Microsoft Visio 2016 Step By Step

by Scott Helmers

Overview

The quick way to learn Microsoft Visio 2016!

This is learning made easy. Get more done quickly with Visio 2016. Jump in wherever you need answers--brisk lessons and colorful screenshots show you exactly what to do, step by step.

• Get results faster with starter diagrams
• Diagram processes, organizations, networks, and datacenters
• Add styles, colors, and themes
• Enhance diagrams with data-driven visualizations
• Link to external data sources, websites, and documents
• Add structure to diagrams with containers, lists, and callouts
• Validate flowchart, swimlane, and BPMN diagrams
• Collaborate and publish with Visio Services and Microsoft SharePoint 2016
• Look up just the tasks and lessons you need

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735699564
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	12/16/2015
Series:	Step by Step
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	576
File size:	26 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Scott A. Helmers is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Microsoft Visio and is the primary Visio expert at Experts-Exchange.com. He has helped companies create custom Visio add-ins to enhance organizational efficiency and employee productivity, and has taught thousands of people how to use technology more effectively.

He is Vice President of Product Planning and Support at the Harvard Computing Group, a software and consulting firm that helps clients understand and implement business process solutions. Scott is a co-inventor of TaskMap (www.taskmap.com), a Visio add-in that anyone can use to document and improve all of the important aspects of any business process.

Scott has worked with clients in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Canada, and the United States on projects involving knowledge management, specification of new IT systems, process mapping and redesign, and technology training. In addition, he has been an Adjunct Professor at both Northeastern University and Boston University.

Scott is the author of three previous books: Microsoft Visio 2013 Step by Step (Microsoft Press, 2013), Microsoft Visio 2010 Step by Step (Microsoft Press, 2011), and Data Communications: A Beginner's Guide to Concepts and Technology (Prentice-Hall, 1989). He also contributed Chapter 9, "Visio and Visio Services," to Business Intelligence in Microsoft SharePoint 2013 by Norm Warren, Mariano Neto, Stacia Misner, Ivan Sanders, and Scott Helmers (Microsoft Press, 2013). Information about Scott's books is available at www.VisioStepByStep.com.

When not working or spending time with his family in Andover, Massachusetts, Scott can usually be found on his bicycle or working with a local community theater company.

Table of Contents

Introduction     xiii
Who this book is for     xiii
The Step by Step approach     xiii
Sidebar: Adapt procedure steps     xiv
Download the practice files     xvi
Ebook edition     xviii
Get support and give feedback     xix
Errata and support     xix
We want to hear from you     xix
Stay in touch     xix
Part 1: Create Visio diagrams
Chapter 1: Get started with Visio 2016     3
Identify the editions of Visio 2016     4
Discover new features in Visio 2016     4
Get started in Visio 2016     7
Sidebar: Understand shapes, masters, stencils, and templates     8
Explore the Backstage view     13
The Info page     14
The New page     16
The Open page     17
The Save command     17
The Save As page     18
The Print page     18
The Share page     18
The Export page     20
The Close command     20
The Account page     20
The Visio Options dialog box     22
Understand tool tabs and add-in tabs     23
Use tool tabs     23
Use add-in tabs     24
Begin quickly by using starter diagrams     25
Explore the drawing window     28
Sidebar: How do I scroll through page name tabs?     32
Manage the Shapes window     33
Pan and zoom in the drawing window     37
Skills review     41
Practice tasks     42
Chapter 2: Create diagrams     45
Place shapes by using the Dynamic Grid     46
Select shapes     51
Copy, paste, and duplicate shapes     53
Position shapes by using rulers and guides     55
Use rulers to align and size shapes     56
Use guides to align and size shapes     57
Resize, reposition, and reorient shapes     60
Use control handles     60
Use the Size & Position window     62
Connect shapes by using lines     65
Sidebar: Create 2-D shapes by using the line tools     69
Connect shapes by using dynamic connectors     70
Connect to shapes that contain connection points     70
Connect to shapes that do not contain connection points     72
Change connector style and segmentation     74
Sidebar: Identifying 1-D shapes and types of glue     76
Use AutoConnect and Quick Shapes     77
Use AutoAdd and AutoDelete     83
Use AutoAdd     84
Use AutoDelete     86
Skills review     87
Practice tasks     88
Chapter 3: Manage text, shapes, and pages     95
Manage shape text     96
Add text to shapes     96
Reposition and resize shape text     98
Orient shape text     99
Create and format text boxes     102
Add ScreenTips and comments     104
Insert pictures     109
Replace shapes     111
Group shapes     114
Understand and use layers     116
Manage pages     120
Work with foreground pages     122
Configure foreground pages     125
Manage Auto Size     128
Work with background pages and borders     130
Skills review     134
Practice tasks     135
Chapter 4: Create business process diagrams     139
Select a flowchart template     140
Visio Standard     140
Visio Professional     141
Sidebar: Vertical or horizontal?     142
Create flowcharts     142
Sidebar: Dynamic or static glue?     146
Understand swimlane diagrams     149
Sidebar: Add-in tabs     150
Build swimlane diagrams     152
Understand BPMN     155
Design BPMN diagrams     158
Create subprocesses     164
Skills review     167
Practice tasks     168
Chapter 5: Create organization charts     171
Understand organization charts     172
Review new features     172
Use org chart templates     173
Build organization charts manually     173
Use existing data to create an organization chart     177
Use the Organization Chart Wizard with new data     185
Alter layout and appearance     187
Change the layout     187
Arrange shapes     189
Change shape appearance     191
Sidebar: The names keep changing!     193
Work with pictures     195
Apply themes     197
Import photographs as you create organization charts     198
Skills review     201
Practice tasks     202
Chapter 6: Add style, color, and themes     205
Align and space shapes     206
Align shapes     206
Sidebar: What’s in front?     207
Space and orient shapes     209
Align and space shapes automatically     211
Understand theme concepts     213
Sidebar: Hand-drawn themes     215
Apply themes and variants     216
Choose themes and variants     216
Customize themes and variants     219
Use effects and Quick Styles     221
Highlight shapes by using effects     222
Embellish shapes by using Quick Styles     225
Apply solid, gradient, and pattern fills     227
Apply line colors and patterns     230
Use the Format Painter     233
Skills review     234
Practice tasks     235
Chapter 7: Create network and datacenter diagrams     239
Build basic network diagrams     240
Build detailed network diagrams     242
Use 3-D equipment shapes     244
Sidebar: Where can I find more network shapes?     246
Create rack diagrams     247
Sidebar: What is a scaled drawing?     252
Change the drawing scale     255
Sidebar: Enhance your network diagrams     259
Run computer and network reports     260
Skills review     261
Practice tasks     262
Part 2: Add data to your diagrams
Chapter 8: Work with shape data     267
Understand shape data     268
View shape data     269
Sidebar: Another way to view shape data     272
Sidebar: Finding the Shape Data window     274
Edit shape data     275
Modify shape data field attributes     279
View shape data field attributes     279
Change shape data field attributes     281
Define shape data fields     283
Insert fields     284
Run predefined reports     286
Create or modify reports     291
Skills review     296
Practice tasks     297
Chapter 9: Visualize your data     301
Enhance diagram effectiveness     302
View network and datacenter performance     302
Improve processes     304
Manage casino operations     305
Manage employee performance     305
Assess risks     306
Create data graphics     308
Apply data graphics     313
Edit data graphics     316
Create data graphic legends     319
Skills review     320
Practice tasks     321
Chapter 10: Link to external data     325
Understand data linking     326
Use Quick Import     327
Use Custom Import     330
Link your diagram to data     330
Link data to your shapes     333
Manage linked data     339
Identify links     339
Change column settings     339
Unlink data from shapes and diagrams     340
Use data graphic options for linked data     341
Refresh linked data     344
Skills review     346
Practice tasks     347
Part 3: Enhance and share diagrams
Chapter 11: Add and use hyperlinks     353
Follow hyperlinks     354
Enhance diagrams by adding hyperlinks     355
Open the Hyperlinks dialog box     355
Link to another Visio page     356
Sidebar: What is a shape name? Where do I find it?     358
Link to a website     360
Link to a document     361
Link to a specific location in a document     362
Edit and delete existing hyperlinks     364
Add multiple hyperlinks     365
Understand relative and absolute hyperlinks     365
Set the hyperlink base     370
Skills review     372
Practice tasks     373
Chapter 12: Print, reuse, and share diagrams     375
Preview and print drawings     376
Remove personal information     380
Sidebar: What is Information Rights Management?     384
Create graphics     386
Save drawings in other file formats     390
Create templates     394
Sidebar: Where do I store custom templates?     395
Share diagrams by using the Visio Viewer     397
Publish diagrams to the web     398
View web-published diagrams     398
Set publishing options     404
Sidebar: What’s in a Visio-generated website and where is it stored?     410
Skills review     411
Practice tasks     412
Chapter 13: Add structure to your diagrams     415
Understand containers, lists, and callouts     416
Compare groups and containers     417
Organize shapes by using containers     423
Use containers     424
Format containers     426
Sidebar: On the border     428
Organize shapes by using lists     430
Add shapes to lists     431
Format and size lists     434
Find containers and lists in Visio     434
Explore swimlanes     435
Build wireframes     437
Insert data graphic legends     439
Annotate shapes by using callouts     440
Skills review     444
Practice tasks     445
Chapter 14: Validate diagrams     447
Understand Visio rules     448
Validate flowcharts and swimlane diagrams     449
Validate flowcharts     449
Validate swimlane diagrams     454
Validate BPMN diagrams     456
Reuse existing validation rule sets     457
List the rules in a rule set     458
Create new validation rules     458
Skills review     460
Practice tasks     461
Chapter 15: Collaborate and publish diagrams     463
Understand Visio Services in SharePoint     464
Store diagrams in SharePoint     466
View diagrams by using a web browser     469
Refresh diagrams saved in SharePoint     471
Collaborate on diagrams     476
Comment on diagrams     477
Coauthor diagrams     483
Skills review     489
Practice tasks     490
Appendix A: Look behind the curtain     493
Appendix B: Keyboard shortcuts for Visio     515
Glossary     525
Index     535
About the author     555