Applies to
Microsoft Visio® 2002

Anyone who manages space in an organization knows how important it is and — in the face of frequent moves and reorganizations — how difficult it can be to keep track of computers, printers, furniture, and other assets.

Tracking assets, however, can be as simple as dragging shapes around on a drawing page when you build a Visio Professional space plan diagram that reflects the physical spaces you manage. With a space plan diagram, you can:

• Quickly populate offices and cubicles with assets by importing asset information from a spreadsheet or database.
• Reassign assets to new offices and cubicles simply by dragging shapes representing the assets from one space to another.
• Assign unassigned assets to appropriate spaces.
• Automatically update the space plan diagram when asset information in the spreadsheet or database changes.

Tracking assets using a Visio space plan involves the following tasks:

• Prepare the asset information
• Import asset information into a space plan
• Locate imported asset shapes in the space plan
• Move assets around
• Assign unassigned assets to spaces
• Store serial numbers and other information in the space plan
• Update the space plan diagram when asset information changes

Prepare the asset information

After you build a space plan diagram that reflects the spaces you manage, you are ready to prepare asset information so you can import it into the diagram.

You can import asset information from a variety of sources, including:

• Microsoft Excel worksheets.
• Microsoft Active Directory® directory service.
• Microsoft Exchange.
• Any ODBC data source (for example, Microsoft Access).

Whether you're obtaining asset information from a large human resources database or creating a small worksheet for your own use, keep the following points in mind:

• At a minimum, your data source must include a field (column) that identifies the assets that you are adding to your space plan.
• If some assets have already been assigned to specific spaces, you can also include a field in the data source that contains room numbers. Room numbers in this field must match the room numbers in your space plan diagram. For assets not yet assigned to spaces, leave the room field blank.
• When two or more assets are assigned to the same space, use the same room number for each asset.
• If your data source includes information from more than one building, when you import the asset information into your space plan diagram, you must identify the field that contains building name or number.
• If other fields in your data source contain valuable information about assets, such as the asset tag numbers, serial numbers, or purchase date, you can import that information into your space plan diagram as well and store it as properties associated with the shapes that represent the assets.
• To be able to automatically update the space plan diagram when information in your data source changes, be sure your data source includes a key field that identifies each asset uniquely. For example, a key field might contain an asset tag number or serial number.

  Note  After you import the initial asset data, you might want to store additional information, such as purchase date or serial number, in shape property fields. If you have identified a key field, you can re-import the data without duplicating information already in the space plan diagram.

Import asset information into a space plan

After you prepare the asset information, you are ready to import it into your space plan diagram.

Note  Some of the information that you import appears on icons in the Explorer window. To see the Explorer window, on the Plan menu, click Explorer.

To import asset information into a space plan diagram

1. In Visio Professional, open the space plan diagram that reflects the spaces that you manage.
2. On the Plan menu, click Import Data.
3. On the first page of the Import Data wizard, in the Category list, click Asset, and then click Next.
   • You can also choose the specific type of asset you are importing. For example, you can choose Computer, Equipment, Fixture, or Furniture.
4. In the Source list, click the type of data source from which you are importing. If necessary, locate the data source by clicking Browse, selecting a file, and then clicking Open. Click Next.
5. On the Choose the columns that contain the name and location information page:
   • In the Name list, click the name of the field (column) in your data source that most uniquely identifies the asset. The information from the cells in this field appears on the icons that represent the assets in the Explorer window.
   • In the Space ID list, click the field in your data source that contains the room number.
   • In the Building ID list, click the field in your data source that contains the building name or number, if your data source includes a field for building information, or click <None>.
   • In the Key list, click a field in your data source that contains information that uniquely identifies each asset. For example, you could choose the Asset Tag Number or Serial Number field.
   • Click Next.
6. Fields lists the fields (columns) that your data source includes. Properties lists the property fields that are associated by default with asset shapes. By matching Fields with Properties, you can store data from the fields in your data source in the shapes that represent assets in your space plan diagram.
   • To store data from a field in your spreadsheet, such as purchase date or serial number, in each asset shape in your diagram, under Fields, click the field name. Under Properties, click the property name that matches the field, or, if no field matches, click <New>, and then click Add. When you have finished adding matching fields and properties, click Next.
7. If your data source includes building information, in the Building ID box, click the appropriate building.
8. To see a report of where your imported information was placed, under Options, click Show Report, and then click Finish.

   

   In the Import Data Report, which opens in a Web browser window, you can see at a glance which assets were placed into office or cubicle spaces and which assets are still unplaced.

   Note  If you close the Web browser window, the report disappears. To print a copy of the report, on the Web browser's File menu, click Print.

Locate imported asset shapes in the space plan

When you import asset information into your space plan diagram, Visio Professional translates it into asset shapes, creating one shape for each asset listed in your data source. Where these asset shapes appear in your diagram depends on whether or not the asset that the shape represents is already assigned to a space.

Assets assigned to spaces

• For each asset assigned to a room number in your data source, Visio places an asset shape within the corresponding space shape in the space plan diagram.

  

  In this space plan diagram, we chose the Computer category when we imported asset information, so shapes resembling computers appear in the office and cubicle spaces.

  Note  If we had chosen a different category (for example, the general Asset category or Furniture or Equipment), a different shape resembling that category would have appeared in the office and cubicle spaces. You can find all the asset shapes on the Resources stencil that opens automatically when you start a new space plan diagram.

• Assets that are assigned in the data source to room numbers that don't exist in the space plan diagram are treated as though they have not been assigned spaces.
• When two or more assets are assigned to the same space, Visio places their asset shapes one on top of the other within the same space shape.

  

  To see all the shapes, drag the top shape away from the shapes underneath.

• You can also use the Explorer window to view and rearrange the asset shapes assigned to spaces. If you don't see the Explorer window, on the Plan menu, click Explorer.

  

  In the Explorer window, assets assigned to spaces are listed hierarchically under the drawing page on which the shapes representing them are placed, and then:

  • On the Category tab, under the category (such as Asset or Computer) to which they belong.
  • On the Space tab, under the room number of the space to which they are assigned.

Tip  Asset shapes on the drawing page are all automatically assigned to a layer with the same name as the asset category (for example, if you choose the Computer category when you import, the shapes are on the Computer layer). This means that you can hide or lock some or all of the other shapes on the page to view or work on the asset shapes separately. To view or lock layers, on the View menu, click Layer Properties.

Assets not assigned to spaces

For each asset not assigned to a room number in your data source, Visio places an asset shape in the Unplaced Data category in the Explorer window.

Note  Assets assigned to room numbers in the data source that don't exist in the diagram also appear in the Unplaced Data category.

If you don't see the Explorer window, on the Plan menu, click Explorer.

Any asset shapes left in the Unplaced Data category in the Explorer window at the time you close your space plan diagram will disappear from the diagram. To avoid having to re-import the information, before you close your diagram, drag any unassigned asset shapes out of the Explorer window and place them anywhere on the drawing page.

Move assets around

After you import asset information into your space plan diagram, you can quickly move assets from one office to another by dragging asset shapes from one space shape to another. You can move an asset in either of two ways:

• In the Explorer window
• On the drawing page itself

To move an asset in the Explorer window

1. In the space plan diagram where you want to move an asset, if the Explorer window isn't already open, on the Plan menu, click Explorer.
2. Click the Spaces tab.
3. To expand the Page-1 (or other page, if the diagram has multiple pages) icon, click the + sign.
4. Click the + sign next to the Space shape icon that contains the asset icon that you want to move.
5. Drag the asset icon onto a different Space shape icon.

   Changes that you make in the Explorer window are reflected in the diagram.

To move an asset on the drawing page

1. In the space plan diagram where you want to move an asset, select the shape that represents the asset that you want to move.
2. Drag the shape into a different Space shape.

   Changes that you make in the diagram are reflected in the Explorer window.

Tip  You can also move an asset by dragging the asset's icon from the Explorer window into a new Space shape on the diagram.

In a space plan diagram, if an office space is too small to hold all of its associated asset shapes, you can associate the asset shapes with the office space by dragging the yellow diamonds from the asset shapes and gluing them to the blue x at the center of the office space. When glued, the yellow diamonds turn red.

Assign unassigned assets to spaces

After you import asset information into your space plan diagram, you can quickly assign assets not yet assigned to office spaces by dragging asset shapes from the Unplaced Data category in the Explorer window into spaces in the Explorer window or on the drawing page.

To assign an unassigned asset to a space in the Explorer window

1. In the space plan diagram where you want to assign an asset, if the Explorer window isn't already open, on the Plan menu, click Explorer.
2. On the Spaces tab, to see icons representing unassigned assets, click the plus sign (+) next to Unplaced Data.
3. To see icons that represent the spaces into which you want to place unassigned assets, click the plus sign (+) next to the Page-1 (or other page, if the diagram has multiple pages) icon.
4. Drag an unassigned asset icon onto an icon representing the space to which you want to assign it.

   Changes that you make in the Explorer window are reflected in the diagram.

To assign an unassigned asset to a space on the drawing page

1. In the space plan diagram where you want to assign an asset, if the Explorer window isn't already open, on the Plan menu, click Explorer.
2. On either the Spaces or Categories tab, to see the unassigned asset icons, click the plus sign (+) next to Unplaced Data.
3. From the Explorer window, drag an unassigned asset icon into a Space shape on the drawing page.

   Changes that you make in the Explorer window are reflected in the diagram.

Store serial numbers and other information in the space plan

When you import information about assets into a space plan diagram, you can store some of that information — such as serial numbers and purchase dates — as properties in the shapes that represent the assets in the diagram.

You can view the stored properties for any asset by selecting the shape representing the asset and then, on the View menu, clicking Custom Properties Window.

To store data about assets in a space plan diagram

1. Follow the steps for importing information described earlier in this article.
2. In Step 5:
   • If you are re-importing information you previously imported, and <None> appears in the Key list, click Cancel. (If you continue to import, you will bring in duplicates of the assets already in your diagram.) In your space plan diagram, delete all the asset shapes, and then return to Step 1 of this procedure and follow instructions for importing information for the first time.
   • If you are re-importing information that you previously imported, and a field (column) name from your data source appears in the Key list, click Next.
   • If you are importing information for the first time, follow instructions for the Name, Space ID, and Building ID lists. In the Key list, click a field (column) in your data source (such as asset tag number) that contains information that uniquely identifies each asset, and then click Next.
3. Under Fields, choose the field (column) from your data source that includes data that you want to store in asset shapes. Under Properties, choose the existing shape property field in which you want to store the data (if no field matches, click <New>), and then click Add.
4. Repeat Step 3 until you have added all the property fields you want, and then click Finish.

Update the space plan diagram when asset information changes

When you import information about assets into a space plan diagram, you can establish a connection between the data source that contains the asset information and the space plan diagram. After that connection is established, you can reflect changes that you make to the data source in the diagram simply by choosing a command.

For example, if assets get reassigned and the data source contains the assets' new office numbers, you can update the diagram to reflect the moves. If some assets are discarded and deleted from the data source, you can delete them from the diagram. Or, if you add a new field (column) to the data source (such as purchase date or serial number), you can store that field's data in the asset shapes in the diagram.

To make sure you established a connection with information you already imported

1. In the space plan diagram where you want to verify that you established a connection, follow the steps for importing data described earlier in this article.
2. In Step 5:
   • In the Key list, if <None> appears, you did not establish a connection. Click Cancel. In your space plan diagram, delete all the asset shapes in your diagram, and then use the following procedure to establish a connection.

     Tip  To quickly delete all asset shapes from a diagram, on the View menu, click Layer Properties. In the Layer Properties dialog box, click Visible to uncheck and hide all the layers. Then scroll down to the type of asset (for example, Asset, Furniture, or Computer) shapes that you want to delete, and click in the Visible column opposite the asset type to place a check mark and show the asset type layer. Click OK. On the Edit menu, click Select All, and then press DELETE. On the View menu, click Layer Properties. In the Layer Properties dialog box, click Visible, and then click OK.

   • In the Key list, if a field (column) name from your data source appears, you did establish a connection. Use the following procedure to update the diagram.

To establish a connection between the data source and the diagram

1. Follow the steps for importing data described earlier in this article.
2. In Step 5, on the Choose the columns that contain the name and location information page, in the Key list, be sure to click a field (column) in your data source (such as asset tag number) that contains information that uniquely identifies each asset.
3. Complete the process for importing data.

To update the diagram when the data source changes

1. On the Plan menu, click Refresh Data.
2. In the Refresh Data dialog box, select the check box for the asset type that you want to update.
3. Under Update, choose whether to update data on all the pages in the diagram or only on the current page.
4. Under Options, choose whether to remove asset shapes that no longer have any information associated with them and whether to show a report of the changes you made by selecting the corresponding check boxes.
5. Click OK.