) support Go to MSDN for the software development kit (SDK), documentation, articles, and other assistance for developing Microsoft Office solutions.
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) support Write VBA code to automate Office Visio, or record code using macros.  Note   The Record Macro feature is included in Office Visio 2003 and later versions.
Shape creation and customization Define your own functions and reference them in the Office Visio ShapeSheet to easily reuse your code. Office Visio 2007 includes 13 new functions and various new cells.
Shape Studio Develop large volumes of shapes using the Visio Shape Creation environment. Shape Studio is included with the Office Visio 2007 SDK.
Software Development Kit (SDK) Get assistance developing Office Visio solutions with this updated toolkit, which includes new wizards that are compatible with Visual Studio, sample applications, and sample code. Find the Office Visio 2007 SDK on MSDN.
XML File Format support Enables interoperability with other XML-enabled programs, and facilitates storage and exchange of diagram-based information, including data not associated with a page or shape.

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Installation tools

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Language-neutral setup support Includes support for the new Microsoft Office language-neutral, pluggable deployment architecture, which facilitates deployment of Office Visio 2007 in multiple languages.
Self-repair capabilities Lets Office Visio repair itself by detecting missing or corrupt files, repairing corrupt files, and installing missing files.
Systems Management Server (SMS) deployment support Enables organizations to create packages for automatic deployment to specified user groups on local networks and at remote sites.
Windows Installer technology support Simplifies deployment and management.

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Training resources and product assistance

KEY:
= Feature Included = Improved in Office Visio 2007 = New in Office Visio 2007

Features	Visio 2000	Visio 2002	Visio 2003	Office Visio 2007
Getting Started window Easily determine which template or sample diagram to use by viewing thumbnail previews. Quickly find recently used templates and documents. View demo.
Help on Microsoft Office Online Type questions directly into the “Type a question for help” box to get help, including new and updated Help topics on Microsoft Office Online.
Visio Help More easily find information on working with new and existing Office Visio diagram types. Search the entire Office Online site for answers to your questions, tips and tricks, more templates, and so forth, directly from within Office Visio.  Note   If you’re not connected to the Internet, Visio will use the Help topics installed with the program.
Visio template help Get help using templates in Office Visio. Type the name of the template directly into the “Type a question for help” box.

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