Linking an outlook contact to a box

rdale12000 · March 27, 2009, 02:18:25 PM

Brand new to Visio but is there a way to link a contact in an outlook address book to a box in a visio org chart. We would like to do this so that we can keep our emergency notification chart and stakeholders updated in a single place (the outlook address book) and avoid that bane of all dtatbase work where one has the "same" information in several different places.

philippec · March 27, 2009, 03:11:52 PM

I only have Outlook 2003 and Visio 2003. And at home, where I have Visio 2007, Microsoft wants me to pay a fee to use Outlook with Hotmail.
If I were Microsoft, or if Microsoft were as clever as I am, I would drag and drop a contact from Outlook to a Shape in Visio.
Tell us if it works.

philippec · March 27, 2009, 03:27:49 PM

Or menu, Organisation Chart, Import Organisation Data, Information that's allready stored, A MS Exchange Server directory,.
And here I got stuck, I even't don't see the e-mail field.

rdale12000 · March 27, 2009, 03:37:25 PM

I tried a paste of a contact and it works fine but the text in the visio chart then become static. It would be nice if it were tied to the outlook distribution list so that if someone was removed from a distribution list the rplacement would autmatically go into the visio chart. Not to mention if a contact changes his phone number.

wapperdude · March 27, 2009, 06:08:39 PM

I've not tried this, and it may be too round about for your desired goal, but, if you run the Org Chart wizard and create an Excel file, then, you might be able to link your phone numbers to the Excel file. If that works, then you can use the wizard to update your Visio Org Chart. Just a thought...

philippec · March 27, 2009, 06:16:42 PM

Do you have Visio 2007 ? There have been some improvements in the data area.
This is the thing Visio is supposed to be good in.
Try menu, Data, Link data to Shapes.
There is also an "Automatically link" and "Refresh" menu item.
I am sorry, but this is not my cup of tea.

There are better people in this area than me on this forum.
Good idea by Wapperdude, to begin simple with an Excel file.
Afterwards you can try an ODBC connection to an Exchange PST file

?

philippec · March 27, 2009, 06:19:25 PM

An interesting question for your problem just appeared on this forum. (ODBC)

rdale12000 · March 27, 2009, 06:20:16 PM

Thanks to both of you. I am working on the excel route as we 'speak".

Does anyone know where I can find a template for the excel file format?

I like the like idea of a link to a PST file.

Please tell me what OBDC stands for.

wapperdude · March 27, 2009, 07:02:09 PM

If you use the Wizard to export the Org chart, it will create the Excel "template" for you.

rdale12000 · March 27, 2009, 07:04:17 PM

Quote from: wapperdude on March 27, 2009, 07:02:09 PM
If you use the Wizard to export the Org chart, it will create the Excel "template" for you.

I don't have one to export yet. I need to create one with data in a spreadsheet.

wapperdude · March 27, 2009, 09:44:54 PM

Just draw a quick one in Visio, perhaps with 3 or 4 reporting levels. That'll get your template. Put in dummy names, titles -- that'll make it easier to track the Excel file to the Visio drawing. Then, just expand your Excel file as necessary, save with new name, and then import from Visio using the wizard.